Home » Services » XML Webservices
 |
Webservices:
These are small and highly efficient programs that are also reusable. These units employ the XML information exchange standards to enable communication between different programs that might be written in different languages and reside on different machines and operating systems.
These programs could enable connection on any medium (Network, Internet, Intranet,...etc.)
|
Web services provide a standard means of interoperating between different
software applications, running on a variety of platforms and/or frameworks. Web
services are characterized by their great interoperability and extensibility, as
well as their machine-processable descriptions thanks to the use of XML. They
can be combined in a loosely coupled way in order to achieve complex operations.
Programs providing simple services can interact with each other in order to
deliver sophisticated added-value services.
Technically a Web Services might be described as a "self-describing software modules, semantically encapsulating
discrete functionality, wrapped in and accessible via standard Internet communication protocols like XML and SOAP."
More clearly it could be described as an approach that helps the business connect with its customers,
partners, and employees. They enable the business to extend existing services to new customers. They help
the business work more efficiently with its partners and suppliers. They unlock information so it can flow
to every employee who needs it. They reduce development time and expense for new projects. You'll hear less
about what Web services are and more about what they enable the business to do.
SOAP is a lightweight protocol intended for exchanging
structured information in a decentralized, distributed environment. It uses XML
technologies to define an extensible messaging framework providing a message
construct that can be exchanged over a variety of underlying protocols. The
framework has been designed to be independent of any particular programming
model and other implementation specific semantics.
The sample on the right uses a Webservice with SOAP protocol to exchange data between two machines.
Below are some public web services that I have designed and use from different applications (both websites and software)
For more samples of other XML Webservices visit http://wap.i.com.kw using the browser or your mobile phone.
Benefits of Web Services
By enabling applications to share data across different hardware platforms and operating systems, Web services provide many benefits, including:
- Opening the door to new business opportunities by making it easy to connect with partners.
- Delivering dramatically more personal, integrated experiences to users through the new breed of smart devices—including PCs.
- Saving time and money by cutting development time.
- Increasing revenue streams by enabling businesses to easily make their own Web services available to others.
The modified article and illustrations are taken from Microsoft Corporation & W3C.
Read more about Web Services at What Are Web Services? at Microsoft.com.
Sample Webservices
Below is a good example of a simple, public Webservice. The Weather.com website provides an XML Webservice
section that would return XML data specific to required locations around the world. Our program below contacts the Weather.com webservice
regularily and request weather information relative to, say, Kuwait. The XML data is then manipulated and presented on our website (or mobile device)
as is shown below: