XML Web Service - Client Detail Dialog Box

  • Article

Makes it possible for you to specify the control, or client, to which you want to bind the results of the XML Web service operation. When calling an XML Web service operation, the results can be bound to a specific control on the form. You can then assign the return value, or the parameter as passed by reference, to a property of the control. Usually, you assign this return value to the Value or Caption property so that the user can see the results.

This dialog box appears when you click Add or Edit in the Clients group on the Operations tab of the XML Web Service Builder. For more information, see Operations Tab, XML Web Service Builder.

  • Select control
    Displays and specifies controls or objects available on the current form to which you want to bind the results of the XML Web service operation.

    If your XML Web service returns a simple data type, you might want to select a text box or label. You can bind an operation that returns an ADO.NET DataSet, which is a complex type, to a grid. For DataEnvironment objects, you can select a CursorAdapter object and bind the operation results to its CursorFill method, which is typical for XML Web service operations that return ADO.NET DataSets.

  • Control property used to assign the Web service results
    Displays and specifies the property of the selected control to which you want to bind the operation results. When the operation is called, the results are assigned to the property.

    For a TextBox control, you usually choose the Value property; however, if the operation returns an ADO.NET DataSet, you might want to use the ControlSource property.

    For a Label control, the Caption property is selected by default.

    For a Grid control, and if the operation returns an ADO.NET DataSet, you might want to use the RecordSource property.

  • Binding control to the Web service return value or parameter
    Specifies the XML Web service parameter source to which the control property is bound.

    The ReturnValue setting is selected as the default. However, you can also specify an operation parameter as the source. This can be useful for operations that have parameters passed by reference. It is also sometimes useful to display the original input value, for example, by using the Label Caption property.

  • Client description
    Specifies a name you want to use for the client. (Optional)

  • Name of binding property
    Specifies the name of a custom property you want to use as the event source for triggering the XML Web service operation call and subsequent control binding. This option is set to BindMe by default. However, all custom properties and methods of the control are included in the list for you to select another if desired.

    If a CursorAdapter object is selected, the CursorFill method is selected by default so that the event causes a cursor to be created after calling the XML Web service. This is useful for operations that return an ADO.NET DataSet because the XML Web service enables the DataSet to be imported into CursorAdapter object, through an XMLAdapter object, which is used by the CursorAdapter CursorFill method.

    XML Web service operations are called using Visual FoxPro event binding capabilities. At run time, a property specified by the Name of binding property option is added to the control. The added property serves as the event source and is bound to the InvokeClient method of the XML Web service. When the value of the binding property is set to True (.T.), an event occurs and calls the InvokeClient method, which in turn, calls the XML Web service operation. After the operation is called, the return value is set to the control property specified. You can also specify a custom method instead of a custom property. Calling this custom method triggers an event that calls the InvokeClient delegate.

  • Invoke at startup
    Specifies that the XML Web service is called and the control is bound when the form or class is first instantiated.

  • Always call Web service
    Specifies that each control makes its own call to the XML Web service operation to which it is bound.

    The XML Web service control (wshandler) has the capability to detect when multiple client calls occur for the same operation. For performance, multiple clients reuse the results of an operation when those clients are called simultaneously, such as when the form or class is first instantiated.

    For example, suppose you have a TextBox control that binds an operation's results to its Value property and a Label control that binds the first parameter, an input value, of the same operation to its Caption property. When the form or class instantiates, and both clients are called, only a single call to the XML Web service operation usually occurs. However, by selecting Always call Web service, you can specify that all clients make their own calls to the same operation. This also occurs if a client manually calls the operation when the form or class instantiates.

  • Complex Types
    Displays a dialog box that makes it possible for you to set additional options when binding to operations that return complex types, such as an ADO.NET DataSet or XMLDOMNodeList. For more informatin, see XML Web Service - Complex Types Dialog Box.

See Also

Reference

Operations Tab, XML Web Service Builder

Other Resources

Dialog Boxes (Visual FoxPro)