What you need?
- Eclipse
- JDK (Java development kit required by Tomcat)
- Apache Tomcat (free open source server)
- Axis (protocol engine for tomcat server)
- Flex builder 3
Optional
- Apache Tomcat plugin for Eclipse IDE
- Flex builder 3 plugin for Eclipse IDE
Installing Tomcat.
http://roseindia.net/webservices/axis2/apache-axis2-tomcat.shtml
Installing Axis2 to Tomcat.
http://codediaries.blogspot.com/2009/02/setting-up-axis2-with-tomcat-6.html
Software download link to be installed in sequent
1- Eclipse, http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/index.php
- Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers
- Eclipse IDE for Java Developers
2- JDK (Java development kit required by Tomcat), http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp
3- Apache Tomcat 6, http://tomcat.apache.org/download-60.cgi
Test if the Tomcat is install properly by running the program Tomcat Monitor.
A Tomcat notification icon will appears in the taskbar (bottom right corner of the screen).
Right click the icon, and select "Start Service" to run the Tomcat.
Open a web-browser and go to the following URL "http://localhost:8080/"
Localhost is the same as the ip address of your local machine. Port: 8080 is the default port serve by the Tomcat.
You should see the Tomcat start up webpage if the tomcat is installed correctly.
4- Apache Axis2, http://ws.apache.org/axis2/
Download & Copy the axis2.war file to C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 6.0\webapps\
The \webapps\axis2 folder will be generated if Tomcat is running. This means that the axis2 servlet is installed to tomcat.
Do not delete the axis2.war file. Test the axis2 servlet using the browser with the following
URL "http://localhost:8080/axis2/"
5- Adobe Flex 3 builder, http://www.adobe.com/products/flex/features/flex_builder/
Reading Reference
Flex Builder 3
- Adobe Flex 3.0 for Dummies (recommended as your first book for learning flex)
- Flex 3 : a beginner's guide (good reference)
- Flex 3 Bible (more detail information inside)
- Java and Flex Integration Bible (more detail information inside)
A webservice is similar to a function/method call. If you are familiar with programming, function/method should be a very familiar term to you. A function is like a black box where we call it to execute some process. Sometimes we may need to pass some information to this black box. At the end of the process, we expect some return result or a process to be executed.
Functions helps to organise or consolidate our codes. Design functions so that they can reuse in future. As a programmer, we should have a lazy mindset. Lazy not for now nor the past. You want a lazy life for the future. Design and artitacte your codes in a way, such that your programming effort become lesser and lesser as you progress. Programming should be getting easier & easier to write as your codes gets larger. If you are not experiencing that, it just means that there is more that needs to be understood about the concept of programming.
Nowadays the codes seems so easy to write. For a line of codes, you can get a pop up window to do all the work for you. In fact, all the hardwork is already done for us, through the years of collective experience & software evolution. They have written libraries of functions that are so easy to use by many programmer. The progress is good because programming is getting less and less effort. Let us go back to webservice again.
What is the difference between Webservice and function/method call? Webservice is located at a remote server. Meaning, it is a function call to a remote server. The remote server provide functions for other devices on the network. We call them services.
There are many protocol standards that are design to provide such remote services (function call) across the network. One of them is call CORBA which I am aware of. There are many many more... which I do not know.
The most important benefit of using webservice technology as compare to other protocols is that it is in a readable form. The protocol is formated using ascii coded XML tags. The XML format allows developers from various operating system platform or programming languages to be able to connect the shared services, quick and easy. The protocol itself is self documentated, meaning that any developer can easily read and use the webservice for their own implementation. This is similar to the HTML tags that we have for accessing and displaying our web content. Evolving and becoming popular worldwide in such a short period of time.
In a summary, webservice is a function call from remote server using ascii texts in the format of XML tag. Apache Axis2 provides the open source library/method that implement the standard webservice. It is a ready written engine, a servlet application running under Tomcat server. Webservices written in module by module will be hosted under Axis 2 servlet.
The following sections will demonstrate a short example to illustrate the process of building a webservice.
- In eclipse, go to Window>Preferences>Web Services.
Axis2 Preferences>Axis2 Runtime>Axis2 runtime location: "C:\Program Files\axis2-1.5.1"
- Set to the axis program directory.
Server and Runtime, Server: Tomcat v6.0 Server
Web service runtime: Apache Axis2- Go to Apache website & download the apache axis2 Standard Binary Distribution and unzip to the directory "c:\program files\".
- In eclipse, go to Window>Preferences>Web Services.
Axis2 Preferences>Axis2 Runtime>Axis2 runtime location: "C:\Program Files\axis2-1.5.1"
- Set to the axis program directory.
Server and Runtime, Server: Tomcat v6.0 Server
Web service runtime: Apache Axis2
Ensure that Server: Tomcat v6.0 Server at localhost
Web service runtime: Apache Axis2
public class DoesMagic
{
public String doBasicStuff(String message)
{
return "This is your message: " + message;
}
}
Axis2 is a opensource java servlet program that process
webservice protocol. Axis2 is run under Tomcat.
Webservices>Create Webservice
- A new folder/directory will be generate for webservice.
project\WebContent\WEB-INF\services\DoesMagic
- Copy the java webservice folder to the Tomcat\axis2.
from:
project\WebContent\WEB-INF\services\DoesMagic
to:
C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 6.0\webapps\axis2\WEB-INF\services\DoesMagic
- Take Note!!! For all resource files (example *.properties, *.log) used in a typical Java project (files loaded through the classloader()).
The files are usually store under \project\resource folder to store config, log, or properties.
They should be copied to the service/project root directory as follows,
C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 6.0\webapps\axis2\WEB-INF\services\DoesMagic
Common resource file to be accessed by all the services under axis2 (for example log4j.properties),
should be copy to the following axis2 directory,
C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 6.0\webapps\axis2\WEB-INF\classes\
This is the directory for axis program. The files has to be store under axis for the file retrieval.
http://localhost:8080/axis2/services/DoesMagic/doBasicStuff?message=123
If the webservice cannot have access to your java project's configuration/resource files, the following message may be return as the webservice result.
This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.
<soapenv:Reason>
<soapenv:Text xml:lang="en-US">unknown</soapenv:Text>
</soapenv:Reason>