High level language and XML schema mapping

Web service descriptions use XML Schema to describe the use of simple and complex data types within a SOAP message. When utility programs DFHLS2WS and DFHWS2LS generate Web services description from high level language data structures, and high level language data structures from Web services descriptions, they generate a mapping between the data types used in the two places.

The two mapping are not symmetrical. This means:

Language structures processed by DFHLS2WS must be correctly coded according to the rules of the language as implemented in the language compilers that CICS® supports.

DFHWS2LS supports Web services descriptions that conform to WSDL version 1.1, with the following restrictions:
  • Start of changeOnly SOAP bindings that use literal encodings are supported. This means that the use attribute must be set to a value of literal. use="encoded" is not supported.End of change
  • The only transport protocols supported by DFHWS2LS are HTTP, HTTPS and WebSphere® MQ Series.
  • Data type definitions must be encoded using the XML Schema Definition language (XSD). Within the schema, data types used in the SOAP message must be explicitly declared. DFHWS2LS does not support data types in the SOAP message that are derived from other data types in the schema and that are not declared.
    DFHWS2LS does not support:
    • Start of changethe <any> elementEnd of change
    • the maxOccurs and minOccurs attributes on the <sequence>, <all> and <choice> elements.
    • abstract types (except as nonterminal types in an inheritance hierarchy)
    • the anyType type
    • cyclic references (for example, where type A contains type B which, in turn, contains type A)
    Start of changeWhen the mapping level is 1.1 or higher, DFHWS2LS supports: End of changeStart of change
    • the <list> and <union> elements
    • the anySimpleType type
    End of change Start of changeDFHWS2LS can process Web service descriptions that contain the <attribute> element, but the element is ignored unless the mapping level is 1.1. For information on what data types are supported for each mapping level, see Mapping levels for the CICS Web services assistant.End of change
  • The length of some keywords within the Web services description is limited. For example, operation, binding and part names are limited to 255 characters in length (in some cases the maximum operation name length may be slightly shorter).
  • Only one service element is supported for each binding element.
  • Any SOAP faults defined in the Web service description are ignored. If you want a service provider application to send a SOAP fault message, use the EXEC CICS SOAPFAULT command.

Start of changeCharacters such as the opening angle bracket (<) are reserved in XML. CICS handles these characters correctly when it maps application data to the elements within a SOAP body. For example, < is mapped to &lt;.End of change

Start of changeThe null character (X'00') is not permitted in XML. If CICS maps application data containing this character into a SOAP body, it is treated as a null-terminated string.End of change