Overview of the Web Services Toolkit
The Web Services Toolkit provides access to PcVue by a third party application, known as a client, using the following XML SOAP web services:
- Session management,
- Real time data access,
- Alarm list access,
- Historical data access.
See Web and Mobile Client Applications Overview for an overview of Web & Mobile client applications, including their common requirements and deployment steps.
The configuration steps specific for the Web Services Toolkit access to PcVue are as follows:
- Develop or buy a third-party component based on the Web Services Toolkit,
- Ensure your project settings accommodate the requirements of your third-party application.
License requirements
Use of the Web Services Toolkit is licensed. For PcVue to respond to a client using Web Services it must have a protection key (dongle) with one or more WebVue users. Each concurrent Web Services session uses one WebVue connection.
About XML SOAP Web Services
SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is a protocol for the exchanging information based on XML formatted messages.
XML Web Services is a technology based on XML SOAP messages to exchange information in a client-server manner in a web environment.
The XML SOAP Web Service interface is completely described by an XML document called the Web Service Description Language (WSDL). WSDL is the starting point for implementing a web service client because it contains everything the client needs to know.
- Namespace of the web service.
- Specific datatypes and structures.
- Description of SOAP messages for requests to the server.
- Description of SOAP messages for responses to the client.
- Binding of the underlying transport layer.
The WSDL is used by developers to generate sets of datatypes and classes allowing simple use of the web service.
Software development environments
As Web Services relies on widely adopted standards (XML SOAP and HTTP), a client can be implemented with any development language supporting these technologies and can target a wide range of platforms. Implementation is easier if a web service framework is available.