Where do I put a cfc file that describes a complex structure for a web service?

[Guest]

Hi!

I'm trying to create a web service in ColdFusion 9 that returns a complex structure or has a complex argument.  I am placing the .cfc file that describes the structure in the same directory as the .cfc that is using the structure.  RIght now I'm just trying to get a wsdl.

I currently have two functions in my .cfc,  The first one returns a string.  The second one ideally returns an array of strings.  Saying returntype="string[]"  gives an error that ColdFusion could not parse string

So I tried making a defined type with the individual element being a string:

<cfcomponent>
    <cfproperty name="InfoSource" type="string">
<cfcomponent>

------------------------------------
My code that uses this cfc is:

<cfcomponent>
    <cffunction name="getzips" access="remote" returntype="string">
       <cfset #resultsCommaDelimtedZips# = "this is the result">
      <cfreturn CommaDelimitedZips>
    </cffunction>

    <cffunction name="getInfoSources" access="remote" returntype="InfoSources[]">
    </cffunction>
</cfcomponent>

The error that I get is:

AXIS error

Sorry, something seems to have gone wrong... here are the details:

Fault - Error attempting to create Java skeleton for CFC web service.; nested exception is:
      coldfusion.xml.rpc.CFCInvocationException: [coldfusion.compiler.ParseException : Invalid CFML construct found on line 3 at column 1.ColdFusion was looking at the following text:<p>&lt;</p><p>The CFML compiler was processing:<ul>&lt; marks the beginning of a ColdFusion tag.Did you mean LT or LTE?</ul>]

AxisFault
faultCode: {http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/}Server.generalException
faultSubcode:
faultString: Error attempting to create Java skeleton for CFC web service.; nested exception is:
      coldfusion.xml.rpc.CFCInvocationException: [coldfusion.compiler.ParseException : Invalid CFML construct found on line 3 at column 1.ColdFusion was looking at the following text:<p>&lt;</p><p>The CFML compiler was processing:<ul>&lt; marks the beginning of a ColdFusion tag.Did you mean LT or LTE?</ul>]
faultActor:
faultNode:
faultDetail:
      {http://xml.apache.org/axis/}hostname:ntc15

----------------------------
I have a similar problem if I use cfproperty:

<cfcomponent>
    <cfproperty name="approved" type="string">
    <cfproperty name="total_charged" type="string">
    <cfproperty name="charge_error" type="string">
    <cfproperty name="renewed_until" type="string">
    <cfproperty name="reason" type="string">
<cfcomponent>

http://livedocs.adobe.com/coldfusion/8/htmldocs/help.html?content=webservices_20.html says
Note: If the component files are not in a directory under your web root, you must create a web server mapping to the directory that contains them. You cannot use ColdFusion mappings to access web services.

So I tried putting the .cfc file in a directory beneath my wwwroot folder rather than in it.  That didn't help.

Any suggestions?  I feel like I've done exactly what all the documentation I can find tells me to do!

Thanks!

-- Mabel 🙂

[Dan_Bracuk]

Looking at this:

<cfcomponent>
    <cffunction name="getzips" access="remote" returntype="string">
       <cfset #resultsCommaDelimtedZips# = "this is the result">
      <cfreturn CommaDelimitedZips>
    </cffunction>

Right off the bat I see what are probably undefined variables in your cfset and cfreturn tags.

[Guest]

Hi Dan,

Yes that's true.  However, ColdFusion is pretty happy dealing with undefined variables in terms of not throwing errors when it encounters one.  (You may get a really crazy _result_!  So I don't think that has anything to do with why I could get a WSDL.  BKBK's code basically works and produces a WSDL, so I'm on the right track now.

Thanks!

-- Mabel 🙂

[BKBK]

1) Store the component

<cfcomponent>
    <cfproperty name="approved" type="string">
    <cfproperty name="total_charged" type="string">
    <cfproperty name="charge_error" type="string">
    <cfproperty name="renewed_until" type="string">
    <cfproperty name="reason" type="string">
</cfcomponent>

as Status.cfc

2) Use returntype="array" instead of returntype="InfoSources[]"

3) Define your webservice, say, TestService.cfc, like this:

<cfcomponent>
    <cffunction name="getzips" access="remote" returntype="string">
       <cfset resultsCommaDelimtedZips = "this is the result">
       <cfreturn resultsCommaDelimtedZips>
    </cffunction>

    <cffunction name="getInfoSources" access="remote" returntype="array">
        <cfset var infoSources = arraynew(1)>
    <cfset infoSources[1] = "a">
    <cfset infoSources[2] = "b">
    <cfset infoSources[3] = "c">
    <cfreturn infoSources>
    </cffunction>

    <cffunction name="echoStatus" access="remote" returnType="status" >
        <cfargument name="" type="status">
        <cfreturn arguments.inputStatus>
    </cffunction>
</cfcomponent>

[Guest]

Hi BKBK,

Thanks for that input.  We're working with another company that  is doing the front end and using the web service, so I have to have the  wsdl show the actual data type, not just "any", which is what using "array" does.

If I use your code (adding a name for the echoStatus argument), I get

<wsdl:part name="getInfoSourcesReturn" type="impl:ArrayOf_xsd_anyType"/>

How do I tell it an array of _strings_ specifically?

One other question - was that missing name supposed to be inputStatus?  (I was trying to figure out why returning an unnamed variable would work, and I think I just figured it out.)

Thanks!

-- Mabel 🙂

[BKBK]

One other question - was that missing name supposed to be inputStatus?

Yes, that was a typing mistake.

[BKBK · Accepted solution]

We're working with another company that  is doing the front end and using the web service, so I have to have the  wsdl show the actual data type, not just "any", which is what using "array" does.

If I use your code (adding a name for the echoStatus argument), I get

<wsdl:part name="getInfoSourcesReturn" type="impl:ArrayOf_xsd_anyType"/>

How do I tell it an array of _strings_ specifically?

ColdFusion is weakly-typed, so I wonder whether one can be so specific in the data type, without resorting to Java for example. But then again, you will soon run into all kinds of complications. A ColdFusion array and a java array are 2 entirely different things. Run the following code and you will see why

<cfset testArray = arrayNew(1)>
<cfoutput>#testArray.getClass().getName()#</cfoutput>

in any case, since strings are is a subset of the 'any' type, your service also covers the case where an array of strings is returned.

[Guest]

Hi BKBK,

Thanks for your answers!  I think I'm set for now.

-- Mabel 🙂