HTTP and XML

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by skipton >> Tue, 19 Aug 2003 22:15:16 GMT

We're looking for a more efficient way of coding the client side of a web service, that is posting a SOAP message to a web server using HTTPS and getting a response back. The XML stuff is fine, it's the comms layer Im hoping for a better solution.



In our current implementation, we've imported the Microsoft XML activeX (msxml3.dll) to get hold of the XMLHTTP class. Using this I can get the job done in half a dozen lines of code or so, but our schema (which we wanted to keep relatively small) is now polluted with all the additional ActiveX classes that come with the import.



Is there a better solution out there?



I have tried using the CnHttp (CardSchema) functionality but have only managed to get this going with a direct internet connection (ie no proxy/firewall in the way). From our LAN, it seems to timeout where the XMLHTTP works.



Thanks in advance,



<kiwiInSkipton> JohnB </kiwiInSkipton>

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by Allistar Melville >> Tue, 19 Aug 2003 23:27:49 GMT

An option is to code the comms layer yourself. A client of mine has coded a native JADE SOAP server to use in a web services platform. Coding it yourself is probably not the most expedient option, and if your concern if in polluting your schema will unwanted classes then you would have to take that into account as well.

The JHP solution to the web services problem I have developed (see my signature below) is not SOAP based but has a communications layer built in that allows JADE code to be embedded into a web pages, like you do with PHP or ASP. That code is then executed by a Jade application and the result returned to the web browser.

Regards,
Allistar.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Allistar Melville
Software Developer, Analyst allistar@silvermoon.co.nz
Auckland, NEW ZEALAND

Silvermoon Software
Specialising in JADE development and consulting
Visit us at: http://www.silvermoon.co.nz
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by wxv >> Tue, 26 Aug 2003 12:21:31 GMT

In our current implementation, we've imported the Microsoft XML activeX (msxml3.dll) to get hold of the XMLHTTP class. Using this I can get the job done in half a dozen lines of code or so, but our schema (which we wanted to keep relatively small) is now polluted with all the additional ActiveX classes that come with the import.

Is there a better solution out there?

Why dont you just encapsulate this functionality into a DLL? Instead of manually forming the SOAP envelope (urg!) and sending it over XML HTTP, use the MS SOAP toolkit, and write a thin DLL that calls it, and jade calls the DLL. Its very easily done in VB 6. Else, do it in .NET and expose your simple component to jade using COM.

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by skipton >> Tue, 26 Aug 2003 22:18:36 GMT

Yeah I did look at the MS SOAP toolkit, though this didn't really suit our requirements for the way we wanted to access and expose the message information. Agreed manually building the SOAP messages is not pretty by any means, but once you build a framework and a few extras (like auto generating the parse/build XML methods) it makes it less of a pain.



I'll stick with the original solution; its simple, it works, and requires no additional installation steps. I'll take some unwanted classes over the issues that come from putting the functionality into a DLL. Looking forward to the day Jade natively supports Web Services.



Thanks for your help.



John