Java and SOAP provides Java developers with an in-depth look at SOAP
(the Simple Object Access Protocol). Of course, it covers the basics:
what SOAP is, why it's soared to a spot on the Buzzwords' Top Ten list,
and what its features and capabilities are. And it shows you how to work
with some of the more common Java APIs in the SOAP world: Apache SOAP
and GLUE.In addition to covering the basics such as the structure of a
SOAP message, SOAP encoding, and building simple services using RPC and
messaging, Java and SOAP covers many topics that are essential to
real-world development. Although SOAP has native support for an
impressive number of object types, the nature of modern programming
means that whatever SOAP gives you is not enough. When do you need to
add support for your own object types, and how do you do it? How do you
handle errors, and how do you add your own information to Fault
messages? How do you handle attachments?In an ideal world, you could
live entirely within Java, and ignore the SOAP messages being send back
and forth: you'd be able to write Java code and let the SOAP APIs work
behind the scenes. However, we're not yet in that ideal world, and won't
be for some time. Therefore, Java and SOAP pays particular attention to
how SOAP messages are encoded. It doesn't just explain the document
types, but shows how the documents are used in practice as they are
generated by the different APIs. If you ever have to debug
interoperability problems, you'll find that this information is
indispensable.We've always found that the best software is written by
people who understand what's happening under the hood. SOAP is no
different. Let's say you need to write a custom serializer to create a
SOAP representation of a structure. How do you know that your encoding
is efficient? There's one definitive answer: look at the SOAP documents
it produces!Java and SOAP also discusses interoperability between the
major SOAP platforms, including Microsoft's .NET, SOAP messaging, SOAP
attachments, message routing, and a preview of the forthcoming AXIS APIs
and server. If you're a Java developer who would like to start working
with SOAP, this is the book you need to get going.
