Web Services
Digest
Web services provide Cascade Server users with a powerful way to work with the system by providing a very raw interface with which to interact. This interface provides methods to create, edit, read, and delete all assets and components in the software. Additionally, users can also perform publish requests for files, folders, and pages. Finally, any of these operations are able to be wrapped together in a "batch" request for submitting more than one operation in a single request.
Concept
Web Services Background
Web services leverage the power of XML to communicate using SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol). While most of the time one will use a framework that abstracts the logic away from writing the pure XML requests (such as a PHP SOAP client or Apache Axis), the common denominator are these SOAP messages in the XML format that must conform to the WSDL set forth by Cascade Server.
For more information about SOAP, please see: http://www.w3.org/TR/soap/
WSDL
WSDL is the Web Services Description Language, and it describes all the information that is valid for transmission in a SOAP request and response for a specific web services implementation. It is simply a standard XML file containing descriptive information about how everything in a SOAP request/response is related.
For more information about WSDL, see: http://www.w3.org/TR/wsdl
Web Services Endpoints
The Cascade Server Asset Operation Endpoint
Most requests go through the Cascade Server web services endpoint called the AssetOperationService. This Endpoint is responsible for create, read, edit, delete, publish, and batch operations.
You can find a copy of the WSDL for this Endpoint on your local instance at /ws/services/AssetOperationService?wsdl, for instance at http://cascade.mycompany.com:8080/ws/services/AssetOperationService?wsdl.
The Cascade Server Security Endpoint
This endpoint is available to enable an external application to authenticate a user login for Cascade Server.
You can find a copy of the WSDL for this Endpoint on your local instance at /ws/services/SecurityService?wsdl, for instance at http://cascade.mycompany.com:8080/ws/services/SecurityService?wsdl.