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Introduction
SOAP and Web Services
The basis for most current models of web services is the Extensible Markup Language
(XML), which facilitates interoperability by permitting the exchange of information
between applications and platforms in a text-based manner. The Simple Object Access
Protocol (SOAP) is an XML-based messaging protocol used as a medium for information
and instruction exchange between web services. Information sent using the SOAP standard
is placed in a file called a SOAP envelope. The Web Services Description Language (WSDL) is
an XML-based standard for describing web services and their capabilities. Acrobat’s
support for these standards makes it possible for PDF documents to locate services,
understand their capabilities, and interact with them.
In order to guarantee interoperability between various platforms and applications, it is
necessary to exchange information that adheres to a standardized format for data types. To
address this need, the XML Schema Definition Language (XSD) provides a standard set of
definitions for the various data types that can be exchanged in SOAP envelopes.
Acrobat 7.0 provides support for the SOAP 1.1 and 1.2 standards in order to enable PDF
forms to communicate with web services. This support has made it possible to include both
SOAP header and body information, send binary data more efficiently, use document/literal
encoding, and facilitate authenticated or encrypted communications. In addition, it also
provides the ability to locate network services using DNS Service Discovery. All of this
makes it possible to integrate PDF files into existing workflows by binding XML forms to
schemas, databases, and web services. These workflows include the ability to share
comments remotely or invoke web services through form field actions.
Chapter Goals
At the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
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Understand the support available for the SOAP standards.
Connect to a web service.
Exchange information with a web service.
Search and manage XML-based information.
Use DNS Service Discovery to locate network services.
Understand how to apply Acrobat’s SOAP support to various workflows.
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