IESR: Service Interfaces
Contents
Web CGI Service Interfaces
Connection details for a general `webcgi' service are described using WSDL (Web Services Description Language). The `interface' property of the IESR service description points to this WSDL file. The WSDL file description captures the host address location, the CGI service name, and the possible arguments including any fixed values.
- Each argument name is defined as a `part' within the `message' section. Each `message' defines a possible set of arguments for a request. Multiple requests are defined within the `portType` and `binding` sections
- A fixed argument value is defined as a single `enumeration' restricting a simple data type, specified as an XML schema fragment within the `types' section
- The binding is HTTP, which allows the specification of either `GET` or `PUT' transport
- Outputs are specified using MIME encoding. Possibilities are: text/html, text/xml+xhtml, text/xml
- The CGI service name (i.e. the name of the CGI script) is specified as an `http:operation' `location'
- The host address location is specified in the `service' section as an `http:address' `location'
An example WSDL file defining connection details for a Web CGI service is the COPAC WSDL file at http://iesr.ac.uk/registry/intf/wsdl/1084445356-9939.wsdl. COPAC allows three possibilities of linking via CGI, its host address location being `http://copac.ac.uk/copac' and its service name being `wzgw':
- http://copac.ac.uk/copac/wzgw?f=s&form=A%2FT
&ti=&cau=&isn=&date=&au=&pub=&lang=&lib=
(Author/Title search) - http://copac.ac.uk/copac/wzgw?f=s&form=sub&sub=&date=&lang=&lib=
(Subject search) - http://copac.ac.uk/copac/wzgw?f=s&form=periodical
&pti=&pcau=&issn=&type=&lang=&lib=
(Periodical search)
This example shows an HTTP GET service. The binding for a POST service would be for example:
<binding name="HTTP" type="tns:ExampleServicePortType">
<http:binding verb="POST"/>
<operation name="egSvc">
<http:operation location="egSvc"/>
<input>
<mime:content type="application/x-www-form-urlencoded"/>
</input>
<output>
<mime:mimeXml part="return"/>
</output>
</operation>
</binding>
Z39.50, SRU and SRW Service Interfaces
Connection details for Z39.50, SRU and SRW services are described using Zeerex version 2.0. The `interface' property of the IESR service description points to this Zeerex file. The Zeerex file references the Zeerex version 2.0 XML schema at http://explain.z3950.org/dtd/zeerex-2.0.xsd. n example Zeerex description of the COPAC Z39.50 service is at http://iesr.ac.uk/registry/intf/zeerex/1084445569-11632-zx.xml
29 August 2006