Re: WSDL Requirements

Krishna Sankar wrote:
> 
> Paul,
> 
>         Have a quick question : Isn't WSDL a configuration time artifact ? i.e. it
> is a description of stuff than the actual stuff (incl functionalities) Looks
> like the capabilities you define are run time artifacts which is outside the
> WSDL's realm.

You can use WSDL at "configuration time", "compile time" or "run time."
I've done all three.

To handle these slightly out of order:

> How would one perform type checking in WSDL as it is only the description.

I think we have some kind of terminological difference. I can say in a
WSDL that the first parameter to an operation must be an integer. Now
how can I say that it may be a *reference* to an integer? I can say that
a parameter must be a purchase order. How can I say that it is a
reference to a purchase order?

> Having said that, are you envisioning, elements like <stateURI/> or
> <referenceLinks/> in WSDL ?

WSDL needs a way of associating a WSDL interface type with a parameter
or schema type. It might be a WSDL-specific extension to XML Schema or a
combination of WSDL-specific and in-specific extensions.

> Also, do you see WSDL pre-defining these types and having elements like
> <referenceType/> in the above elements ? Or do you see an extensible dynamic
> reference type system ?

It must be extensible because there are an infnite number of types of
referents. It need not be dynamic: WSDL is fundamentally about
statically checking things so it has no "dynamic" features that I am
aware of. Runtime features, yes. Dynamic, no.

 Paul Prescod

Received on Saturday, 16 February 2002 11:18:50 UTC