A little while ago I ran into an interesting set of errors that may be of interest to you. Consider the following service contract snippet: [OperationContract] [WebGet(UriTemplate= "foobar/{value}" )] String GetData(String value ); If you add the enableWebScript behavior to an endpoint...

My friend Vittorio has posted that MySpace will be talking about WCF at Mix 2008 ( see it here ). This promises to be a good session!

I thought it might be mildly interesting to document the lifecycle of a demo. Over the next week or so I have to design, build, and deploy a demo that shows off some of the web-centric features of WCF in the .NET Framework 3.5. First, let me state the constraints: 1) it has to be lightweight - a person...

Previous posts have talked a bit about PictureServices. Now I'd like to run through what it took to bring PictureServices to the BizTalk Services. I've talked a bit in other posts about BizTalk Services, but it has some interesting and very useful messaging features. For starters, BizTalk Services has...

Following on the heels of Steve Maine's post about namespaces in Syndication objects (Feeds, items, etc.), I thought it wise to plug the new stuff in PictureServices . At the moment, PictureServices implements SLE (Simple List Extensions), and does a pretty crude job of it at that. Time permitting...

Today I updated PictureServices to work with the RTM release of Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5 (what a mouthful). My testing rigor for this release was less than perfect. Please let me know if you find any bugs. For what it's worth, the changes in the API made the simple list extensions...

I've received several mails about PictureServices and RTM. As some of you know, the Syndication API changed before RTM. The were subtle, but they did have an impact on the Picture Services project. Specifically, the simple list extensions part of Picture Services isn't up to date with the RTM bits. I...

It seems that the RSS/Atom article I wrote for MSDN magazine was just published: http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/08/01/WCFinOrcas/default.aspx The RTM version of .NET 3.5 was not available when I wrote the article, so I avoided the extensibility capabilites of the API. Perhaps that's fodder...

One of the cool parts of WCF in the .NET 3.5 is the simplified support of the REST architectural style. URIs, HTTP verbs, and HTTP headers are 1st class citizens in the programming model. Each of these citizens is interesting. I'll focus a bit on HTTP headers here. HTTP headers dictate a wide array of...

A few days ago we released a new sample called Picture Services. As the name implies, this sample centers on pictures. More specifically, it demonstrates how to use the WCF API in the .NET Framework 3.5 to syndicate images from your local machine and expose them via a REST endpoint. There's been a fair...

Jeffrey Richter told me once that a CPU was a terrible thing to waste. I don't know if he was the one to coin the term - in fact, I think he told me someone else coined that term. Regardless of where it came from, the principle behind that phrase is solid. All too often, developers do I/O synchronously...

I spent this weekend tinkering around with the JSON messaging capabilities of WCF new in the .NET Framework 3.5 (Orcas). The object model is changing substantially between Beta1 and Beta2, and I think the changes make for an easier to use system. To better understand the JSON messaging features of...

I got a question via email today that forced me to look back through some older emails for the answer. It may make sense to share the question / answer in a broader sense. Earlier builds of Orcas surfaced a syndication format to an endpoint by way of a behavior. In essence, you could add a SyndicationBehavior...

I just saw a mail introducing an alpha release from IBM - an MQ series custom channel. It appears to be early stage, so don't throw this into production yet. Several have asked me if it's possible to connect WCF to MQ - my answer is yes, but it requires a fair amount of custom code. If this channel makes...

WCF in .NET Fx 3.5 introduces several types that simplify the creation of services that use the protocols of the web (read REST/Syndication/JSON). Among these are two hosting types: WebServiceHost and WebScriptServiceHostFactory. These types serve the same function as the ServiceHost and ServiceHostFactory...

Channel9 has attained tremendous momentum over the past few years. In my view, Channel9 is a great way for the community to see Microsoft in action and provide feedback in an umoderated way. Since my job revolves around the community and web services, I thought it prudent to create a show dedicated to...

A recent commenter on this blog indicated that the TOC of Inside Windows Communication Foundation (my book) was not available online. I’m not sure why this is the case, but I’ve found that I don’t have much control over what Amazon (or other) book retailers post online. I’m reaching out to the publisher...

Background BizTalk.NET Services ( http://labs.biztalk.net ) is a nascent and experiemental project that is all about generic, secure connectivity. Many WCF customers ask us how to notify client applications that something has happened in a service. If the client is addressable and listening, this is...

Jon just published a podcast where we discuss how WCF in Orcas simplifies Syndication and RESTful style architectures. Hear it here .

Yesterday I was pounding away on my keyboard and talking on the phone in my office when Kathleen Atkins (my editor) walked in and handed me a copy of my WCF book. It was way cool to see a physical copy. Amazon link.

WCF in Orcas introduces several new types that, among other things, dramatically simplify the work needed to write applications that adhere to the protocols of the web. These types of services are commonly described as having a REST-ful architectural style. For the most part, a REST-ful architectural...

The BizTalk Services CTP is available for all to play with. In general, the concept is services in the cloud. It's a gross understatement, but enough for now. It's way cool because it opens the door for some innovative service scenarios. I plan on blogging quite a bit about these services in the near...

The .NET Fx 3.5 Beta 1 is now available here . Check it out. It's a set of Virtual PC files, so there is no install hocus pocus. Some of the features in .NET Fx 3.5 (as it relates to WCF): WCF web programming, syndication, JSON messages, and integration with workflow.