Web Services Description Language Tool (Wsdl.exe)

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Microsoft Visual Studio 2005/.NET Framework 2.0

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.NET Framework Tools

Web Services Description Language Tool (Wsdl.exe)

The Web Services Description Language tool generates code for XML Web services and XML Web service clients from WSDL contract files, XSD schemas, and .discomap discovery documents.

wsdl [options] {URL | path}

Argument	Description
URL	The URL to a WSDL contract file (.wsdl), XSD schema file (.xsd), or discovery document (.disco). Note that you cannot specify a URL to a .discomap discovery document.
Path	The path to a local WSDL contract file (.wsdl), XSD schema file (.xsd), or discovery document (.disco or .discomap).

Option	Description
/appsettingurlkey:key or /urlkey:key	Specifies the configuration key to use in order to read the default value for the URL property when generating code. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <appSettingUrlKey> element and contains a string.
/appsettingbaseurl:baseurl or /baseurl:baseurl	Specifies the base URL to use when calculating the URL fragment. The tool calculates the URL fragment by converting the relative URL from the baseurl argument to the URL in the WSDL document. You must specify the /appsettingurlkey option with this option. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <appSettingBaseUrl> element and contains a string.
/d[omain]:domain	Specifies the domain name to use when connecting to a server that requires authentication. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <domain> element and contains a string.
/l[anguage]:language	Specifies the language to use for the generated proxy class. You can specify CS (C#; default), VB (Visual Basic), JS (JScript) or VJS (Visual J#) as the language argument. You can also specify the fully qualified name of a class that implements the System.CodeDom.Compiler.CodeDomProvider Class. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <language> element and contains a string.
/n[amespace]:namespace	Specifies the namespace for the generated proxy or template. The default namespace is the global namespace. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <namespace> element and contains a string. This element must be in the parameters file.
/nologo	Suppresses the Microsoft startup banner display. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <nologo> element and contains either true or false.
/order	Generate explicit order identifiers on particle members.
/o[ut]:filename or directoryname	Specifies the file (or directory) in which to save the generated proxy code. You can also specify a directory in which to create this file. The tool derives the default file name from the XML Web service name. The tool saves generated datasets in different files. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <out> element and contains a string.
/parameters	Read command-line options from the specified xml file. Use this option to pass the Wsdl.exe tool a large number of options atone time. Short form is '/par:'. Option elements are contained inside a <wsdlParameters xmlns="http://microsoft.com/webReference/"> element. For details, see the Remarks section.
/parsableerrors	Displays errors in a format similar to the error reporting format used by language compilers. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <parsableerrors> element and is either true or false.
/p[assword]:password	Specifies the password to use when connecting to a server that requires authentication. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <password> element and contains a string.
/protocol:protocol	Specifies the protocol to implement. You can specify SOAP (default), HttpGet, HttpPost, or a custom protocol specified in the configuration file. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <protocol> element and contains a string.
/proxy:URL	Specifies the URL of the proxy server to use for HTTP requests. The default is to use the system proxy setting. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <proxy> element and contains a string.
/proxydomain:domain or /pd:domain	Specifies the domain to use when connecting to a proxy server that requires authentication. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <proxydomain> element and contains a string.
/proxypassword:password or /pp:password	Specifies the password to use when connecting to a proxy server that requires authentication. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <proxypassword> element and contains a string.
/proxyusername:username or /pu:username	Specifies the user name to use when connecting to a proxy server that requires authentication. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <proxyusername> element and contains a string.
/server	Generates an abstract class for an XML Web service based on the contracts. The default is to generate client proxy classes. When using the /parameters option, this value is a <style> element that contains "server".
/serverInterface	Generates interfaces for server-side implementation of an ASP.NET Web Service. An interface is generated for each binding in the WSDL document(s). The WSDL alone implements the WSDL contract (classes that implement the interface should not include either of the following on the class methods: Web Service attributes or Serialization attributes that change the WSDL contract). Short form is '/si'. When using the /parameters option, this value is a <style> element that contains "servicerInterface".
/sharetypes	Turns on the type sharing feature. This feature creates one code file with a single type definition for identical types shared between different services (the namespace, name, and wire signature must be identical). Reference the services with "http://" URLs as command-line parameters or create a discomap document for local files. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <sharetypes> element and is either true or false.
/u[sername]:username	Specifies the user name to use when connecting to a server that requires authentication. When using the /parameters option, this value is the <username> element and contains a string.
/?	Displays command syntax and options for the tool.

Remarks

A .wsdl file is an XML document written in an XML grammar called Web Services Description Language (WSDL). This file defines how an XML Web service behaves and instructs clients as to how to interact with the service.

You can obtain discovery documents for an XML Web service using the Web Services Discovery Tool (Disco.exe). The .discomap, .disco, .wsdl, and .xsd files produced by this tool can be used as input to Wsdl.exe.

When you use Wsdl.exe to create a proxy class, a single source file is created in the programming language that you specify. In the process of generating the source code for the proxy class, the tool determines the best type to use for objects specified in the service description. In some cases the tool uses a least-common-denominator approach for casting objects to a type. As a result, the generated type in the proxy class might not be what the developer wants or expects. For example, when Wsdl.exe encounters an ArrayList type in a service description, it creates an Object Array in the generated proxy class. To ensure correct object type casts, open the file containing the generated proxy class and change any incorrect object types to the expected object type.

The /parameters option specifies a file that contains elements that correspond to most of the command-prompt options. Some command-prompt options are available only in the /parameters file formats.

The XML file format accepted by the /parameters option is a series of elements inside an outer <wsdlParameters xmlns="http://microsoft.com/webReference/"> element. If command-prompt values are specified and a /parameters file is used that contains different options or values, the values specified at the command prompt are used. The <wsdlParameters xmlns="http://microsoft.com/webReference/"> element must contain a <nologo> element, a <parsableerrors> element, and a <sharetypes> element.

Several options are passed as child elements of the <webReferenceOptions> element, which must contain a <verbose> element. Other child elements of <webReferenceOptions> are:

<style>. Contains either "client", "server", or "serverInterface".
<schemaImporterExtension>. Contains any number of <type> elements.
<codeGenerationOptions>. Can take a space-delimited set of the following strings.
"properties"
"newAsync"
"oldAsync"
"order"
"enableDataBinding"

See the Examples section for some demonstrations of the /parameters option.

Examples

The following command creates a client proxy class in the C# language for the XML Web service.

wsdl http://hostServer/WebserviceRoot/WebServiceName.asmx?WSDL

The following command creates a client proxy class in the C# language for an XML Web service located at the specified URL. The tool saves the client proxy class in the file myProxyClass.cs.

wsdl /out:myProxyClass.cs http://hostServer/WebserviceRoot/WebServiceName.asmx?WSDL

The following command creates a client proxy class in the Microsoft Visual Basic language for an XML Web service located at the specified URL. The tool saves the client proxy class in the file myProxyClass.vb.

wsdl /language:VB /out:myProxyClass.vb http://hostServer/WebserviceRoot/WebServiceName.asmx?WSDL

The following example code shows a basic /parameters WSDL file with only the required elements written that can be used combined with a URL argument at the command prompt.

<wsdlParameters xmlns="http://microsoft.com/webReference/">
  <nologo>true</nologo>
  <parsableerrors>true</parsableerrors>
  <sharetypes>true</sharetypes>
</wsdlParameters>

WSDL documents are added in the /parameters WSDL file using the <documents> element, as the following code example demonstrates. Any number of <document> elements can be used inside the <documents> element.

<wsdlParameters xmlns="http://microsoft.com/webReference/">
  <nologo>true</nologo>
  <parsableerrors>true</parsableerrors>
  <sharetypes>true</sharetypes>
  <documents>
    <document>http://www.contoso.com/service.asmx?WSDL</document>
  </documents>
</wsdlParameters>

The following /parameters WSDL file demonstrates the use of the <codeGenerationOptions> and <style> elements inside the <webReferenceOptions> element. In this case, the file enables the new style of databinding in proxy code, and specifies a schema importer extension, that output is not to be verbose, and that Wsdl.exe is to create a client proxy.

<wsdlParameters xmlns="http://microsoft.com/webReference/">
  <nologo>true</nologo>
  <parsableerrors>true</parsableerrors>
  <sharetypes>true</sharetypes>
  <documents>
    <document>http://www.contoso.com/service.asmx?WSDL</document>
  </documents>
  <webReferenceOptions>
    <verbose>false</verbose>
    <codeGenerationOptions>properties newAsync enableDataBinding</codeGenerationOptions>
    <schemaImporterExtension>
      <type>MyNamespace.MyCustomImporterExtension,ExtensionLibrary</type>
    </schemaImporterExtensions>
    <style>client</style>
  </webReferenceOptions>
</wsdlParameters>

Reference

.NET Framework Tools
Web Services Discovery Tool (Disco.exe)
SDK Command Prompt

Concepts

Creating an XML Web Service Proxy
XML Web Service Description
XML Web Services Overview

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In a build system

KeithBa | Edit | Show History

In a build system, the typical way you would use disco.exe and wsdl.exe is together. First, disco.exe the service to get the wsdl files, then wsdl.exe them to get the proxy files, then compile. That is the theory.

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Namespace of the data

gkokmdam ... MollyBos - MSFT | Edit | Show History

Is there any way we can specify the namespace that the elements are in as the WSDL tool assumes some namespace that I do not like. This is especially true when I use a Axis-Java erver and a .NET client.

Response : This isn't the right place for questions; please post questions to the MSDN Forums, at http://forums.microsoft.com/msdn , instead. If you get a useful response, you can post that info here in the community content section. Thanks!

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WSDL tool location

Mathijs van Altvorst | Edit | Show History

The WSDL tool is part of the .NET Framework 2.0 Software Development Kit.

Once installed, the tool (wsdl.exe) can be found in the folder: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\SDK\v2.0\Bin

To use the tool directly in a command prompt you can also open a new prompt by going to Start, Programs, Microsoft .NET Framework SDK v2.0, SDK Command Prompt. It will add the folder mentioned above to the path variable.

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Missing namespace in the WSDL.exe <wsdlParameters> element when using .NET 2.0 /parameters switch

skimming88 | Edit | Show History

For those of you with older local MSDN, according to Ralph:::

http://blogs.msdn.com/ralph.squillace/archive/2005/10/04/477025.aspx

Missing namespace in the WSDL.exe <wsdlParameters> element when using .NET 2.0 /parameters switch
I have just fixed a bug in the docs in which the xml namespace is left out of the topic for WSDL.exe when using the /parameters switch. The <wsdlParameters> element must have the namespace, so it must be:

and the documentation should look like the following:

/parameters
Read command-line options from the specified xml file. Use this option to pass the Wsdl.exe tool a large number of options atone time. Short form is '/par:'. Option elements are contained inside a <wsdlParameters xmlns="http://microsoft.com/webReference/"> element. For details, see the Remarks section...

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Generating C++/CLI code

Tarek Madkour MS | Edit | Show History

To generate C++/CLI code, use the "/l:cpp" command-line option. It is not listed in the docs but it is supported.

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Lack of schema information for parameters file.

mokeefe | Edit | Show History

The lack of full provision of the schema definition for the parameters file seems ludicrous.

<appSettingUrlKey> is clearly document specific but there is no documentation on the schema. Should this be an attribute of the document element when document provided? Probably, but this is actually not the case with this tool.

I could guess all day. :-(

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Parameter file XML Schema

steampunk | Edit | Show History

It looks like System.Web.Services.Description.WebReferenceOptions.Schema property contains the XML schema used for the parameter files.

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Generate code from WSDL with an imported schema

Ty Mey | Edit | Show History

It took me a while to figure out how to generate code binding using wsdl.exe from a WSDL that has an imported schema. I guess there are two ways. One is using wsdlParameters, and the other is to supply schema files on the command line:

wsdl.exe myWebService.wsdl myXsd1.xsd myType1.xsd myXsd2.xsd ...

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Invalid XML on the last sample

Alfred Myers | Edit | Show History

There's a mismatch between the opening <schemaImporterExtension> and closing </schemaImporterExtensions> tag

<wsdlParameters xmlns="http://microsoft.com/webReference/">
<nologo>true</nologo>
<parsableerrors>true</parsableerrors>
<sharetypes>true</sharetypes>
<documents>
<document>http://www.contoso.com/service.asmx?WSDL</document>
</documents>
<webReferenceOptions>
<verbose>false</verbose>
<codeGenerationOptions>properties newAsync enableDataBinding</codeGenerationOptions>
<schemaImporterExtension>
<type>MyNamespace.MyCustomImporterExtension,ExtensionLibrary</type>
</schemaImporterExtensions>
<style>client</style>
</webReferenceOptions>
</wsdlParameters>

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