So what are we supposed to use for web services?

[rlawrence]

Hi folks,

Of all the things I could get hung up on, I didn't expect this. I've been working with a Web Hosting service on deploying a COM-based web application. They quite frankly are a little disenfranchised with Microsoft and have been moving away from Microsoft for a while now. I've been working with them because they are local and they are willing to install my OLE server. That is all working pretty well. But, the web app offers a few web services--which I've implemented via SOAP. The Web Host doesn't have SOAP on their servers. When I asked them to install it, I got the following response.

The Microsoft SOAP Toolkit is deprecated by the .NET Framework. According to Microsoft no new development should be done with SOAP Toolkit and existing applications built on SOAP Toolkit should be migrated to a .Net based solution as quickly as possible. Mainstream support for this software was retired in March 2005.

I've been out of touch with the .NET movement for the last year or so, but last I knew, .NET web services were based on SOAP. Doesn't .NET still use SOAP? I've seen other comments on this forum to support the above finding, but didn't find an alternative--particular for VFP. If we're not supposed to use SOAP, then what do we use?

Thanks,

Ron Lawrence

 

[DSummZZZ]

Maybe you should ask some .NET people what they do.


-Dave Summers-

Even more Fox stuff at:

http://www.davesummers.net/foxprolinks.htm

 

[wgcs]

I'm pretty sure the quote above, "Microsoft SOAP Toolkit is deprecated by the .NET Framework",

does not say that SOAP is deprecated, or that the .NET framework doesn't use SOAP.

It's saying that the "Microsoft SOAP Toolkit" is no longer supported, and the the .NET Framework includes the SOAP "stack" that replaces it.

This leaves a good question: What do languages like VFP use to access a SOAP-based web-service?

This thread: thread1253-1266323 mentions some alternatives, such as West-Winds wwSoap Class

http://www.west-wind.com/wwsoap.asp

As for the Host side, I don't have any idea what could replace the SOAP toolkit.

Maybe these pages could help:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/webservices/webservices/understanding/webservicebasics/default.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/webservices/webservices/understanding/advancedwebservices/default.aspx

- Bill

Get the best answers to your questions -- See FAQ481-4875.

 

[craigber]

Once Vista ships later this month, Windows Communication Foundation will be the way to do web services in a Microsoft environment. See

http://www.winfx3.com.

Craig Berntson
MCSD, Visual FoxPro MVP,

http://www.craigberntson.com

Author, CrysDev: A Developer's Guide to Integrating Crystal Reports"