The SOAP API provides a framework for working with ArcGIS Server using SOAP. Each ArcGIS Server service maintains a WSDL (Web Service Description Language) which defines how you can interact with the service using the SOAP API. The WSDL defines a SOAP proxy class, one for each service type (map, geocode, geoprocessing, and so on), and a set of value objects. You can use methods on the proxy, coupled with value objects as input parameters and returned results, to interact with ArcGIS Server services in a stateless manner.
The Web ADF includes pre-generated SOAP proxies and value objects which help you use the SOAP API with ArcGIS Server Web services (Internet connection) or with the server object directly (Local connection). These pre-generated objects are included in the ESRI.ArcGIS.ADF.ArcGISServer.dll. Merely browsing the contents of this assembly can be confusing because of the hundreds of classes it contains. Earlier this year we created an object model diagram for the SOAP API and put it online. We divided the diagram into eight logical areas:
- Carto
- Display
- Geometry
- Geocode
- Geodatabase
- Geoprocessing
- Globe
- Network Analyst
Please leave us suggestions for this diagram as we are in the process of updating it for the 9.3 release.
-Sterling Quinn and Rex Hansen
