Saving Variables Across Calls in WCF as a Windows Service - c#

I created a WCF Service Library, which I host via a Windows Service.
Is it possible to save information across API calls?
I know that if I host the WCF Service Library in IIS with ASP.Net compatibility turned on and making a few modifications to the WCF library that I can use
HttpContext.
HttpContext.Current.Session["name"] = <value>;
WCF started as a Windows Service does not have ASP.Net support to the best of my knowledge, as the library is not hosted by IIS. Is there a way for a WCF library launched via a Windows Service to save information across calls for a specific caller?

Related

Create Web Service as SDK

I want to build a C# Web Service application that needs to be shippable to the 3rd party customers as SDK with UI as well as without UI.
My idea is create a WCF service and host that in Windows Service and made an installer.
Then create a responsive Web application that consumes the windows service so that it be accessed by any browser(Mobile + PC). If the client doesn’t prefer our UI and if they want to consume the SDK alone, then they have to use our windows service and integrate that in their UI.
Any advice on this?

Confusion about WCF Class library and WCF application hosting

I have a web site and would like to expose certain functionalities using WCF.
Before deciding which type of WCF project I need to use I wanted to compare the differences between WCF Class library and WCF application. I know this question has been asked many times and answered many times and the answers are usually about different hosting options each one offers but I wanted to try and see the differences, so this is what I tried:
Step 1 - In a same solution, I have created a WCF Service library project and created Client console app project, set the console app as a startup project, referenced the service library project from the client project
and in the client console app I could instantiate the service and can consume the service methods. I didn't even add a service reference to the client project.
Step 2 - In a same solution, I have created a WCF Service application project and created Client console app project, set the console app as a startup project, referenced the service application project from the client project
and in the client console app I could instantiate the service and can consume the service methods. I didn't even add a service reference to the client project.
On both steps after compiling the solutions I was able to copy the client app's exe and the service dll's to a different location and still be able to run the clients.
Based on this little excercie I am confused about the hosting part. It seems wether I use WCF Class library or WCF application type I get the same result.
This is just like using multiple projects in a solution, you reference one from another and use the methods, there must be something I am missing which highlights the differences between the two and highlights the benefits of using WCF, also in the past I remember I had to add a service reference to the clients apps in order to consume the service, why is this not the case here?
Thanks
1) Running a wcf service application allows you to provide communication into a single application, where you have a single instance of a thing you want to provide access to. Maybe this is a game, or a chat room without an external state engine or datastore. This is useful for providing diagnostic information about an application you might have written for example. I used this to provide external control for an industrial robot that I wanted to provide remote control access for.
That is to say, that you write an application, it has a function. You want to expose part of that functionality to remote applications. You do this by adding a WCF endpoint to your existing application, so your application itself is controlling the WCF hosting elements, lifecycle of the endpoint etc.
2) Running a WCF Service is for when you've got an external data store, or your service is stateless. A translation service, lookup service and web page requests fall into this category.
With a service class, you're saying here is this service, this thing that provides a function. It isn't tied to the lifecycle of another application or process and is typically hosted by IIS. IIS manages when the class is loaded and run based on the requests that come into it. These services have no internal persistence and rely on an external datastore, or are, by nature, stateless (think of a postcode lookup, or a calculator service)
It sounds like you're actually adding the projects as references, rather than connecting to them as services. That is to say, that the consuming application is actually loading the service as an assembly (in the same application/ memory space) rather than as a separate application/ service that your application then uses WCF to communicate with.
The WCF Service Application template can be used to create WCF services with a hosting website created within the project
The WCF Service Library template can be used to create WCF services that are hosted by the WCF Service Host, and these can be tested using the WCF service Test Client.
the biggest advantage of using a standalone library (apart from decoupling the logic) is that you can easily migrate your service, i.e. host it in another application or another type of application. E.g., let's say you're hosting your service using IIS - you can easily move your service to a standalone application, etc.

Create C# SOAP API Consumable by other Languages

I've been trying to find a tutorial on here, MSDN, and Google on how to implement my own SOAP API. I have an application written in C# that I want to be consumable by PHP so that calls from the web can interact with the application. How do I generate and tie a WSDL file to my application so that it can be communicated with over SOAP calls? Any suggestions?
I think for this you just need to create WCF service in .net that will allow you to consume server from any language.
Create an ASP.Net Web Services .wsdl file to communicate with the various applications. Host the Web Service on windows IIS server and configure the ports accordingly, then you can access the endpoints to whcih ever application you are using, using the address and the web method name.

.net web service hosted within my application

I'm migrating an old Delphi application that I wrote into C#. The application is a datalogger that exposes logged data requests via a SOAP web service interface.
The web service is contained with the delphi graphical windows application, i.e. no need to run a web server like IIS, etc I just run the application and it's up and running under the hood.
I'm looking to do the same in my c# Windows form application, I can find loads of resources on writing web services that are ultimately hosted within IIS but am struggling to find a solution for a self contained web service within my application.
Does anyone have any suggestions or can point me towards any resources on this?
The web service does not neceserily have to be SOAP, REST is fine (in fact probably prefered).
Look into WCF Services.
Hosting and Consuming WCF Services
Hosting WCF services in a Windows Forms Application
The System.Web.Hosting namespace allows you to host ASP.Net pages without using IIS within your applications. I have never used it to host web services but I found a tutorial that seems to provide a guide on doing this-
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163879.aspx
If you're wanting to host a service inside your application, it's possible with the System.ServiceModel.ServiceHost class. You need to learn WCF first, but that at least answers your question to get you started. If you have any further questions, leave me a comment or two and I'll update my answer to accommodate your inquiries.

iPhone communication with Windows C# App

I am create an iPhone app that needs to talk to a Windows C# app. The app will run as either a Service or Form Application.
What would be the best way to accomplish this? Ideally exposing a service-type architecture would be best as I don't need a stateful connection (stateless is fine in this case).
Can a WCF service hosted by my app using a form of TCP binding be consumed by my iPhone? Or can an app host using httpBinding without the aid of IIS or some other web server?
To run WCF on iPhone you need MonoTouch. Currently, which isn't completely implemented.
I don't think it's a good idea.
Web Service are a better idea in my opinion. You can spawn a web service listener from your console/gui/service Windows C# application.
Here's what I ended up doing:
In my .NET windows service, I created WCF service bound using a WebHttpBinding endpoint. Doing so exposed my WCF services as JSON.
From the iPhone, using Objective-C, I used the ASIHTTPRequest and json-framework libraries to talk to and parse the JSON web service exposed by my .net app.
Expose your C# application functionality as a ReSTful web service. More information on exposing WCF service is available here
And there are project templates available for creating REST WCF service. Download the WCF REST starter kit.You can expose your service in XML/JSON format.
Then from your iPhone app, you may consume the web service exposed.

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