I just caught this thread and may have missed some of it. However, I have been using a very complex web service, entirely developed in VFP 9 and it works perfectly well using the SOAP software that comes with VFP.
(the truth is that someone much more knowledgeable than myself developed it at my request following my specs) It works like this: My client is a large national distributor of toys. He has a fleet of 12 salespersons who travel all accross the country and connect daily from wherever they are with the main company server (Windows Server 2003) The web service resides in the server and sends photographies of all new toys to the notebooks, installing them in a special directory in each notebook. Likewise, it sends each notebook details of outstanding orders, customers accounts, pricelists, characteristics of each new toy purchased by the company, etc. On the other hand, the notebook sends the orders raised by each salesperson to the head office,details of customer payments, notes and queries from the salesperson or the customer, etc. My main program processes all this information and makes it available to the web service. The pictures should not be very "heavy" (approximately 250 kb each) and the web service sends them in batches of no more than 10 pictures at the time. The company produces some 300 pictures every day, and many more at XMAS time, Epiphany, Children's day and toy reseller conventions, so the WS is very active. The key to it all is a synchronization table, that registers the datetime of each salesperson's last connection and sends all the information produced after that datetime. Appart from the pictures, the WS sends XML files with the latest info on customer accounts, outstanding orders, price lists, etc. Each notebook has a form that triggers the connection through the WS. All the salespeople do is push a button and the whole process is automatic. They connect from their hotels, the customers office, the airport, etc. Some of our guys are in their 50's and 60's and are not very skilled with handling computers, so the push button alternative is perfectly suited to their needs. We have been using this WS since the middle of 2005 with only one glitch at the beginning: we had to determine the maximun size of each picture and developed the batch technique, otherwise the WS would hang. As for the info on the various DBF's that comprise the system, a datetime field in each table, updated every time there is an add, delete or modify, compared to the synchronization table mentioned above makes the system very efficient. Needles to say that you need broadband to accomplish this. And a friend like mine, who knows his way around WS, components and the like, which I am still ages away to master. But the main thing is: no need for ASP, C# or any .NET component or language. Just VFP 9 alone. Hope this was helpful Rafael Copquin Treasurer - Microsoft Users Group of Argentina ----- Original Message ----- From: Allen To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, January 25, 2008 2:11 PM Subject: RE: Need for webservice to be called from our app in near future(VFP9) ok its to do with the way the web service is created. That will appear in the WSDL. But first things first. If you dont need to worry about a web service created by someone else and can make your own then VFP can create it with a simple ASP page. But beware VFP's problem of case as it is not easy to make web services in camel case. That was the first problem. In my case the WSDL was given to me and most of the Web Serviuces are defined on that web site. The Complex bit is to do with the WSDL (I think but Im novice here too). In this case VFP as a web Service will not go. See Rick Strahl's white paper to see why, I still dont know why but it doesnt. All I can tell you is it wont work and I tried. So the question is what is required of this web service and indeed is a web service needed for that matter. Allen -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Paul McNett Sent: 25 January 2008 18:03 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Need for webservice to be called from our app in near future(VFP9) Allen wrote: > Ive been buzy with a web service and I can tell you that VFP is > incapable of handling complex web services. What's a web service other than a server on port 80 that dishes out XML based on GET or POST requests from the client? IOW, I don't understand why VFP would be incapable of handling complex web services. What makes a web service 'complex' or not? Paul No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.11/1242 - Release Date: 24/01/2008 20:32 [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[EMAIL PROTECTED] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
