Adding Web References

Before you can add a Web port, you need to add a Web reference to your BizTalk project. A Web reference is a description of a Web service that is available to your project. When you add a Web reference to your project, BizTalk project creates an orchestration Web port type, Web message types, Reference.map (map file), Reference.odx (orchestration file), <WebService>.disco (discovery file), and <WebService>.wsdl (Web Service Description Language file) to your project. If your Web Service Description Language (WSDL) file contains schema Web message types, BizTalk project adds Reference.xsd to your project.

A Web reference includes:

• A Universal Resource Locator (URL) for the Web service.

• A WSDL file that offers information about the service such as available methods, ports, and message types.

• A reference map (Reference.map).

  When you add a Web reference, all the Web methods for that Web service must be compatible with BizTalk Server. You cannot specify conditional attributes for specific Web methods in a Web service.

  You add a Web reference to your project by using the Add Web Reference dialog box. For more information about adding Web references, see Using Visual Studio.

  If you are planning to export your orchestration using the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) export process, you cannot reference a Web reference from an existing BizTalk project. When you reference a Web reference from an existing BizTalk project, the BPEL export process will auto-generate a second WSDL file and you will lose your binding information.

See Also

Creating Web Ports
Consuming Web Services