Producing WSDL files

ColdFusion automatically creates a WSDL file for any component referenced as a web service. For example, if you have a component named echo.cfc in your web root directory, you can view its corresponding WSDL file by requesting the component as follows:

http://localhost/echo.cfc?wsdl

For example, you define a ColdFusion component as follows:

<cfcomponent>
   <cffunction 
name = "echoString" 
returnType = "string" 
output = "no"
access = "remote">
      <cfargument name = "input" type = "string">
      <cfreturn #arguments.input#>
   </cffunction>
</cfcomponent>

Tip: If you register the component in Dreamweaver MX 2004, it appears in the Components tab of the Application panel.

Requesting the WSDL file in a browser returns the following:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<wsdl:definitions targetNamespace="http://ws" 
  xmlns="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/wsdl/" 
  xmlns:apachesoap="http://xml.apache.org/xml-soap" 
  xmlns:impl="http://ws" 
  xmlns:intf="http://ws" 
  xmlns:soapenc="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/" 
  xmlns:tns1="http://rpc.xml.coldfusion" 
  xmlns:wsdl="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/wsdl/" 
  xmlns:wsdlsoap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/wsdl/soap/" 
  xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
  <!--WSDL created by Macromedia ColdFusion MX version 7,0,0,87956-->
  <wsdl:types>
    <schema targetNamespace="http://rpc.xml.coldfusion" 
      xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
    <import namespace="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"/>
    <complexType name="CFCInvocationException">
      <sequence/>
    </complexType>
    </schema>
  </wsdl:types>
  <wsdl:message name="CFCInvocationException">
    <wsdl:part name="fault" type="tns1:CFCInvocationException"/>
  </wsdl:message>
  <wsdl:message name="echoStringResponse">
    <wsdl:part name="echoStringReturn" type="xsd:string"/>
  </wsdl:message>
  <wsdl:message name="echoStringRequest">
    <wsdl:part name="input" type="xsd:string"/>
   </wsdl:message>
   <wsdl:portType name="echo">
     <wsdl:operation name="echoString" parameterOrder="input">
       <wsdl:input message="impl:echoStringRequest" name="echoStringRequest"/>
       <wsdl:output message="impl:echoStringResponse"
            name="echoStringResponse"/>
       <wsdl:fault message="impl:CFCInvocationException" name="CFCInvocationException"/>
     </wsdl:operation>
   </wsdl:portType>
   <wsdl:binding name="echo.cfcSoapBinding" type="impl:echo">
     <wsdlsoap:binding style="rpc" transport="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/
         http"/>
     <wsdl:operation name="echoString">
       <wsdlsoap:operation soapAction=""/>
       <wsdl:input name="echoStringRequest">
         <wsdlsoap:body encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/
               encoding/" namespace="http://ws" use="encoded"/>
       </wsdl:input>
       <wsdl:output name="echoStringResponse">
         <wsdlsoap:body encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/
               encoding/" namespace="http://ws" use="encoded"/>
       </wsdl:output>
       <wsdl:fault name="CFCInvocationException">
         <wsdlsoap:fault encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/
               encoding/" name="CFCInvocationException" namespace=
               "http://ws" use="encoded"/>
       </wsdl:fault>
     </wsdl:operation>
   </wsdl:binding>
   <wsdl:service name="echoService">
     <wsdl:port binding="impl:echo.cfcSoapBinding" name="echo.cfc">
       <wsdlsoap:address location="http://localhost:8500/ws/echo.cfc"/>
     </wsdl:port>
   </wsdl:service>
</wsdl:definitions>

To publish a web service:

1. Create a ColdFusion page with the following content:

   <cfcomponent output="false">
   	<cffunction 
   
   			name = "echoString" 
   
   			returnType = "string" 
   
   			output = "no" 
   
   			access = "remote">
   		<cfargument name = "input" type = "string">
   		<cfreturn #arguments.input#>
   	</cffunction>
   </cfcomponent>
   

2. Save this file as echo.cfc in your web root directory.
3. Create a ColdFusion page with the following content:

   <cfinvoke webservice ="http://localhost/echo.cfc?wsdl"
   	method ="echoString"
   	input = "hello" 
   	returnVariable="foo">
   
   <cfoutput>#foo#</cfoutput>
   

4. Save this file as echoclient.cfm in your web root directory.
5. Request echoclient.cfm in your browser.

   The following string appears in your browser:

   hello
   

You can also invoke the web service using the following code:

<cfscript>
   ws = CreateObject("webservice", "http://localhost/echo.cfc?wsdl");
   wsresults = ws.echoString("hello");
   writeoutput(wsresults);
</cfscript>

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