Java ^TM API for XML Web Services
(JAX-WS)
Tools

Contents

1. apt
2. wsimport
3. wsgen
4. How do I pick a tool?

apt

The apt tool provides a facility for programmatically processing the annotations added to Java by JSR 175, Metadata Facility for the Java ^TM Programming Language. In brief, JSR 175 allows programmers to declare new kinds of structured modifiers that can be associated with program elements, fields, methods, classes, etc.

The apt tool generates the portable artifacts used in JAX-WS services.

For more information on this tool please see: apt tool.

wsimport

The wsimport tool generates JAX-WS portable artifacts used in JAX-WS clients and services. The tool reads a WSDL and generates all the required artifacts for web service development, deployment, and invocation.

For more information on this tool please see: wsimport tool.

wsgen

The wsgen tool reads a service endpoint implementation class and generates all of the portable artifacts for a JAX-WS web service..

For more information on this tool please see: wsgen tool.

Running on JDK6

• Copy JAXWS_HOME/lib/jaxws-api.jar to JDK6_HOME/jre/lib/endorsed directory
• Copy JAXWS_HOME/lib/jaxb-api.jar to JDK6_HOME/jre/lib/endorsed directory

For details see Endorsed Directory Mechanism. Above, JAXWS_HOME points to the root directory of the extracted JAX-WS RI bundle. JDK6_HOME points to JDK 6 installation directory.

How do I pick a tool?

The following lists the process to create a web service starting from Java sources, classes, and a WSDL file (server side):

1. Starting from Java sources:
   1. Use apt to generate the artifacts required by the JAX-WS specification.
   2. Package the web.xml, sun-jaxws.xml, service endpoint interface and implementation class, value types, and generated classes, if any, into a WAR file,
      
   3. Deploy the WAR to a web container.
2. Starting from Java classes:
   1. Use wsgen to generate portable artifacts.
   2. Package the web.xml, sun-jaxws.xml, service endpoint interface and implementation class, value types, and generated classes, if any, into a WAR file,
      
   3. Deploy the WAR to a web container.
3. Starting from a WSDL file:
   1. Use wsimport to generate portable artifacts.
   2. Implement the service endpoint.
   3. Package the WSDL file, schema documents, web.xml, sun-jaxws.xml, service endpoint interface and implementation class, value types, and generated classes, if any, into a WAR file.
   4. Deploy the WAR to a web container.

The following lists the process to invoke a web service (client side):

1. Starting from deployed web service's WSDL
   1. Use wsimport to generate the client-side artifacts.
   2. Implement the client to invoke the web service.