Programming the Web with Web Services

 Windows Communication Foundation Services and ADO.NET Data Services

Web services enable the exchange of data and the remote invocation of application logic using XML messaging to move data through firewalls and between heterogeneous systems.

The following links provide key information on the fundamentals of Web services in Visual Studio:

• XML Web Services Overview
  Describes the role of Web services.

• XML Web Service Scenarios
  Outlines some typical scenarios that could leverage Web services.

• XML Web Services Infrastructure
  Describes the fundamental pieces of infrastructure to enable Web services, such as Web service directories, Web service descriptions, and Web service wire formats.

• Web References in Visual Studio
  Describes the Web reference feature of Visual Studio.

• How to: Add and Remove Web References
  Describes the process of adding and removing Web references in Visual Studio.

• Debugging Preparation: XML Web Service Projects
  Describes the process of debugging Web services in Visual Studio.

• XML Tools in Visual Studio
  Provides an introduction to XML.

Visual Studio provides tools for creating Web services in both managed and unmanaged code. For managed code, Visual Studio makes it possible for developers to create Web services that fully leverage the power of the .NET Framework.

Web services created in managed code use the ASP.NET Web application model. The following links provide information on Web services created in managed code:

• Walkthrough: Creating a Web Service Using Visual Basic or Visual C#
  Demonstrates step-by-step how to create, debug, and deploy a Web service using Visual Basic or C#.

• Creating Web Services in Managed Code
  Describes the process of creating and deploying Web services in managed code.

• XML Web Services Using ASP.NET
  Provides documentation on Web services.

• ASP.NET QuickStarts
  Provides a series of ASP.NET samples and supporting commentary.

• XML Serialization with XML Web Services
  Explains how to customize the method of XML serialization used in a managed code Web service.

Visual Studio simplifies the process of locating and accessing Web services by using the notion of Web references. Adding a Web reference to a client application results in the generation of a proxy class that serves as a local representation of the Web service with which the client can interact. This feature is available to applications written in either managed or unmanaged code. When adding a Web reference, Visual Studio generates the proxy class in the same programming language as the client application.

Web service client applications created in managed code use the ASP.NET Web application model. The following links provide information on Web services created in managed code:

• Accessing Web Services in Managed Code
  Describes the process of accessing Web services in managed code.

• Building XML Web Service Clients
  Documentation on Web services.

• Walkthrough: Accessing a Web Service Using Visual Basic or Visual C#
  Demonstrates step-by-step how to access a Web service in managed code.

• Web Services Description Language Tool (Wsdl.exe)
  Describes a tool used to generate the proxy class for accessing a Web service in managed code.

• ASP.NET QuickStarts
  Provides a series of ASP.NET samples and supporting commentary.

• XML Serialization with XML Web Services
  Explains how to customize the method of XML serialization used in a managed code Web service.