Endpoints WebService

The Endpoint WebService Service Type enables you to call methods from web services by exposing these methods as SmartObjects. The broker utilizes serialization and deserialization to work with complex types, and all method calls are considered stateless

Querying and submitting data using an Endpoint Service Type can be a complex issue. It requires a good understanding of data and how it is returned from the service call. It also requires understanding the serialization and deserialization methods that are intrinsic to the .NET Framework.

The main methods that are used with the endpoint services are Serialization and Deserialization. Simply put, these methods are used to send and store complex data. To Serialize the results of a service call means to represent it in a state that can be transferred and/or stored, such as in a database. To Deserialize that data is to turn it back into a state that can be consumed. These methods, while based on the .NET Framework for the purposes of the K2 Endpoint Service Type, represent a device-independent, cross-platform method of representing complex, relational data.

Service Authentication

The following Authentication Modes may be used with the Endpoints Web Service Type:

Service Keys (Service Instance Configuration Settings)

Key Can be modified Data Type Sample Value Notes
WebService URL Yes
(required)		 Text http://localhost/servicemodelsamples/ service.svc?wsdl The URL to the service description (WSDL) for the Web Service. WSDL will automatically be appended if not found in the URL.
Add SoapHttpClientProtocol Parameter To Methods Yes
(required)		 True/False False
(Default value: False)		 Adds a SoapHTTPClientProtocol as a Parameter to Service Object methods. The Parameter values are passed to the target service as HTTP header parameters. See the section below for more information.
Default SoapHttpClientProtocol Value Yes Text   The default value for the SoapHTTPClientProtocol value. This value must be created with the Serialization object generated for the service (see the section below for more information). Note that if a value is provided for the SoapHttpClientProtocol at runtime, that value will overwrite the default value
Serialization: Compress Yes True/False False
(Default value: False)		 Compress the serialization data for complex types.
Serialization: Include All Assembly Types Yes True/False True
(Default value: True)		 Includes all available serialization objects regardless of usage in public methods.
Names: Append Property Types Yes True/False True
(Default value: True)		 Includes the property type in parentheses after the complex property name.
Names: Use Method FullName Yes True/False True
(Default value: True)		 Uses the full name of the method including the property names and types.
Debugging Enabled Yes True/False False
(Default value: False)		 Displays stack trace information in dialog and error information.

Service Objects

When generating SmartObjects for an Endpoint Service Instance, some standard categories of SmartObjects are created; for example, the Object Types, and System Types. These define the data types used. Other SmartObjects may be generated depending on what the Endpoint exposes.

SmartObjects

K2 does not automatically create SmartObjects for the Service Objects in this service. SmartObjects are automatically created when selecting the Generate SmartObjects for this Service Instance check box when creating a new Service Instance. Designers may use the available Service Objects in this service to create advanced SmartObjects using the available K2 SmartObject design tools. It is recommended to use the K2 Design tools to create SmartObjects rather than generating SmartObjects, since this allows better control over the naming, behavior and design of the SmartObject and its methods and properties.

Considerations