Multipart WSDL best practices
WebSphere Application Server supports deployment of Web services using a multipart Web Services Description Language (WSDL) file. In multipart WSDL files, an implementation WSDL file contains the wsdl:service. This implementation WSDL flie imports an interface WSDL file, which contains the other WSDL constructs. This supports multiple Web services using the same WSDL interface definition.
The <wsdl:import> element indicates a reference to another WSDL file. If the <wsdl:import> element location attribute does not contain a URL, that is, it contains only a file name, and does not begin with http://, https:// or file://, the imported file must be located in the same directory and must not contain a relative path component. For example, if META-INF/wsdl/A_Impl.wsdl is in your module and contains the <wsdl:import="A.wsdl" namespace="..."/> import statement, the A.wsdl file must also be located in the module META-INF/wsdl directory.
It is recommended that you place all WSDL files in either the META-INF/wsdl directory, if you are using EJB, or the WEB-INF/wsdl directory, if you are using JavaBeans components, even if relative imports are located within the WSDL files. Otherwise, implications exist with the WSDL publication when you use a path like <location="../interfaces/A_Interface.wsdl"namespace="..."/>. Using a path like this example fails because the presence of the relative path, regardless of whether the file is located at that path or not. If the location is a Web address, it must be readable at both deployment and server startup.
WSDL publication
We can publish the files located in the META-INF/wsdl or the WEB-INF/wsdl directory through either a URL address or file, including WSDL or XSD files. For example, if the file referenced in the <wsdl-file> element of the webservices.xml deployment descriptor is located in the META-INF/wsdl or the WEB-INF/wsdl directory, it is publishable. If the files imported by the <wsdl-file> are located in the wsdl/ directory or its subdirectory, they are publishable.
If the WSDL file referenced by the <wsdl-file> element is located in a directory other than wsdl, or its subdirectories, the file and its imported files, either WSDL or XSD files, which are in the same directory, are copied to the wsdl directory without modification when the application is installed. These types of files can also be published.
If the <wsdl-file> imports a file located in a different directory (a directory that is not -INF/wsdl or a subdirectory), the file is not copied to the wsdl directory and not available for publishing.
See Also
WSDL
Related Tasks
Developing a WSDL file
Publishing WSDL files
See Also
WSDL architecture