> calls since I don't have a programmers background .... I assume your
> talking about OOP, but is there a practical example you can use to
> explain what that first sentence meant
To simplify even further - adding white lies atop Barney's white lies - you
can think of a web service as a program you can run from another computer. A
method is just the OO name for a function, which is just another name for a
program. We programmers love our jargon!
The way you communicate with the other computer is to send it an XML
document (usually written in a specific XML language called SOAP). In the
case of a web service specifically, you'd send this SOAP request within an
HTTP request (SOAP servers aren't limited to using HTTP, but that's what
people usually use and is the "web" part of "web services". This XML
document contains information needed by the web server program, such as the
name of the program - web servers might have many services - and the inputs
you want to give to the program. In response, the web service will run, and
generate a SOAP response, which will then be returned as the response to the
initial HTTP request made by the client.
In conclusion though, to make good use of web services a programmer's
background will be very helpful, as a lot of information about them assumes
you know about OOP, objects, methods, and so on - even though they're not
really necessary for working with web services.
Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software
http://www.figleaf.com/
phone: 202-797-5496
fax: 202-797-5444
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