Comments on: SOAP in/out variables bring memories of C-style buffers http://tssblog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/01/11/soap-inout-variables-bring-memories-of-c-style-buffers/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:00:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.0 by: Mandar http://tssblog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/01/11/soap-inout-variables-bring-memories-of-c-style-buffers/#comment-416 Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:57:46 +0000 http://tssblog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/01/11/soap-inout-variables-bring-memories-of-c-style-buffers/#comment-416 I have done SOAP, home grown XML-RPC and WS etc. for a while now and I totally agree that there is probably no need to use the in/out param types with newer languages. However, I see a reason why they are in there, The whole approach in WFC is that you have this interface contract which has to work irrespective of the transport/protocol used for the RPC which suggests that for completeness they may have had to add the support for in/out params as it is a valid method definition construct and one that is extensively used in COM. Up until now SOAP or rather all XML based RPC dictated how you could define the methods or rather classes without a proper interface definition, albeit, this changed in WFC which allows interfaces. One of my peeve pain points is not being able to use the data currency types already defined within a business layer model that go in as params to the WebService. Workarounds available include replacing the using/or imports of the relevant namespaces for the data type of params but these require additional work. Ideally I'd rather see support for reuse of existing classes or option to do so as needed. I have found SOAP-WS more useful for inter-application RPC mechanism in a distruibuted application development rather than an application developed using a 3rd party WS through UDDI for which generated data types seem appropriate. I have done SOAP, home grown XML-RPC and WS etc. for a while now and I totally agree that there is probably no need to use the in/out param types with newer languages.

However, I see a reason why they are in there, The whole approach in WFC is that you have this interface contract which has to work irrespective of the transport/protocol used for the RPC which suggests that for completeness they may have had to add the support for in/out params as it is a valid method definition construct and one that is extensively used in COM. Up until now SOAP or rather all XML based RPC dictated how you could define the methods or rather classes without a proper interface definition, albeit, this changed in WFC which allows interfaces. One of my peeve pain points is not being able to use the data currency types already defined within a business layer model that go in as params to the WebService. Workarounds available include replacing the using/or imports of the relevant namespaces for the data type of params but these require additional work. Ideally I’d rather see support for reuse of existing classes or option to do so as needed. I have found SOAP-WS more useful for inter-application RPC mechanism in a distruibuted application development rather than an application developed using a 3rd party WS through UDDI for which generated data types seem appropriate.

]]> by: Sean Walker http://tssblog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/01/11/soap-inout-variables-bring-memories-of-c-style-buffers/#comment-415 Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:47:59 +0000 http://tssblog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/01/11/soap-inout-variables-bring-memories-of-c-style-buffers/#comment-415 I'm not sure what you mean about Java not using in/out type parameters. Its pretty common for a calling method to pass in an object whose state is used and modified by a called method. Perhaps what you mean is that JAX-WS has not addressed in/out parameters to make them viable? I’m not sure what you mean about Java not using in/out type parameters. Its pretty common for a calling method to pass in an object whose state is used and modified by a called method. Perhaps what you mean is that JAX-WS has not addressed in/out parameters to make them viable?

]]> by: Björn Caroll http://tssblog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/01/11/soap-inout-variables-bring-memories-of-c-style-buffers/#comment-414 Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:18:35 +0000 http://tssblog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/01/11/soap-inout-variables-bring-memories-of-c-style-buffers/#comment-414 I have been writing in python and I miss the possibility to return tuples in Java (as you can do in pyhton). That is "(x,y) = f()" Of course you can define your own "return of f class" but the smoothness of simply define which variables the return value should be mapped to is a lot easier. Perhaps the Java team can be convinced to add this "syntactic suger" into Java. Any one else that would like that? I have been writing in python and I miss the possibility to return tuples in Java (as you can do in pyhton).
That is “(x,y) = f()”
Of course you can define your own “return of f class” but the smoothness of simply define which variables the return value should be mapped to is a lot easier.
Perhaps the Java team can be convinced to add this “syntactic suger” into Java. Any one else that would like that?

]]> by: Jeff http://tssblog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/01/11/soap-inout-variables-bring-memories-of-c-style-buffers/#comment-413 Mon, 22 Jan 2007 15:17:45 +0000 http://tssblog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/01/11/soap-inout-variables-bring-memories-of-c-style-buffers/#comment-413 Per, Haven't you tried Axis2(http://ws.apache.org/axis2) or WSO2 WSAS(http://www.wso2.org)? They are much better compared to Axis, and contain better functionality. --Jeff Per,
Haven’t you tried Axis2(http://ws.apache.org/axis2) or WSO2 WSAS(http://www.wso2.org)? They are much better compared to Axis, and contain better functionality.

–Jeff

]]> by: Gael vander Schelden http://tssblog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/01/11/soap-inout-variables-bring-memories-of-c-style-buffers/#comment-412 Mon, 22 Jan 2007 15:15:59 +0000 http://tssblog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/01/11/soap-inout-variables-bring-memories-of-c-style-buffers/#comment-412 I have implemented a SOAP service long time ago in Delphi using msxml and http. And what i did use is to use some technique to pass result of one action as parameters to other following action in the same request. So I could create 2 objects and link them in the same request. That was very powerfull but I m not sure you are talking about this. I have implemented a SOAP service long time ago in Delphi using msxml and http. And what i did use is to use some technique to pass result of one action as parameters to other following action in the same request. So I could create 2 objects and link them in the same request. That was very powerfull but I m not sure you are talking about this.

]]> by: Per http://tssblog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/01/11/soap-inout-variables-bring-memories-of-c-style-buffers/#comment-411 Tue, 16 Jan 2007 22:50:15 +0000 http://tssblog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/01/11/soap-inout-variables-bring-memories-of-c-style-buffers/#comment-411 When I deal with SOAP/XML and WS stuff i always use Axis or Castor. So I don't have to deal with the SOAP stuff, after setting it up. And it usually works great. When I deal with SOAP/XML and WS stuff i always use Axis or Castor. So I don’t have to deal with the SOAP stuff, after setting it up. And it usually works great.

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