How to: Create a Windows Communication Foundation Client

This is the fourth of six tasks required to create a basic Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service and a client that can call the service. For an overview of all six of the tasks, see the Getting Started Tutorial topic.

This topic describes how to retrieve metadata from a WCF service and use it to create a WCF proxy that can access the service. This task is completed by using the ServiceModel Metadata Utility Tool (Svcutil.exe) provided by WCF. This tool obtains the metadata from the service and generates a managed source code file for a proxy in the language you have chosen. In addition to creating the client proxy, the tool also creates the configuration file for the client that enables the client application to connect to the service at one of its endpoints.

Note

You can add a service reference to your client project inside Visual Studio 2010 to create the client proxy instead of using the ServiceModel Metadata Utility Tool (Svcutil.exe).

Caution:
When calling a WCF service from a class library project in Visual Studio 2010 you can use the Add Service Reference feature to automatically generate a proxy and associated configuration file. The configuration file will not be used by the class library project. You will need to copy the configuration file to the directory that contains the executable that will call the class library.

The client application uses the generated proxy to create a WCF client object. This procedure is described in How to: Use a Windows Communication Foundation Client.

The code for the client generated by this task is provided in the example following the procedure.

To create a Windows Communication Foundation client

1. Create a new project within the current solution for the client in Visual Studio 2010 by doing the following steps:

   1. In Solution Explorer (on the upper right) within the same solution that contains the service, right-click the current solution (not the project), and select Add, and then New Project.

   2. In the Add New Project dialog, select Visual Basic or Visual C#, and choose the Console Application template, and name it Client. Use the default Location.

   3. Click OK.

2. Add a reference to the System.ServiceModel.dll for the project:

   1. Right-click the References folder under the Client project in the Solution Explorer and select Add Reference.

   2. Select the .NET tab and select System.ServiceModel.dll (version 4.0.0.0) from the list box and click OK.

   Note

   When using a command-line compiler (for example, Csc.exe or Vbc.exe), you must also provide the path to the assemblies. By default, on a computer running Windows Vista for example, the path is: Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.

3. Add a using statement (Imports in Visual Basic) for the System.ServiceModel namespace in the generated Program.cs or Program.vb file.

   Imports System.ServiceModel
   

   using System.ServiceModel;
   

4. In Visual Studio, press F5 to start the service created in the previous topic. For more information, see How to: Host and Run a Basic Windows Communication Foundation Service.

5. Run the ServiceModel Metadata Utility Tool (Svcutil.exe) with the appropriate switches to create the client code and a configuration file by doing the following steps:

   1. On the Start menu click All Programs, and then click Visual Studio 2010. Click Visual Studio Tools and then click Visual Studio 2010 Command Prompt.

   2. Navigate to the directory where you want to place the client code. If you created the client project using the default, the directory is C:\Users\<user name>\My Documents\Visual Studio 10\Projects\Service\Client.

   3. Use the command-line tool ServiceModel Metadata Utility Tool (Svcutil.exe) with the appropriate switches to create the client code. The following example generates a code file and a configuration file for the service.

      svcutil.exe /language:vb /out:generatedProxy.vb /config:app.config https://localhost:8000/ServiceModelSamples/service
      

      svcutil.exe /language:cs /out:generatedProxy.cs /config:app.config https://localhost:8000/ServiceModelSamples/service
      

      By default, the client proxy code is generated in a file named after the service (in this case, for example, CalculatorService.cs or CalculatorService.vb where the extension is appropriate to the programming language: .vb for Visual Basic or .cs for C#). The /out switch changes the name of the client proxy file to GeneratedProxy.cs. The /config switch changes the name of the client configuration file from the default Output.config to App.config. Note that both of these files get generated in the C:\Users\<user name>\My Documents\Visual Studio 10\Projects\Service\Client directory.

6. Add the generated proxy to the client project in Visual Studio, right-click the client project in Solution Explorer and select Add and then Existing Item. Select the generatedProxy file generated in the preceding step.

Example

This example shows the client code generated by the ServiceModel Metadata Utility Tool (Svcutil.exe).

'------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' <auto-generated>
'     This code was generated by a tool.
'     Runtime Version:2.0.50727.1366
'
'     Changes to this file may cause incorrect behavior and will be lost if
'     the code is regenerated.
' </auto-generated>
'------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Option Strict Off
Option Explicit On



<System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("System.ServiceModel", "3.0.0.0"),  _
 System.ServiceModel.ServiceContractAttribute([Namespace]:="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples", ConfigurationName:="ICalculator")>  _
Public Interface ICalculator
    
    <System.ServiceModel.OperationContractAttribute(Action:="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/Add", ReplyAction:="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/AddResponse")>  _
    Function Add(ByVal n1 As Double, ByVal n2 As Double) As Double
    
    <System.ServiceModel.OperationContractAttribute(Action:="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/Subtract", ReplyAction:="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/SubtractResponse")>  _
    Function Subtract(ByVal n1 As Double, ByVal n2 As Double) As Double
    
    <System.ServiceModel.OperationContractAttribute(Action:="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/Multiply", ReplyAction:="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/MultiplyResponse")>  _
    Function Multiply(ByVal n1 As Double, ByVal n2 As Double) As Double
    
    <System.ServiceModel.OperationContractAttribute(Action:="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/Divide", ReplyAction:="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/DivideResponse")>  _
    Function Divide(ByVal n1 As Double, ByVal n2 As Double) As Double
End Interface

<System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("System.ServiceModel", "3.0.0.0")>  _
Public Interface ICalculatorChannel
    Inherits ICalculator, System.ServiceModel.IClientChannel
End Interface

<System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThroughAttribute(),  _
 System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("System.ServiceModel", "3.0.0.0")>  _
Partial Public Class CalculatorClient
    Inherits System.ServiceModel.ClientBase(Of ICalculator)
    Implements ICalculator
    
    Public Sub New()
        MyBase.New
    End Sub
    
    Public Sub New(ByVal endpointConfigurationName As String)
        MyBase.New(endpointConfigurationName)
    End Sub
    
    Public Sub New(ByVal endpointConfigurationName As String, ByVal remoteAddress As String)
        MyBase.New(endpointConfigurationName, remoteAddress)
    End Sub
    
    Public Sub New(ByVal endpointConfigurationName As String, ByVal remoteAddress As System.ServiceModel.EndpointAddress)
        MyBase.New(endpointConfigurationName, remoteAddress)
    End Sub
    
    Public Sub New(ByVal binding As System.ServiceModel.Channels.Binding, ByVal remoteAddress As System.ServiceModel.EndpointAddress)
        MyBase.New(binding, remoteAddress)
    End Sub
    
    Public Function Add(ByVal n1 As Double, ByVal n2 As Double) As Double Implements ICalculator.Add
        Return MyBase.Channel.Add(n1, n2)
    End Function
    
    Public Function Subtract(ByVal n1 As Double, ByVal n2 As Double) As Double Implements ICalculator.Subtract
        Return MyBase.Channel.Subtract(n1, n2)
    End Function
    
    Public Function Multiply(ByVal n1 As Double, ByVal n2 As Double) As Double Implements ICalculator.Multiply
        Return MyBase.Channel.Multiply(n1, n2)
    End Function
    
    Public Function Divide(ByVal n1 As Double, ByVal n2 As Double) As Double Implements ICalculator.Divide
        Return MyBase.Channel.Divide(n1, n2)
    End Function
End Class

//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// <auto-generated>
//     This code was generated by a tool.
//     Runtime Version:2.0.50727.1366
//
//     Changes to this file may cause incorrect behavior and will be lost if
//     the code is regenerated.
// </auto-generated>
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------



[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("System.ServiceModel", "3.0.0.0")]
[System.ServiceModel.ServiceContractAttribute(Namespace="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples", ConfigurationName="ICalculator")]
public interface ICalculator
{
    
    [System.ServiceModel.OperationContractAttribute(Action="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/Add", ReplyAction="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/AddResponse")]
    double Add(double n1, double n2);
    
    [System.ServiceModel.OperationContractAttribute(Action="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/Subtract", ReplyAction="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/SubtractResponse")]
    double Subtract(double n1, double n2);
    
    [System.ServiceModel.OperationContractAttribute(Action="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/Multiply", ReplyAction="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/MultiplyResponse")]
    double Multiply(double n1, double n2);
    
    [System.ServiceModel.OperationContractAttribute(Action="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/Divide", ReplyAction="http://Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples/ICalculator/DivideResponse")]
    double Divide(double n1, double n2);
}

[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("System.ServiceModel", "3.0.0.0")]
public interface ICalculatorChannel : ICalculator, System.ServiceModel.IClientChannel
{
}

[System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThroughAttribute()]
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("System.ServiceModel", "3.0.0.0")]
public partial class CalculatorClient : System.ServiceModel.ClientBase<ICalculator>, ICalculator
{
    
    public CalculatorClient()
    {
    }
    
    public CalculatorClient(string endpointConfigurationName) : 
            base(endpointConfigurationName)
    {
    }
    
    public CalculatorClient(string endpointConfigurationName, string remoteAddress) : 
            base(endpointConfigurationName, remoteAddress)
    {
    }
    
    public CalculatorClient(string endpointConfigurationName, System.ServiceModel.EndpointAddress remoteAddress) : 
            base(endpointConfigurationName, remoteAddress)
    {
    }
    
    public CalculatorClient(System.ServiceModel.Channels.Binding binding, System.ServiceModel.EndpointAddress remoteAddress) : 
            base(binding, remoteAddress)
    {
    }
    
    public double Add(double n1, double n2)
    {
        return base.Channel.Add(n1, n2);
    }
    
    public double Subtract(double n1, double n2)
    {
        return base.Channel.Subtract(n1, n2);
    }
    
    public double Multiply(double n1, double n2)
    {
        return base.Channel.Multiply(n1, n2);
    }
    
    public double Divide(double n1, double n2)
    {
        return base.Channel.Divide(n1, n2);
    }
}

Now you have created a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) client. Proceed to How to: Configure a Basic Windows Communication Foundation Client to configure the client. For troubleshooting information, see Troubleshooting the Getting Started Tutorial.

See Also

Tasks

Getting Started Sample
Self-Host
How to: Publish Metadata for a Service Using a Configuration File
How to: Use Svcutil.exe to Download Metadata Documents

Concepts

ServiceModel Metadata Utility Tool (Svcutil.exe)