How do WSDL and services.xml relate

[Andy Wold]

Hello, I'm new to the creation of web services. I've been going through some tutorials/samples and I have a question about the wsdl file and the services.xml file in a Contract First context.

I manually created a WSDL file. I use it to generate my server and client side code. I allow the services.xml file to be automatically generated. Then I create an Axis2 Service Archive that contains the WSDL and services.xml and I deploy that.

So who is really helping defining my web service requirements while being consumed at runtime? Is it the WSDL file or the services.xml file? I can create an archive without the WSDL, but not without the services.xml.

Or is the WSDL file inconsequential at this point because I used it to generate all of my java code and that really defines the runtime consumption?

Overall I'm just trying to understand Contract First vs Contract Last (where the wsdl is dymanically generated).

Thanks.

[Bear Bibeault]

"Aaaaaaa Wold", please check your private messages for an important administrative matter.

[Andy Wold]

Done. Thanks.