Advanced Programming of J2EE Web Services

Author: (USA) Richard Monson-Haefel / Cui Hongbin / Wang Aimin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Web services are transforming traditional business, enabling individual applications to communicate with each other and exchange business data. Currently, J2EE applications are widespread across the web service platform. However, how can users navigate this rapidly growing field? Author Richard Monson-Haefel provides authoritative guidance for Java developers who need to understand J2EE APIs used for web services and web service standards. The book comprehensively introduces how to develop and deploy web services using J2EE technology and elaborates on the standards published by the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I) to maximize interoperability. The authors also delve into advanced topics such as web service standards, J2EE 1.4 Web Services API, and components. Additionally, the appendix of this book offers extensive practical reference information, including XML regular expressions, Base64 encoding, DTD, SwA, RPC/Encoded SOAP communication, etc., to help developers gain a deeper understanding and mastery of J2EE technology, APIs, enterprise applications, and web-based application integration.
Web services are transforming traditional business, enabling individual applications to communicate with each other and exchange business data. Currently, J2EE applications are widespread across the web service platform. However, how can users navigate this rapidly growing field? Author Richard Monson-Haefel provides authoritative guidance for Java developers who need to understand J2EE APIs used for web services and web service standards. The book comprehensively introduces how to develop and deploy web services using J2EE technology and elaborates on the standards published by the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I) to maximize interoperability. The authors also delve into advanced topics such as web service standards, J2EE 1.4 Web Services API, and components. Additionally, the appendix of this book offers extensive practical reference information, including XML regular expressions, Base64 encoding, DTD, SwA, RPC/Encoded SOAP communication, etc., to help developers gain a deeper understanding and mastery of J2EE technology, APIs, enterprise applications, and web-based application integration.
[Preface] Preface
This book introduces various web service standards recognized by the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I), as these standards have been validated in production and are required by the J2EE web service platform. It also covers J2EE-specific web service APIs and components. In practice, the main web service standards (XML, SOAP, JAXP, and UDDI) and the J2EE Web Services API (JAX-RPC, SAAJ, JAXR, and JAXP) are highly complex, and readers will need to invest time in studying this book to master them. The book is written in an accessible manner and offers high reference value.
The importance of web services
An evolving technology has brought about significant changes in the media industry and ultimately made it widespread. The World Wide Web, Java technology, and XML seem to be everywhere, with these technologies being rapidly adopted and now serving as the primary technologies for enterprise computing. Web services first appeared in 2000 and are also an evolving technology. Web services emerged alongside the massive expansion of the media industry but have now been recognized in business activities and are being widely adopted by developers. If readers have not yet engaged with web services before 2003, there is no need to worry, as they have not missed too many opportunities. The first two years of web service development should be considered a trial period. During this time, the web service community defined rich specifications, and numerous practical issues were discovered when applying these specifications. However, 2003 marked the beginning of rapid growth for web services. If readers have only been on the sidelines of the web service trend, they may have missed out on the opportunity. Readers should position themselves as pioneers of new technologies and immerse themselves in the major revolution in the history of distributed computing.
Prerequisites for learning this book
This book is intended for Java developers who wish to learn about web services and the related APIs defined by J2EE. It is more of a reference book, but many chapters are written in a tutorial style. The primary goal of this book is to introduce J2EE web services. Readers should have experience with the Java programming language when studying this book. If readers lack this experience, they may find it challenging to understand the content after Chapter 9. Additionally, readers should have a basic understanding of the J2EE platform. This book only covers the web service functionality of J2EE and does not delve into other J2EE APIs or technologies. Readers do not need prior knowledge of XML, SOAP, WSDL, UDDI, or any J2EE Web Services API (JAX-RPC, SAAJ, JAXR, JAXP) when studying this book. The book provides detailed explanations of these topics, so even beginners should be able to understand them.
Book content
This book will focus primarily on web service standards and the J2EE 1.4 Web Services API and components, with other topics covered in separate books. The main web service standards introduced in this book are:
● XML 1.0
● SOAP 1.1
● SOAP with Attachments
● WSDL 1.1
● UDDI 2.0
● WS-I Basic Profile 1.0
Web service standards account for one-third of the book content (Chapters 1 to 8 introduce web service standards). The remaining part of the book covers the following J2EE Web Services APIs:
● JAX-RPC 1.1
● SAAJ 1.2
● JAXR 1.0
● JAXP 1.2
The book introduces the use of the Web Services API specified in J2EE 1.4, as J2EE 1.4 is a Java platform that fully embraces the web service paradigm.
Book structure
This book serves as both a reference manual and a guide for J2EE web services. The chapters are interconnected. For example, after completing the XML section in Part I, readers can proceed to the SOAP and WSDL section in Part II. Similarly, before studying JAX-RPC (Java API for XML-based RPC, a Java API for RPC based on XML) in Part IV, readers should first learn XML, SOAP, and WSDL. After completing this book and mastering J2EE web services, it remains an extremely valuable reference manual. Readers can use it daily to look up information on web service standards and the J2EE 1.4 Web Services API. The book is divided into 7 parts and an introduction (Chapter 1), with each part consisting of two or more chapters that cover specific web service standards or J2EE APIs. Each part begins with an introduction that explains how to study the chapters in that part, which chapters readers should study, and which chapters can be optionally covered. The chapters in this book use a four-level heading structure, which is particularly suitable for reference manuals, as it allows readers to easily discuss specific topics with colleagues. The book also includes appendices covering many important topics, such as XML regular expressions, Base64 encoding, DTD, SOAP with Attachments, and RPC/Encoded communication.