
Contents > Developing ColdFusion MX Applications > Using Web Services > Working with WSDL files > Reading a WSDL file

Reading a WSDL file

A WSDL file takes practice to read. You can view the WSDL file in a browser, or you can use a tool such as Dreamweaver MX, which contains a built-in utility for displaying WSDL files in an easy-to-read format.

The following example shows a WSDL file for the BabelFish web service:

<?xml version="1.0" ?> 
   <definitions name="BabelFishService" 
xmlns:tns="http://www.xmethods.net/sd/BabelFishService.wsdl" 
targetNamespace="http://www.xmethods.net/sd/BabelFishService.wsdl" 
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" 
xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/wsdl/soap/" 
xmlns="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/wsdl/"> 
      <message name="BabelFishRequest"> 
         <part name="translationmode" type="xsd:string" /> 
         <part name="sourcedata" type="xsd:string" /> 
      </message> 
      <message name="BabelFishResponse"> 
         <part name="return" type="xsd:string" /> 
      </message> 
      <portType name="BabelFishPortType"> 
         <operation name="BabelFish"> 
            <input message="tns:BabelFishRequest" /> 
            <output message="tns:BabelFishResponse" /> 
         </operation> 
      </portType> 
      <binding name="BabelFishBinding" type="tns:BabelFishPortType"> 
         <soap:binding style="rpc" transport="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/http" /> 
         <operation name="BabelFish"> 
            <soap:operation soapAction="urn:xmethodsBabelFish#BabelFish" /> 
            <input> 
               <soap:body use="encoded" namespace="urn:xmethodsBabelFish" encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/" /> 
            </input> 
            <output> 
               <soap:body use="encoded" namespace="urn:xmethodsBabelFish" encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/" /> 
            </output> 
         </operation> 
      </binding> 
   <service name="BabelFishService"> 
      <documentation>Translates text of up to 5k in length, between a variety of languages.</documentation> 
      <port name="BabelFishPort" binding="tns:BabelFishBinding"> 
         <soap:address location="http://services.xmethods.net:80/perl/soaplite.cgi" /> 
      </port> 
   </service> 
</definitions>

The following are the major components of the WSDL file:

Component	Definition
`definitions`	The root element of the WSDL file. This area contains namespace definitions that you use to avoid naming conflicts between multiple web services.
`types`	(not shown) Defines data types used by the service's messages.
`message`	Defines the data transferred by a web service operation, typically the name and data type of input parameters and return values.
`port type`	Defines one or more operations provided by the web service.
`operation`	Defines an operation that can be remotely invoked.
`input`	Specifies an input parameter to the operation using a previously defined message.
`output`	Specifies the return values from the operation using a previously defined message.
`fault`	(not shown) Optionally specifies an error message returned from the operation.
`binding`	Specifies the protocol used to access a web service including SOAP, HTTP GET and POST, and MIME.
`service`	Defines a group of related operations.
`port`	Defines an operation and its associated inputs and outputs.

For additional descriptions of the contents of this WSDL file, see Consuming web services.


Contents > Developing ColdFusion MX Applications > Using Web Services > Working with WSDL files > Reading a WSDL file

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