Introduction to WSDL (Web Service Definition Language) – Sample HelloWorld Tutorial

The Web Services Description Language (WSDL) is an XML-based language that is used for describing the functionality offered by a Web service. A WSDL description of a web service (also referred to as a WSDL file) provides a machine-readable description of how the service can be called, what parameters it expects, and what data structures it returns. It thus serves a roughly similar purpose as a method signature in a programming language.

Assuming the service provides a single publicly available function, called sayHello. This function expects a single string parameter and returns a single string greeting. For example if you pass the parameter world then service function sayHello returns the greeting, “Hello, world!”.

HelloWorld WSDL file:

<definitions name="HelloService"
   targetNamespace="http://www.examples.com/wsdl/HelloService.wsdl"
   xmlns="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/wsdl/"
   xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/wsdl/soap/"
   xmlns:tns="http://www.examples.com/wsdl/HelloService.wsdl"
   xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">

   <message name="SayHelloRequest">
      <part name="firstName" type="xsd:string"/>
   </message>
   <message name="SayHelloResponse">
      <part name="greeting" type="xsd:string"/>
   </message>

   <portType name="Hello_PortType">
      <operation name="sayHello">
         <input message="tns:SayHelloRequest"/>
         <output message="tns:SayHelloResponse"/>
      </operation>
   </portType>

   <binding name="Hello_Binding" type="tns:Hello_PortType">
   <soap:binding style="rpc"
      transport="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/http"/>
   <operation name="sayHello">
      <soap:operation soapAction="sayHello"/>
      <input>
         <soap:body
            encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"
            namespace="urn:examples:helloservice"
            use="encoded"/>
      </input>
      <output>
         <soap:body
            encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"
            namespace="urn:examples:helloservice"
            use="encoded"/>
      </output>
   </operation>
   </binding>

   <service name="Hello_Service">
      <documentation>WSDL File for HelloService</documentation>
      <port binding="tns:Hello_Binding" name="Hello_Port">
         <soap:address
            location="http://www.examples.com/SayHello/">
      </port>
   </service>
</definitions>

Analysis of the Example:

• Definition : HelloService
• Type : Using built-in data types and they are defined in XML Schema.
• Message :
  • sayHelloRequest : firstName parameter
  • sayHelloresponse: greeting return value
• Port Type : sayHello operation that consists of a request and response service.
• Binding : Direction to use the SOAP HTTP transport protocol.
• Service : Service available at http://www.examples.com/SayHello/.
• Port : Associates the binding with the URI http://www.examples.com/SayHello/ where the running service can be accessed.

Here is a post which explains How to Create Sample WSDL in Eclipse. Also, try this tutorial to Create and Deploy Simple Web Service and Web Service Client.