MSServices

The MSServices was designed to be a SOA application server for HTTP. It can execute Database SPs, MSMQ, Assemblies, IronPython script and generates JSON, Web Service, Text, Excel or RSS file through HTTP. The system has authentication, caching, compression and logging support.

This project lets you create URLs like below very easily (without writing a single line of code) which can be used on AJAX Web applications or as Web Services: - http://www.domain.com//..?=&...&= - eg. http://localhost/Web/Northwind.GetCustomerOrders.ws?CustomerID=ALFKI

Where: - is the Virtual Path of the application, - is the name of the web service, - is the name of the method to execute, - is the name of the file extension, which can be (ws -for web service, txt -for text file, json -for Javascript output, xls -for excel files) - =&= are the names and values of the parameters to pass to the Atom

The request above executes on the server-side and generates an output of the specified extension. Before executing the "Atom", it checks the credentials, authorization, validates the parameters and validates the relationship between parameters. It also Logs, Caches and Compresses the results. If you are using Enterprise Library, it is very easy to configure the application.

Everything starts with "MS Services Application Block" and under that block you can define "Services" and "Shields". Shields are used to protect Services. A Service is very similiar to a Web Service with some exceptions.

Services have executables named "Atoms" and "Categories" to categorize Atoms. Atoms have an "Executor" and "Generators". Atoms also have "Parameters", "Shields" and "Caching Options". Parameters have "Validators" to be validated before executing. There are two special Atoms named "User" which is used for authentication and "Exception" that reports exceptions occured during executing.

There are many "Wizards" that help you to generate Services and Atoms. With these concepts mentioned above, you can easily create "Web Services" that connects to server-side data and returns the result.

For example, when you select the "Wizard: Create Atoms from SQL Server Database" wizard under "New" command by right-clicking a Service node in "Enterprise Library Configuration Tool", you select the database connection and select Stored Procedures, then they are available as Atoms with parameters that generates Excel documents, Web Services or Text Files.