December 2002
C++ and ATL: Use ATL Server Classes to Expose Your Unmanaged C++ Code as an XML Web Service
Throughout this issue, you'll read all about the promise of Web Services and how the .NET Framework enables Web Service development. Many people will also be building their Web Services atop C++ code and frameworks like ATL Server, particularly when performance is paramount. In this article, the authors show how fully functional Web Services are built using ATL Server and Visual Studio .NET. Beginning with unmanaged C++ classes, they add ATL attributes that make the code work over HTTP. Kirk Fertitta and Chris Sells
DIME: Sending Files, Attachments, and SOAP Messages Via Direct Internet Message Encapsulation
Direct Internet Message Encapsulation (DIME) is a new specification for sending and receiving SOAP messages along with additional attachments, like binary files, XML fragments, and even other SOAP messages, using standard transport protocols like HTTP. In this article, the author explains what DIME is and how it differs from MIME encapsulation. A detailed description of the message format and how it is parsed, as well as working with SOAP and extending it with WSDL, is also included. Jeannine Hall Gailey
Office XP: New Toolkit Lets You Share Information Between Office Documents and Web Services
The Office XP Web Services Toolkit makes it possible to build applications that gather information and trigger transactions through various Web Services. The toolkit allows you to easily discover Web Services remotely. It also includes the Web Service Reference Tool, which lets you call a Web Service from inside an Office application. This article shows how toolkit-generated code can be used to access simple, as well as complex, Web Services.The author steps through the auto-generated code to explain the classes that collect parameters, the schema to format the request/response, and the actual operations of the Web Service. Krishnamurthy Srinivasan
Web Farms: Use Data Caching Techniques to Boost Performance and Ensure Synchronization
Performance is an important concern for any application, but becomes critical when the app is a Web Service accessed by thousands of clients simultaneously. One hardware approach to distributing Web Services requests evenly is a Web farm consisting of multiple servers. Once on a Web farm, Web Service performance can be improved by using ADO.NET DataSet objects to cache frequently accessed data, reducing round-trips to the database. Here the author describes data caching in a Web farm environment and discusses how to avoid the cross-server synchronization problems inherent in this approach. David Burgett
Design: Place XML Message Design Ahead of Schema Planning to Improve Web Service Interoperability
Web Services are all about exchanging data in the form of XML messages. If you were about to design a database schema, you probably wouldn't let your tool do it for you. You'd hand-tool it yourself to ensure maximum efficiency. In this article, the author maintains that designing a Web Service should be no different. You should know what kind of data will be returned by Web Service requests and use the structure of that data to design the most efficient message format. Here you'll learn how to make that determination and how to build your Web Service around the message structure. Yasser Shohoud
XML Schemas: Take Advantage of Existing External XML Schemas with a Custom Import Framework in ASP.NET
Over the years, many industry-standard XML schemas and dialects have been developed. These industry-specific schemas embrace the original purpose of XML and are extremely valuable in promoting and supporting B2B interaction. Unfortunately, the ASP.NET Web Services runtime does not allow developers to directly reference external schemas from within their XML Web Services interface (the WSDL file). This article builds an external schema framework as an extension to the ASP.NET Web Services runtime to enable you to reference external schemas within your XML Web Service interface. Scott Short
Provisioning: Use Web Services Provisioning to Control Access, Usage, and Billing on Your Site
Building Web Services to provide enterprise-level solutions is only the first step. You need to take care of the infrastructure aspects of your solution as well, including provisioning, billing, security, and reporting. In this article, the author uses the .NET Framework and SQL Server 2000 to design a provisioning system that will take care of all these housekeeping tasks. He discusses the general requirements of a Web Service provisioning system, walks through the implementation, and then outlines various scenarios for putting this system to work. Chandu Thota
Columns
Editor's Note: The New Web Services Era
The crackle of leaves underfoot. The first hints of frost across the pumpkin patch. The Jets playing a string of meaningless games. Once again, we find ourselves in the grip of autumn in New York.
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New Stuff: Resources for Your Developer Toolbox
Pegasus Imaging Corporation recently released ImagXpress Professional 6. 0 and ImagXpress Standard 6. 0, digital imaging software development tools that are compatible with Microsoft® . NET. Both ImagXpress editions are now available as .Theresa W. Carey
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Edited by Nancy Michell
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The XML Files: WSDL, Web Services, and More
Aaron Skonnard
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Cutting Edge: Binary Serialization of ADO.NET Objects
One of the key elements that makes ADO. NET superior to ADO is the level of integration with XML. In ADO, XML is just an I/O format. In addition, the ADO XML format is totally inflexible and doesn't allow any type of customization.Dino Esposito
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Advanced Basics: Advanced Features in Visual Basic .NET and Testing for Scalability
Ken Spencer
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Basic Instincts: Implementing Callback Notifications Using Delegates
Delegates are a critical aspect of the Microsoft® . NET Framework and are required learning for many programmers. They will take some time to master, but once you learn how to program with delegates, you'll be thrilled with the possibilities they offer.Ted Pattison
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C++ Q&A: Full Screen Display and Implementing Drag to Move Dialogs
Paul DiLascia
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Talking To…: Don Box Discusses Web Services and His New Role at Microsoft
Don Box has long been the preeminent expert on COM, as well as one of the creators of the SOAP protocol. He has written numerous books and articles including Essential COM (Addison-Wesley, 1997) and Essential .
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