W3C

Web Services Description Language (WSDL) Version 2.0 Part 1: Core Language

W3C Working Draft 26 March 2004

This version:
http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/WD-wsdl20-20040326
Latest version:
http://www.w3.org/TR/wsdl20
Previous versions:
http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/WD-wsdl20-20031110
Editors:
Roberto Chinnici, Sun Microsystems
Martin Gudgin, Microsoft
Jean-Jacques Moreau, Canon
Jeffrey Schlimmer, Microsoft
Sanjiva Weerawarana, IBM Research

This document is also available in these non-normative formats: postscript, PDF, XML, and plain text.


Abstract

This document describes the Web Services Description Language (WSDL) Version 2.0, an XML language for describing Web services. This specification defines the core language which can be used to describe Web services based on an abstract model of what the service offers. It also defines criteria for a conformant processor of this language.

Status of this Document

This section describes the status of this document at the time of its publication. Other documents may supersede this document. A list of current W3C publications and the latest revision of this technical report can be found in the W3C technical reports index at http://www.w3.org/TR/.

This is a W3C Working Draft of the Web Services Description Language (WSDL) 2.0 document.

A diff-marked version against the previous version of this document is available. For a detailed list of changes since the last publication of this document, please refer to appendix F. Part 1 Change Log. A list of open issues against this document is also available.

This document has been produced as part of the W3C Web Services Activity. The authors of this document are the Web Services Description Working Group members.

Publication as a Working Draft does not imply endorsement by the W3C Membership. This is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to cite this document as other than work in progress.

Comments on this document are invited and are to be sent to the public www-ws-desc@w3.org mailing list (public archive).

This document has been produced under the 24 January 2002 Current Patent Practice as amended by the W3C Patent Policy Transition Procedure. Patent disclosures relevant to this specification may be found on the Working Group's patent disclosure page. An individual who has actual knowledge of a patent which the individual believes contains Essential Claim(s) with respect to this specification should disclose the information in accordance with section 6 of the W3C Patent Policy.


Short Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Component Model
3. Types
4. Modularizing WSDL descriptions
5. Documentation
6. Language Extensibility
7. Locating WSDL Documents
8. Conformance
9. XML Syntax Summary (Non-Normative)
10. References
A. The application/wsdl+xml Media Type
B. Acknowledgements (Non-Normative)
C. URI References for WSDL constructs (Non-Normative)
D. Migrating from WSDL 1.1 to WSDL 2.0 (Non-Normative)
E. Examples of Specifications of Extension Elements for Alternative Schema Language Support. (Non-Normative)
F. Part 1 Change Log (Non-Normative)


Table of Contents

1. Introduction
    1.1 Web Service
    1.2 Notational Conventions
2. Component Model
    2.1 Definitions
        2.1.1 The Definitions Component
        2.1.2 XML Representation of Definitions Component
            2.1.2.1 targetNamespace attribute information item
        2.1.3 Mapping Definitions' XML Representation to Component Properties
    2.2 Interface
        2.2.1 The Interface Component
        2.2.2 XML Representation of Interface Component
            2.2.2.1 name attribute information item with interface [owner]
            2.2.2.2 extends attribute information item
            2.2.2.3 styleDefault attribute information item
        2.2.3 Mapping Interface's XML Representation to Component Properties
    2.3 Interface Fault
        2.3.1 The Interface Fault Component
        2.3.2 XML Representation of Interface Fault Component
            2.3.2.1 name attribute information item with fault [owner]
            2.3.2.2 element attribute information item with fault [owner]
        2.3.3 Mapping Interface Fault's XML Representation to Component Properties
    2.4 Interface Operation
        2.4.1 The Interface Operation Component
            2.4.1.1 Operation Style
        2.4.2 XML Representation of Interface Operation Component
            2.4.2.1 name attribute information item with operation [owner]
            2.4.2.2 pattern attribute information item with operation [owner]
            2.4.2.3 style attribute information item with operation [owner]
            2.4.2.4 safe attribute information item with operation [owner]
        2.4.3 Mapping Interface Operation's XML Representation to Component Properties
        2.4.4 RPC Style
            2.4.4.1 wrpc:signature Extension
            2.4.4.2 XML Representation of the wrpc:signature Extension
            2.4.4.3 wrpc:signature Extension Mapping To Properties of an Interface Operation Component
    2.5 Message Reference
        2.5.1 The Message Reference Component
        2.5.2 XML Representation of Message Reference Component
            2.5.2.1 messageLabel attribute information item with input, or output [owner]
            2.5.2.2 element attribute information item with input, or output [owner]
        2.5.3 Mapping Message Reference's XML Representation to Component Properties
    2.6 Fault Reference
        2.6.1 The Fault Reference Component
        2.6.2 XML Representation of Fault Reference Component
            2.6.2.1 ref attribute information item with infault, or outfault [owner]
            2.6.2.2 messageLabel attribute information item with infault, or outfault [owner]
        2.6.3 Mapping Fault Reference's XML Representation to Component Properties
    2.7 Feature
        2.7.1 The Feature Component
            2.7.1.1 Feature Composition Model
                2.7.1.1.1 Example of Feature Composition Model
        2.7.2 XML Representation of Feature Component
            2.7.2.1 uri attribute information item with feature [owner]
            2.7.2.2 required attribute information item with feature [owner]
        2.7.3 Mapping Feature's XML Representation to Component Properties
    2.8 Property
        2.8.1 The Property Component
            2.8.1.1 Property Composition Model
        2.8.2 XML Representation of Property Component
            2.8.2.1 uri attribute information item with property [owner]
            2.8.2.2 required attribute information item with feature [owner]
            2.8.2.3 value element information item with property [parent]
            2.8.2.4 constraint element information item with property [parent]
        2.8.3 Mapping Property's XML Representation to Component Properties
    2.9 Binding
        2.9.1 The Binding Component
        2.9.2 XML Representation of Binding Component
            2.9.2.1 name attribute information item with binding [owner]
            2.9.2.2 interface attribute information item with binding [owner]
            2.9.2.3 Binding extension elements
        2.9.3 Mapping Binding's XML Representation to Component Properties
    2.10 Binding Fault
        2.10.1 The Binding Fault Component
        2.10.2 XML Representation of Binding Fault Component
            2.10.2.1 ref attribute information item with fault [owner]
            2.10.2.2 Binding Fault extension elements
        2.10.3 Mapping Binding Fault's XML Representation to Component Properties
    2.11 Binding Operation
        2.11.1 The Binding Operation Component
        2.11.2 XML Representation of Binding Operation Component
            2.11.2.1 ref attribute information item with operation [owner]
            2.11.2.2 Binding Operation extension elements
        2.11.3 Mapping Binding Operation's XML Representation to Component Properties
    2.12 Binding Message Reference
        2.12.1 The Binding Message Reference Component
        2.12.2 XML Representation of Binding Message Reference Component
            2.12.2.1 messageLabel attribute information item with input or output [owner]
            2.12.2.2 Binding Message Reference extension elements
        2.12.3 Mapping Binding Message Reference's XML Representation to Component Properties
    2.13 Service
        2.13.1 The Service Component
        2.13.2 XML Representation of Service Component
            2.13.2.1 name attribute information item with service [owner]
            2.13.2.2 interface attribute information item with service [owner]
        2.13.3 Mapping Service's XML Representation to Component Properties
    2.14 Endpoint
        2.14.1 The Endpoint Component
        2.14.2 XML Representation of Endpoint Component
            2.14.2.1 name attribute information item with endpoint [owner]
            2.14.2.2 binding attribute information item with endpoint [owner]
            2.14.2.3 Endpoint extension elements
        2.14.3 Mapping Endpoint's XML Representation to Component Properties
    2.15 Equivalence of Components
    2.16 Symbol Spaces
    2.17 QName resolution
    2.18 Comparing URIs
3. Types
    3.1 Using W3C XML Schema Description Language
        3.1.1 Importing XML Schema
            3.1.1.1 namespace attribute information item
            3.1.1.2 schemaLocation attribute information item
        3.1.2 Embedding XML Schema
            3.1.2.1 targetNamespace attribute information item
        3.1.3 References to Element Declarations
    3.2 Using Other Schema Languages
4. Modularizing WSDL descriptions
    4.1 Including Descriptions
        4.1.1 location attribute information item with include [owner]
    4.2 Importing Descriptions
        4.2.1 namespace attribute information item
        4.2.2 location attribute information item with import [owner]
5. Documentation
6. Language Extensibility
    6.1 Element based Extensibility
        6.1.1 Mandatory extensions
        6.1.2 required attribute information item
    6.2 Attribute-based Extensibility
    6.3 Extensibility Semantics
7. Locating WSDL Documents
    7.1 wsdli:wsdlLocation attribute information item
8. Conformance
    8.1 Document Conformance
    8.2 XML Information Set Conformance
    8.3 Processor Conformance
9. XML Syntax Summary (Non-Normative)
10. References
    10.1 Normative References
    10.2 Informative References

Appendices

A. The application/wsdl+xml Media Type
    A.1 Registration
    A.2 Security considerations
B. Acknowledgements (Non-Normative)
C. URI References for WSDL constructs (Non-Normative)
    C.1 WSDL URIs
    C.2 Fragment Identifiers
    C.3 Extension Elements
    C.4 Example
D. Migrating from WSDL 1.1 to WSDL 2.0 (Non-Normative)
    D.1 Operation Overloading
    D.2 PortTypes
    D.3 Ports
E. Examples of Specifications of Extension Elements for Alternative Schema Language Support. (Non-Normative)
    E.1 DTD
        E.1.1 namespace attribute information item
        E.1.2 location attribute information item
        E.1.3 References to Element Definitions
    E.2 RELAX NG
        E.2.1 Importing RELAX NG
            E.2.1.1 ns attribute information item
            E.2.1.2 href attribute information item
        E.2.2 Embedding RELAX NG
            E.2.2.1 ns attribute information item
        E.2.3 References to Element Declarations
F. Part 1 Change Log (Non-Normative)
    F.1 WSDL Specification Changes


1. Introduction

Web Services Description Language (WSDL) provides a model and an XML format for describing Web services. WSDL enables one to separate the description of the abstract functionality offered by a service from concrete details of a service description such as "how" and "where" that functionality is offered.

This specification defines a language for describing the abstract functionality of a service as well as a framework for describing the concrete details of a service description. It also defines criteria for a conformant processor of this language. The WSDL Version 2.0 Part 2: Message Exchange Patterns specification [WSDL 2.0 Message Exchange Patterns] defines the sequence and cardinality of abstract messages sent or received by an operation. The WSDL Version 2.0 Part 3: Bindings specification [WSDL 2.0 Bindings] defines a language for describing such concrete details for SOAP 1.2 [SOAP 1.2 Part 1: Messaging Framework], HTTP [IETF RFC 2616] and MIME [IETF RFC 2045].

1.1 Web Service

WSDL describes a Web service in two fundamental stages: one abstract and one concrete. Within each stage, the description uses a number of constructs to promote reusability of the description and separate independent design concerns.

At an abstract level, WSDL describes a Web service in terms of the messages it sends and receives; messages are described independent of a specific wire format using a type system, typically XML Schema.

An operation associates a message exchange pattern with one or more messages. A message exchange pattern identifies the sequence and cardinality of messages sent and/or received as well as who they are logically sent to and/or received from. An interface groups together operations without any commitment to transport or wire format.

At a concrete level, a binding specifies transport and wire format details for one or more interfaces. An endpoint associates a network address with a binding. And finally, a service groups together endpoints that implement a common interface.

1.2 Notational Conventions

The keywords "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [IETF RFC 2119].

This specification uses properties from the XML Information Set [XML Information Set]. Such properties are denoted by square brackets, e.g. [namespace name].

This specification uses namespace prefixes throughout; they are listed in Table 1-1. Note that the choice of any namespace prefix is arbitrary and not semantically significant (see [XML Information Set]).


Table 1-1. Prefixes and Namespaces used in this specification
Prefix Namespace Notes
wsdl "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl" A normative XML Schema [XML Schema: Structures], [XML Schema: Datatypes] document for the "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl" namespace can be found at http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl. WSDL documents that do NOT conform to this schema are not valid WSDL documents. WSDL documents that DO conform to this schema and also conform to the other constraints defined in this specification are valid WSDL documents.
wsdli "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl-instance" A normative XML Schema [XML Schema: Structures], [XML Schema: Datatypes] document for the "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl-instance" namespace can be found at http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl-instance.
wrpc "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl/rpc" A normative XML Schema [XML Schema: Structures], [XML Schema: Datatypes] document for the "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl/rpc" namespace can be found at http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl/rpc. WSDL documents that do NOT conform to this schema are not valid WSDL documents. WSDL documents that DO conform to this schema and also conform to the other constraints defined in this specification are valid WSDL documents.
wsoap12 "http://www.w3.org/2003/11/wsdl/soap12" Defined by WSDL 2.0: Bindings [WSDL 2.0 Bindings].
whttp "http://www.w3.org/2003/11/wsdl/http"
xs "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" Defined in the W3C XML Schema specification [XML Schema: Structures], [XML Schema: Datatypes].
xsi "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"

Namespace names of the general form "http://example.org/..." and "http://example.com/..." represent application or context-dependent URIs [IETF RFC 2396].

All parts of this specification are normative, with the EXCEPTION of notes, pseudo-schemas, examples, and sections explicitly marked as "Non-Normative". Pseudo-schemas are provided for each component, before the description of the component.

2. Component Model

This section describes the conceptual model for WSDL as a set of components with properties, each aspect of a Web service that WSDL can describe having its own property. In addition an XML Infoset representation for these components is provided, along with a mapping from that representation to the various component properties. How the XML Infoset representation of a given set of WSDL components is constructed is outside the scope of this specification.

2.1 Definitions

2.1.1 The Definitions Component

At the abstract level, the Definitions component is just a container for two categories of components; WSDL components and type system components.

WSDL components are interfaces, bindings and services.

Type system components are element declarations drawn from some type system. They define the [local name], [namespace name], [children] and [attributes] properties of an element information item.

The properties of the Definitions component are as follows:

  • {interfaces} A set of named interface definitions

  • {bindings} A set of named binding definitions

  • {services} A set of named service definitions

  • {element declarations} A set of named element declarations, each one isomorphic to a global element declaration as defined by XML Schema

The set of interfaces/binding/services/etc. available in the Definitions component include those that are defined within the component itself and those that are imported and/or included. Note that at the component model level, there is no distinction between directly defined components vs. imported/included components.

The components directly defined within a single Definitions component are said to belong to the same target namespace. The target namespace therefore groups a set of related component definitions and represents an unambiguous name for the intended semantics of the components. The target namespace URI SHOULD point to a human or machine processable document that directly or indirectly defines the intended semantics of those components.

Note that it is RECOMMENDED that the value of the targetNamespace attribute information item SHOULD be a dereferencible URI and that it resolve to a WSDL document which provides service description information for that namespace.

If a service description is split into multiple documents (which may be combined as needed via 4.1 Including Descriptions), then the targetNamespace attribute information item SHOULD resolve to a master document which includes all the WSDL documents needed for that service description. This approach enables the WSDL component designators' fragment identifiers to be properly resolvable.

Imported components have different target namespace values from the Definitions component that is importing them. Thus importing is the mechanism to use components from one namespace in another set of definitions.

Each WSDL or type system component MUST be uniquely identified by its qualified name. That is, if two distinct components of the same kind (Interface, Binding etc.) are in the same target namespace, then their QNames MUST be unique. However, different kinds of components (e.g., an Interface component and a Binding component) MAY have the same QName. Thus, QNames of components must be unique within the space of those components in a given target namespace.

In addition to WSDL components and type system components, additional extension components MAY be added via extensibility 6. Language Extensibility. Further, additional properties to WSDL and type system components MAY also be added via extensibility.

2.1.2 XML Representation of Definitions Component

<definitions
      targetNamespace="xs:anyURI" >
  <documentation />?
  [ <import /> | <include /> ]*
  <types />?
  [ <interface /> | <binding /> | <service /> ]*
</definitions>

WSDL definitions are represented in XML by one or more WSDL Information Sets (Infosets), that is one or more definitions element information items. A WSDL Infoset contains representations for a collection of WSDL components which share a common target namespace. A WSDL Infoset which contains one or more import element information items 4.2 Importing Descriptions corresponds to a collection with components drawn from multiple target namespaces.

The targetNamespace URI MUST be an absolute URI (see [IETF RFC 2396]).

The definitions element information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of definitions .

  • A [namespace name] of "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl".

  • One or more attribute information items amongst its [attributes] as follows:

    • A REQUIRED targetNamespace attribute information item as described below in 2.1.2.1 targetNamespace attribute information item.

    • Zero or more namespace qualified attribute information items. The [namespace name] of such attribute information items MUST NOT be "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl".

  • Zero or more element information items amongst its [children], in order as follows:

    1. An OPTIONAL documentation element information item (see 5. Documentation).

    2. Zero or more element information items from among the following, in any order:

      • Zero or more include element information items (see 4.1 Including Descriptions)

      • Zero or more import element information items (see 4.2 Importing Descriptions)

      • Zero or more namespace-qualified element information items. The [namespace name] of such element information items MUST NOT be "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl".

    3. An OPTIONAL types element information item (see 3. Types).

    4. Zero or more element information items from among the following, in any order:

2.1.2.1 targetNamespace attribute information item

The targetNamespace attribute information item defines the namespace affiliation of top-level components defined in this definitions element information item. Interfaces, Bindings and Services are top-level components.

The targetNamespace attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of targetNamespace

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the targetNamespace attribute information item is xs:anyURI.

2.1.3 Mapping Definitions' XML Representation to Component Properties

The mapping between the properties of the Definitions component (see 2.1.1 The Definitions Component) and the XML Representation of the definitions element information item (see 2.1.2 XML Representation of Definitions Component) is described in Table 2-1.


Table 2-1. Mapping between Definitions Component Properties and XML Representation
Property Mapping
{interfaces} The interface definitions corresponding to all the interface element information items in the [children] of the definitions element information item, if any, plus any included or imported interface definitions (see 4. Modularizing WSDL descriptions).
{bindings} The binding definitions corresponding to all the binding element information items in the [children] of the definitions element information item, if any, plus any included or imported binding definitions (see 4. Modularizing WSDL descriptions).
{services} The service definitions corresponding to all the service element information items in the [children] of the definitions element information item, if any, plus any included or imported service definitions (see 4. Modularizing WSDL descriptions).
{element declarations} The element declaration components corresponding to all the element declarations defined as descendants of the types element information item, if any, plus any imported element definitions. At a minimum this will include all the global element declarations defined by XML Schema element element information items. It MAY also include any definition from some other type system which describes the [local name], [namespace name], [attributes] and [children] properties of an element information item.

2.2 Interface

2.2.1 The Interface Component

An Interface component describes sequences of messages that a service sends and/or receives. It does this by grouping related messages into operations. An operation is a sequence of input and output messages, an interface is a set of operations.

An interface can optionally extend one or more other interfaces. In such cases the interface contains the operations of the interfaces it extends, along with any operations it defines. The interfaces a given interface extends MUST NOT themselves extend that interface either directly or indirectly.

Interfaces are named constructs and can be referred to by QName (see 2.17 QName resolution). For instance, Binding components refer to interfaces in this way.

The properties of the Interface component are as follows:

  • {name} An NCName as defined by [XML Namespaces].

  • {target namespace} A namespace name, as defined in [XML Namespaces].

  • {extended interfaces} A set of named interface definitions which this interface extends.

  • {faults} A set of named interface fault definitions.

  • {operations} A set of named interface operation definitions.

  • {features} A set of named feature definitions.

  • {properties} A set of named property definitions.

For each Interface component in the {interfaces} property of a definitions container, the combination of {name} and {target namespace} properties MUST be unique.

2.2.2 XML Representation of Interface Component

<definitions>
  <interface
        name="xs:NCName" 
        extends="list of xs:QName"?
        styleDefault="xs:anyURI"? >
    <documentation />?
    [ <fault /> | <operation /> | <feature /> | <property /> ]*
  </interface>
</definitions>

The XML representation for an Interface component is an element information item with the following Infoset properties:

2.2.2.1 name attribute information item with interface [owner]

The name attribute information item together with the targetNamespace attribute information item of the [parent] definitions element information item forms the QName of the interface.

The name attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of name

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the name attribute information item is xs:NCName.

2.2.2.2 extends attribute information item

The extends attribute information item lists the interfaces that this interface derives from.

The extends attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of extends

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the extends attribute information item is a list of xs:QName.

2.2.2.3 styleDefault attribute information item

The styleDefault attribute information item indicates the default style used to construct the {element} properties of {message references} of all operations contained within the [owner] interface .

The styleDefault attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of styleDefault.

  • A [namespace name] which has no value.

The type of the styleDefault attribute information item is xs:anyURI. Moreover, the value of the styleDefault attribute information item, if present, MUST be an absolute URI (see [IETF RFC 2396]).

2.2.3 Mapping Interface's XML Representation to Component Properties

The mapping between the properties of the Interface component (see 2.2.1 The Interface Component) and the XML Representation of the interface element information item (see 2.2.2 XML Representation of Interface Component) is as described in Table 2-2.


Table 2-2. Mapping between Interface Component Properties and XML Representation
Property Mapping
{name} The actual value of the name attribute information item
{target namespace} The actual value of the targetNamespace attribute information item of the [parent] definitions element information item
{extended interfaces} The set of interface definitions resolved to by the values in the extends attribute information item if any, plus the set of interface definitions in the {extended interfaces} property of those interface definitions, otherwise empty.
{faults} The set of interface fault definitions corresponding to the fault element information items in [children], if any, plus the set of interface fault definitions in the {faults} property of the interface definitions in {extended interfaces}, if any.
{operations} The set of interface operation definitions corresponding to the operation element information items in [children], if any, plus the set of interface operation definitions in the {operations} property of the interface definitions in {extended interfaces}, if any.
{features} The set of feature definitions corresponding to the feature element information items in [children], if any, plus the set of feature definitions in the {features} property of the feature definitions in {extended interfaces}, if any.
{properties} The set of property definitions corresponding to the property element information items in [children], if any, plus the set of property definitions in the {properties} property of the property definitions in {extended interfaces}, if any.

Note that, per 2.2.1 The Interface Component, the Interface components in the {extended interfaces} property of a given Interface component MUST NOT contain that Interface component in any of their {extended interfaces} properties, that is to say, recursive extension of interfaces is disallowed.

2.3 Interface Fault

2.3.1 The Interface Fault Component

An Interface Fault component describes a fault that MAY be occur during execution of an operation of the interface. The Interface Fault component declares a fault by naming it and indicating the content or payload of the fault message. When and how the fault message flows is indicated by the Interface Operation component 2.4 Interface Operation.

The reason the Interface Fault component is a property of the Interface component is because that provides a convenient mechanism to declare a set of fault message types and then indicate which operations use those types, thus allowing one to easily indicate that the same fault message type can occur in multiple operations.

The properties of the Interface Fault component are as follows:

  • {name} An NCName as defined by [XML Namespaces].

  • {element} A reference to an XML element declaration in the {element declarations} property of 2.1.1 The Definitions Component. This element represents the content or "payload" of the fault.

If a non-XML type system is in use (as considered in 3.2 Using Other Schema Languages) then additional properties would need to be added to the Fault Component (along with extensibility attributes to its XML representation) to allow associating such message types with the message reference.

For each Interface Fault component in the {faults} property of an Interface component, the combination of {name} and {target namespace} properties must be unique.

Interface Fault components are local to Interface components; they cannot be referred to by QName, despite having both {name} and {target namespace} properties. That is, two Interface components sharing the same {target namespace} property but with different {name} properties MAY contain Interface Fault components which share the same {name} property. Thus, the {name} and {target namespace} properties of the Interface Fault components are not sufficient to form the unique identity of an Interface Fault component. To uniquely identify an Interface Fault component one must first identify the Interface component (by QName) and then identify the Interface Fault within that Interface component (by a further QName).

In cases where, due to an interface extending one or more other interfaces, two or more Interface Faults components have the same value for their {name} and {target namespace} properties, then the component models of those Interface Fault components MUST be equivalent (see 2.15 Equivalence of Components). If the Interface Fault components are equivalent then they are considered to collapse into a single component. It is an error if two Interface Fault components have the same value for their {name} and {target namespace} properties but are not equivalent.

Note that, due to the above rules, if two interfaces that have the same value for their {target namespace} property also have one or more faults that have the same value for their {name} property then those two interfaces cannot both form part of the derivation chain of a derived interface unless those faults are the same fault.

Note:

For the above reason, it is considered good practice to ensure, where necessary, that the {name} property of Interface Fault components within a namespace are unique, thus allowing such derivation to occur without inadvertent error.

2.3.2 XML Representation of Interface Fault Component

<definitions>
  <interface>
    <fault
          name="xs:NCName" 
          element="xs:QName"? >
      <documentation />?
    </fault>
  </interface>
</definitions>

The XML representation for an Interface Fault component is an element information item with the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of fault

  • A [namespace name] of "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl"

  • Two or more attribute information items amongst its [attributes] as follows:

  • Zero or more element information item amongst its [children], in order, as follows:

    1. An OPTIONAL documentation element information item (see 5. Documentation).

    2. Zero or more namespace-qualified element information items amongst its [children]. The [namespace name] of such element information items MUST NOT be "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl".

2.3.2.1 name attribute information item with fault [owner]

The name attribute information item identifies a given fault element information item inside a given interface element information item.

The name attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of name

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the name attribute information item is xs:NCName.

2.3.2.2 element attribute information item with fault [owner]

The element attribute information item refers, by QName, to an element declaration component.

The element attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of element .

  • A [namespace name] which has no value.

The type of the element attribute information item is xs:QName.

2.3.3 Mapping Interface Fault's XML Representation to Component Properties

The mapping between the properties of the Interface Fault component (see 2.3.1 The Interface Fault Component) and the XML Representation of the fault element information item (see 2.3.2 XML Representation of Interface Fault Component) is as described in Table 2-3.


Table 2-3. Mapping between Interface Fault Component Properties and XML Representation
Property Mapping
{name} The actual value of the name attribute information item.
{target namespace} The actual value of the targetNamespace attribute information item of the [parent] definitions element information item of the [parent] interface element information item.
{element} The element declaration from the {element declarations} property of 2.1.1 The Definitions Component resolved to by the value of the element attribute information item if present, otherwise empty. It is an error for the element attribute information item to have a value and for it to not resolve to a global element declaration from the {element declarations} property of 2.1.1 The Definitions Component.

2.4 Interface Operation

2.4.1 The Interface Operation Component

An Interface Operation component describes an operation that a given interface supports. An operation is an interaction with the service consisting of a set (ordinary and fault) messages exchanged between the service and the other roles involved in the interaction, in particular the service requestor. The sequencing and cardinality of the messages involved in a particular interaction is governed by the message exchange pattern used by the operation (see {message exchange pattern} property).

A message exchange pattern defines placeholders for messages, the participants in the pattern (i.e., the sources and sinks of the messages), and the cardinality and sequencing of messages exchanged by the participants. The message placeholders are associated with specific message types by the operation that uses the pattern by means of message and fault references (see {message references} and {fault references} properties). The service whose operation is using the pattern becomes one of the participants of the pattern. This specification does not define a machine understandable language for defining message exchange patterns, nor does it define any specific patterns. The companion specification, [WSDL 2.0 Message Exchange Patterns] defines a set of such patterns and defines identifying URIs any of which MAY be used as the value of the {message exchange pattern} property.

The properties of the Interface Operation component are as follows:

  • {name} An NCName as defined by [XML Namespaces].

  • {target namespace} A namespace name, as defined in [XML Namespaces].

  • {message exchange pattern} A URI identifying the message exchange pattern used by the operation. This URI MUST be an absolute URI (see [IETF RFC 2396]).

  • {message references} A set of Message Reference components for the ordinary messages the operation accepts or sends. (See 2.5 Message Reference.)

  • {fault references} A set of Fault Reference components for the fault messages the operation accepts or sends. (See 2.6 Fault Reference.)

  • {style} A URI identifying the rules that were used to construct the {element} properties of {message references}. (See 2.4.1.1 Operation Style.) This URI MUST be an absolute URI (see [IETF RFC 2396]).

  • {safety} A boolean indicating whether the operation is asserted to be safe (as defined in Section 3.5 of [Web Architecture]) for users of the described service to invoke. If this property is false or is not set, then no assertion has been made about the safety of the operation, thus the operation MAY or MAY NOT be safe. However, an operation SHOULD be marked safe if it meets the criteria for a safe interaction defined in Section 3.5 of [Web Architecture]. The default value of this property is false.

  • {features} A set of named feature definitions used by the operation

  • {properties} A set of named property definitions used by the operation

For each Interface Operation component in the {operations} property of an Interface component, the combination of {name} and {target namespace} properties MUST be unique.

Interface Operation components are local to Interface components; they cannot be referred to by QName, despite having both {name} and {target namespace} properties. That is, two Interface components sharing the same {target namespace} property but with different {name} properties MAY contain Interface Operation components which share the same {name} property. Thus, the {name} and {target namespace} properties of the Interface Operation components are not sufficient to uniquely identify an Interface Operation component. In order to uniquely identify an Interface Operation component, one must first identify the Interface component (by QName) and then identify the Interface Operation within that Interface component (by a further QName).

In cases where, due to an interface extending one or more other interfaces, two or more Interface Operation components have the same value for their {name} and {target namespace} properties, then the component models of those Interface Operation components MUST be equivalent (see 2.15 Equivalence of Components). If the Interface Operation components are equivalent then they are considered to collapse into a single component. It is an error if two Interface Operation components have the same value for their {name} and {target namespace} properties but are not equivalent.

Note that, due to the above rules, if two interfaces that have the same value for their {target namespace} property also have one or more operations that have the same value for their {name} property then those two interfaces cannot both form part of the derivation chain of a derived interface unless those operations are the same operation.

Note:

For the above reason, it is considered good practice to ensure, where necessary, that the {name} property of Interface Operation components within a namespace are unique, thus allowing such derivation to occur without inadvertent error.

2.4.1.1 Operation Style

If the {style} property of an Interface Operation component has a value then that value (a URI) implies the rules that were used to define the {element} properties (or other property which defines the content of the message properties; see 3.2 Using Other Schema Languages) of all the Message Reference components which are members of the {message references} property of that component. Note that the property MAY not have any value. If this property has a given value, then the rules implied by that value (such as rules that govern the schemas) MUST be followed or it is an error.

This specification defines the following pre-defined operation style:

2.4.2 XML Representation of Interface Operation Component

<definitions>
  <interface>
    <operation
          name="xs:NCName" 
          pattern="xs:anyURI"
          style="xs:anyURI"? 
          safe="xs:boolean"? >
      <documentation />?
      [ <feature /> | <property /> | 
        [ <input /> | <output /> | <infault /> | <outfault /> ]+
      ]*
    </operation>
  </interface>
</definitions>

The XML representation for an Interface Operation component is an element information item with the following Infoset properties:

2.4.2.1 name attribute information item with operation [owner]

The name attribute information item identifies a given operation element information item inside a given interface element information item.

The name attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of name

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the name attribute information item is xs:NCName.

2.4.2.2 pattern attribute information item with operation [owner]

The pattern attribute information item identifies the message exchange pattern a given operation uses.

The pattern attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of pattern

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the pattern attribute information item is xs:anyURI.

2.4.2.3 style attribute information item with operation [owner]

The style attribute information item indicates the rules that were used to construct the {element} properties of the Message Reference components which are members of the {message references} property of the [owner] operation.

The style attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of style

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the style attribute information item is xs:anyURI.

2.4.2.4 safe attribute information item with operation [owner]

The safe attribute information item indicates whether the operation is safe or not.

The safe attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of safe

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the safe attribute information item is xs:boolean and does not have a default value.

2.4.3 Mapping Interface Operation's XML Representation to Component Properties

The mapping between the properties of the Interface Operation component (see 2.4.1 The Interface Operation Component) and the XML Representation of the operation element information item (see 2.4.2 XML Representation of Interface Operation Component) is as described in Table 2-4.


Table 2-4. Mapping between Interface Operation Component Properties and XML Representation
Property Mapping
{name} The actual value of the name attribute information item
{target namespace} The actual value of the targetNamespace attribute information item of the [parent] definitions element information item of the [parent] interface element information item.
{message exchange pattern} The actual value of the pattern attribute information item
{message references} The set of message references corresponding to the input and output element information items in [children], if any.
{fault references} The set of fault references corresponding to the infault and outfault element information items in [children], if any.
{style} The actual value of the style attribute information item if present, otherwise the actual value of the styleDefault attribute information item of the [parent] interface element information item if present, otherwise none.
{safety} The actual value of the safe attribute information item if present, otherwise the value false.
{features} The set of features corresponding to the feature element information items in [children], if any.
{properties} The set of properties corresponding to the property element information items in [children], if any.

2.4.4 RPC Style

The RPC style is selected by assigning to an Interface Operation component's {style} property the value http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl/style/rpc.

The RPC style MUST NOT be used for Interface Operation components whose {message exchange pattern} property has a value other than 'http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl/in-only' or 'http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl/in-out'.

Use of this value indicates that XML Schema [XML Schema: Structures] was used to define the schemas of the {element} properties of all {message reference} components of the Interface Operation component. Those schemas MUST adhere to the rules below.

Note that if the Interface Operation component uses the {message exchange pattern} 'http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl/in-only' then there is no output element and hence the rules which refer to the output element do not apply.

  • The content model of input and output {element} elements are defined using a complex type that contains a sequence from XML Schema.

  • The sequence MUST only contain elements. It MUST NOT contain other structures such as xs:choice.

  • The sequence MUST contain only local element children. Note that these child elements MAY contain the following attributes: nillable, minOccurs and maxOccurs.

  • The LocalPart of input element's QName MUST be the same as the Interface operation component's name.

  • The LocalPart of the output element's QName is obtained by concatenating the name of the operation and the string value "Response", i.e. concat(operation/@name,"Response").

  • Input and output elements MUST both be in the same namespace.

  • The complex type that defines the body of an input or an output element MUST NOT contain any attributes.

  • If elements with the same qualified name appear as children of both the input and output elements, then they MUST both be declared using the same type.

  • The input or output sequence MUST NOT contain multiple children elements declared with the same name.

2.4.4.1 wrpc:signature Extension

The wrpc:signature extension AII MAY be be used in conjunction with the RPC style to describe the exact signature of the function represented by an operation that uses the RPC style.

When present, the wrpc:signature extension contributes the following property to the interface operation component it is applied to:

  • {rpc-signature} A (possibly empty) list of pairs (q, t) whose first component is of type xs:QName (as defined by [XML Namespaces]) and whose second component is of type xs:Token (as defined by [XML Namespaces]). Values for the second component MUST be chosen among the following four: "#in", "#out", "#inout" "#return".

The value of the {rpc-signature} property MUST satisfy the following conditions:

  • The value of the first component of each pair (q, t) MUST be unique within the list.

  • For each child element of the input and output messages of the operation, a pair (q, t) whose first component q is equal to the qualified name of that element MUST be present in the list, with the caveat that elements that appear with cardinality greater than one MUST be treated as as a single element.

  • For each pair (q, #in), there MUST be a child element of the input element with a name of q and there MUST NOT be a child element of the output element with the same name.

  • For each pair (q, #out), there MUST be a child element of the output element with a name of q and there MUST NOT be a child element of the input element with the same name.

  • For each pair (q, #inout), there MUST be a child element of the input element with a name of q and there MUST be a child element of the output element with the same name. Furthermore, those two elements MUST have the same type.

  • For each pair (q, #return), there MUST be a child element of the output element with a name of q and there MUST NOT be a child element of the input element with the same name.

The function signature defined by a wrpc:signature extension is determined as follows:

  1. Start with the value of the {rpc-signature} property, a (possibly empty) list of pairs of this form:

        [(q0, t0), (q1, t1), ...]

  2. Filter the elements of this list into two lists, the first one (L1) comprising pairs whose t component is one of {#in, #out, #inout}, the second (L2) pairs whose t component is #return.

    For ease of visualization, let's denote the two lists as

        (L1)    [(a0, u0), (a1, u1),...]

    and

        (L2)    [(r0, #return), (r1, #return),...]

    respectively.

  3. Then the formal signature of the function is

        f([d0] a0, [d1] a1, ...) => (r0, r1, ...)

    i.e.

    • the list of formal arguments to the function is [a0, a1, ...];

    • the direction of each formal argument a is one of [in], [out], [inout], determined according to the value of its corresponding u token;

    • the list of formal return parameters of the function is [r0, r1, ...];

    • each formal argument and formal return parameter is typed according to the type of the child element identified by it (unique per the conditions given above).




2.4.4.2 XML Representation of the wrpc:signature Extension

The XML representation for the RPC signature extension is an attribute information item with the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of signature

  • A [namespace name] of "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl/rpc"

The type of the name attribute information item is a list type whose item type is the union of the xs:QName type and the subtype of the xs:Token type restricted to the following four values: "#in", "#out", "#inout", "#return". See Example 2-1 for a definition of this type.

Additionally, each even-numbered item (0, 2, 4, ...) in the list MUST be of type xs:QName and each odd-numbered item (1, 3, 5, ...) in the list MUST be of type xs:Token.

Example 2-1. Definition of the wrpc:signature extension

<xs:attribute name="signature" type="wrpc:signatureType"/>

<xs:simpleType name="signatureType">
  <xs:list itemType="wrpc:signatureItemType"/>
</xs:simpleType>

<xs:simpleType name="signatureItemType">
  <xs:union memberTypes="wrpc:directionToken xsd:QName"/>
</xs:simpleType>

<xs:simpleType name="directionToken">
  <xs:restriction base="xs:token">
    <xs:enumeration value="#in"/>
    <xs:enumeration value="#out"/>
    <xs:enumeration value="#inout"/>
    <xs:enumeration value="#return"/>
  </xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
          
           

2.4.4.3 wrpc:signature Extension Mapping To Properties of an Interface Operation Component

A wrpc:signature extension attribute information item is mapped to the following property of the Interface Operation component (see 2.4.1 The Interface Operation Component) defined by its [owner].


Table 2-5. Mapping of a wrpc:signature Extension to Interface Operation Component Properties
Property Mapping
{rpc-signature} A list of (xs:QName, xs:Token) pairs formed by grouping the items present in the actual value of the wrpc:signature attribute information item in the order in which they appear there.

2.5 Message Reference

2.5.1 The Message Reference Component

A Message Reference component associates to a message exchanged in an operation an XML element declaration that specifies its message content.

Message Reference components are identified by the role the message plays in the {message exchange pattern} that the operation is using. That is, a message exchange pattern defines a set /meof placeholder messages that participate in the pattern and assigns them unique names within the pattern. The purpose of a Message Reference component is to associate an actual message type (XML element declaration or some other declaration (see 3.2 Using Other Schema Languages) for message content) with the message that will perform a specific role in the message exchange pattern.

The properties of the Message Reference component are as follows:

  • {message label} An NCName as defined by [XML Namespaces]. This property identifies the role this message plays in the {message exchange pattern} of the Interface Operation component this is contained within. The value of this property MUST match the name of a placeholder message defined by the message exchange pattern.

  • {direction} One of in or out indicating whether the message is coming to the service or going from the service, respectively. The direction MUST be the same as the direction of the message identified by the {message label} property in the {message exchange pattern} of the Interface Operation component this is contained within.

  • {message content model} A token with one of the values #any, #none, or #element. A value of #any indicates that the message content is any single element. A value of #none indicates there is no message content. A value of #element indicates that the message consists of a single element described by the global element declaration reference by the {element} property.

  • {element} A reference to an XML element declaration in the {element declarations} property of 2.1.1 The Definitions Component. This element represents the content or "payload" of the message. When the {message content model} property has the value #any or #none the {element} property has no value.

If a non-XML type system is in use (as considered in 3.2 Using Other Schema Languages) then additional properties would need to be added to the Message Reference Component (along with extensibility attributes to its XML representation) to allow associating such message types with the message reference.

For each Message Reference component in the {message references} property of an Interface Operation component, its {message label} property MUST be unique.

2.5.2 XML Representation of Message Reference Component

<definitions>
  <interface>
    <operation>
      <input
            messageLabel="xs:NCName"?
            element="union of xs:QName, xs:Token"? >
        <documentation />?
      </input>
      <output
            messageLabel="xs:NCName"?
            element="union of xs:QName, xs:Token"? >
        <documentation />?
      </output>
    </operation>
  </interface>
</definitions>

The XML representation for a Message Reference component is an element information item with the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of input or output

  • A [namespace name] of "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl"

  • Zero or more attribute information items amongst its [attributes] as follows:

  • Zero or more element information items amongst its [children], in order, as follows:

    1. An OPTIONAL documentation element information item (see 5. Documentation).

    2. Zero or more namespace-qualified element information items. The [namespace name] of such element information items MUST NOT be "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl".

2.5.2.1 messageLabel attribute information item with input , or output [owner]

The messageLabel attribute information item identifies the role of this message in the message exchange pattern of the given operation element information item.

The messageLabel attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of messageLabel

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the messageLabel attribute information item is xs:NCName.

2.5.2.2 element attribute information item with input , or output [owner]

The element attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of element .

  • A [namespace name] which has no value.

The type of the element attribute information item is a union of xs:QName and xs:Token where the allowed token values are #any or #none.

2.5.3 Mapping Message Reference's XML Representation to Component Properties

The mapping between the properties of the Message Reference component (see 2.5.1 The Message Reference Component) and the XML Representation of the message reference element information item (see 2.5.2 XML Representation of Message Reference Component) is as described in Table 2-6.


Table 2-6. Mapping between Message Reference Component Properties and XML Representation
Property Mapping
{message label} The actual value of the messageLabel attribute information item if any; otherwise the {message label} property of the message with same {direction} from the {message exchange pattern} of the Interface Operation component, provided there is exactly one such message; otherwise empty.
{direction} If the [local name] of the element information item is input then "in", else if the [local name] of the element information item is output then "out".
{message content model} If the element attribute information item is present and its value is a QName, then #element. Otherwise the actual value of the element attribute information item, if any.
{element} If the element attribute information item is present and its value is a QName, then the element declaration from the {element declarations} property of 2.1.1 The Definitions Component resolved to by the value of the element attribute information item, otherwise empty. It is an error for the element attribute information item to have a value and for it to not resolve to a global element declaration from the {element declarations} property of 2.1.1 The Definitions Component.

2.6 Fault Reference

2.6.1 The Fault Reference Component

A Fault Reference component associates a Fault component that defines the fault message type for a fault that occurs related to a message participating in an operation.

Fault Reference components are identified by the role the related message plays in the {message exchange pattern} that the operation is using. That is, a message exchange pattern defines a set of placeholder messages that participate in the pattern and assigns them unique labels within the pattern. The purpose of a Fault Reference component is to associate an actual Fault component for the fault that will occur with a specific message in the message exchange pattern.

The companion specification [WSDL 2.0 Message Exchange Patterns] defines two fault patterns that a given message exchange pattern may use. For the pattern fault-replaces-message, the message that the fault relates to identifies the message in place of which the declared fault message will occur. Thus, the fault message will travel in the same direction as the message it replaces in the pattern. For the pattern message-triggers-fault, the message that the fault relates to identifies the message after which the indicated fault may occur, in the opposite direction of the referred to message. That is, the fault message will travel in the opposite direction of the message it comes after in the pattern.

More than one Fault Reference component may refer to the same message label. This allows one to indicate that there is more than one type of fault that is related to that message.

The properties of the Fault Reference component are as follows:

  • {message label} An NCName as defined by [XML Namespaces]. This property identifies the message this fault relates to among those defined in the {message exchange pattern} property of the Interface Operation component it is contained within. The value of this property MUST match the name of a placeholder message defined by the message exchange pattern.

  • {direction} One of in or out indicating whether the fault is coming to the service or going from the service, respectively. The direction MUST be consistent with the direction implied by the fault rule used in the message exchange pattern of the operation. For example, if the fault rule fault-replaces-message is used, then a fault which refers to an outgoing message would have a {direction} property value of out. On the other hand, if the fault rule message-triggers-fault is used, then a fault which refers to an outgoing message would have a {direction} property value of in as the fault travels in the opposite direction of the message.

  • {fault reference} A reference to a Fault component in the {faults} property of the parent Interface Operation component's parent Interface component. Identifying the Fault component therefore indirectly defines the actual content or payload of the fault message.

2.6.2 XML Representation of Fault Reference Component

<definitions>
  <interface>
    <operation>
      <infault
            ref="xs:QName"
            messageLabel="xs:NCName"? >
        <documentation />?
      </infault>*
      <outfault
            ref="xs:QName"
            messageLabel="xs:NCName"? >
        <documentation />?
      </outfault>*
    </operation>
  </interface>
</definitions>

The XML representation for a Fault Reference component is an element information item with the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of infault or outfault

  • A [namespace name] of "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl"

  • One or more attribute information items amongst its [attributes] as follows:

    • A REQUIRED ref attribute information item as described below in 2.6.2.1 ref attribute information item with infault, or outfault [owner].

    • An OPTIONAL messageLabel attribute information item as described below in 2.6.2.2 messageLabel attribute information item with infault, or outfault [owner].

      If the {message exchange pattern} of the Interface Operation component has only one message with a given value for {direction}, the messageLabel attribute information item is optional for the XML representation of any Fault Reference component with the same value for {direction} (if the fault pattern of the {message exchange pattern} is fault-replaces-message) or of any Fault Reference component with the opposite value for {direction} (if the fault pattern is message-triggers-fault).

    • Zero or more namespace qualified attribute information items. The [namespace name] of such attribute information items MUST NOT be "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl".

  • Zero or more element information items amongst its [children], in order, as follows:

    1. An OPTIONAL documentation element information item (see 5. Documentation).

    2. Zero or more namespace-qualified element information items. The [namespace name] of such element information items MUST NOT be "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl".

2.6.2.1 ref attribute information item with infault , or outfault [owner]

The ref attribute information item refers to a fault component.

The ref attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of ref

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the fault attribute information item is xs:QName.

2.6.2.2 messageLabel attribute information item with infault , or outfault [owner]

The messageLabel attribute information item identifies the message in the message exchange pattern of the given operation element information item to which this fault is related to.

The messageLabel attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of messageLabel

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the messageLabel attribute information item is xs:NCName.

2.6.3 Mapping Fault Reference's XML Representation to Component Properties

The mapping between the properties of the Fault Reference component (see 2.6.1 The Fault Reference Component) and the XML Representation of the message reference element information item (see 2.6.2 XML Representation of Fault Reference Component) is as described in Table 2-7.


Table 2-7. Mapping between Fault Reference Component Properties and XML Representation
Property Mapping
{fault reference} The actual value of the ref attribute information item
{message label} The actual value of the messageLabel attribute information item if any; otherwise the {message label} property of the message with the same {direction} from the {message exchange pattern} of the Interface Operation component, provided there is exactly one such message and the fault pattern of the {message exchange pattern} is fault-replaces-message; otherwise the {message reference} property of the message with the opposite {direction}, provided there is exactly one such message and the fault pattern is message-triggers-fault; otherwise empty.
{direction} If the [local name] of the element information item is infault then "in", else if the [local name] of the element information item is outfault then "out".

2.7 Feature

2.7.1 The Feature Component

A feature component describes an abstract piece of functionality typically associated with the exchange of messages between communicating parties. Although WSDL poses no constraints on the potential scope of such features, examples might include "reliability", "security", "correlation", and "routing". The presence of a feature component in a WSDL description indicates that the service supports the feature and may require a requester agent that interacts with the service to use that feature. Each Feature is identified by its URI.

The properties of the Feature component are as follows:

  • {name} An absolute URI as defined by [IETF RFC 2396]. This URI SHOULD be dereferenceable to a document that directly or indirectly defines the meaning and use of the Feature that it identifies.

  • {required} A boolean value. If the {require} property is true, then the requester agent MUST use the Feature that is identified by the {name} URI. Otherwise, the requester agent MAY use the Feature that is identified by the {name} URI. In either case, if the requester agent does use the Feature that is identified by the {name} URI, then the requester agent MUST obey all semantics implied by the definition of that Feature.

2.7.1.1 Feature Composition Model

The set of features which are required or available for a given service and a particular interaction consists of the combined set of ALL feature declarations in the following scope. The list is in order of increasing specificity.

  • The interface component.

  • The specific interface operation component.

  • The specific message reference component.

  • The binding component.

  • The specific binding operation component.

  • The specific binding message or fault reference component.

Note that multiple declarations of the same feature have no effect on the combined set of active features, since features are either in use or not, with no multiplicity. If multiple declarations of the same feature are in scope for a given interaction, the feature is required if ANY of the in scope declarations have the required attribute set to "true".

2.7.1.1.1 Example of Feature Composition Model

In the following example, the depositFunds operation on the BankService has to be used with the ISO9001 , the notarization and the secure-channel features; they are all in scope. The fact that the notarization feature is declared both in the operation and in the service has no effect.

<definitions targetNamespace="http://example.com/bank"
     xmlns:ns1="http://example.com/bank">
  <interface name="ns1:Bank">
    <!-- All uses of this interface must be secure -->
    <feature uri="http://example.com/secure-channel"
             required="true"/>
    <operation name="withdrawFunds">
      <!-- This operation must have ACID properties -->
      <feature uri="http://example.com/transaction"
               required="true"/>
      ...
    </operation>
    <operation name="depositFunds">
      <!-- This operation requires notarization -->
      <feature uri="http://example.com/notarization"
               required="true"/>
      ...
    </operation>
  </interface>
  <binding name="ns1:BankSOAPBinding">
  </binding>
  <service name="ns1:BankService"
           interface="tns:Bank">
   <!-- This particular service requires ISO9001
        compliance to be verifiable -->
   <feature uri="http://example.com/ISO9001"
            required="true"/>
   <!-- This service also requires notarization -->
   <feature uri="http://example.com/notarization"
            required="true"/>
   <endpoint>
     ...
   </endpoint>
  </service>
</definitions>

2.7.2 XML Representation of Feature Component

<feature
      uri="xs:anyURI" 
      required="xs:boolean"? >
  <documentation />?
</feature>

The XML representation for a Feature component is an element information item with the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of feature

  • A [namespace name] of "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl"

  • One or more attribute information items amongst its [attributes] as follows:

  • Zero or more element information items amongst its [children], in order as follows:

    1. An OPTIONAL documentation element information item (see 5. Documentation).

    2. Zero or more namespace-qualified element information items. The [namespace name] of such element information items MUST NOT be "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl".

2.7.2.1 uri attribute information item with feature [owner]

The uri attribute information item specifies the URI of the feature.

The uri attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of uri

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the uri attribute information item is xs:anyURI .

2.7.2.2 required attribute information item with feature [owner]

The required attribute information item specifies whether the use of the feature is mandatory or optional.

The required attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of required

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the required attribute information item is xs:boolean .

2.7.3 Mapping Feature's XML Representation to Component Properties

The mapping between the properties of the Feature component (see 2.7.1 The Feature Component) and the XML Representation of the feature element information item (see 2.7.2 XML Representation of Feature Component) is as described in Table 2-8.


Table 2-8. Mapping between Feature Component Properties and XML Representation
Property Mapping
{name} The actual value of the uri attribute information item
{required} If the value of the required attribute information item is "true" or "1", then "true", otherwise "false".

2.8 Property

2.8.1 The Property Component

A Property component describes the set of possible values for a particular property. The permissible values are specified by references to a Schema description. A property is typically used to control a feature's behavior. Properties, and hence property values, can be shared amongst features.

The properties of the Property component are as follows:

  • {name} An absolute URI as defined by [IETF RFC 2396]. This URI SHOULD be dereferenceable to a document that directly or indirectly defines the meaning and use of the Property that it identifies.

  • {required} A boolean value. If the {required} property is true, then the requester agent MUST use the Property that is identified by the {name} URI. Otherwise, the requester agent MAY use the Property that is identified by the {name} URI. In either case, if the requester agent does use the Property that is identified by the {name} URI, then the requester agent MUST obey all semantics implied by the definition of that Property.

  • {value constraint} A type definition constraining the value of the property.

  • {value} The value of the property.

2.8.1.1 Property Composition Model

At runtime, the behaviour of features, (SOAP) modules and bindings may be affected by the values of in-scope properties. Properties combine into a virtual "execution context" which maps property names (URIs) to constraints. Each property URI MAY therefore be associated with AT MOST one property constraint for a given interaction.

The particular set of constraints for a given service and a particular interaction consists of the combined set of ALL constraints in the following scope. The list is in order of increasing specificity, and if a given property URI is constrained in a later scope, it overrides the earlier constraint.

  • The interface component.

  • The specific interface operation component.

  • The specific message reference component.

  • The binding component.

  • The specific binding operation component.

  • The specific binding message or fault reference component.

Note that, in the text above, "property constraint" (or, simply, "constraint") is used to mean EITHER a constraint inside a property component OR a value , since value may be considered a special case of constraint .

2.8.2 XML Representation of Property Component

<property
      uri="xs:anyURI" 
      required="xs:boolean"? >
  <documentation />?
  [ <value /> | <constraint /> ]
</property>

The XML representation for a Property component is an element information item with the following Infoset properties:

2.8.2.1 uri attribute information item with property [owner]

The uri attribute information item specifies the URI of the property. It has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of uri

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the uri attribute information item is xs:anyURI .

2.8.2.2 required attribute information item with feature [owner]

The required attribute information item specifies whether use of the property is mandatory or optional.

The required attribute information item has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of required

  • A [namespace name] which has no value

The type of the required attribute information item is xs:boolean .

2.8.2.3 value element information item with property [parent]
<property>
  <value>
    xs:anyType
  </value>
</property>

The value element information item specifies the value of the property. It has the following Infoset properties:

  • A [local name] of value

  • A [namespace name] of "http://www.w3.org/2004/03/wsdl"

The type of the value element information item is xs:anyType .

2.8.2.4 constraint element information item with property [parent]
<