The structure and contents of a SOAP message are a wrapper on an XML request. For example:

  1. In the OrderProcessing sample project, open its Ruletest Order.ert.
  2. Choose Ruletest > Testsheet > Data > Input > Export Request XML.
  3. Save the file as ProcessOrderXML.xml
  4. Choose Ruletest > Testsheet > Data > Input > Export Request SOAP.
  5. Save the file as ProcessOrderSOAP.xml
  6. Compare the two files.
The SOAP request wrapped the XML CorticonRequest content within: 
<SOAP-ENV:Envelope
      xmlns:SOAP-ENV="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" 
      xmlns:SOAP-ENC="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/" 
      xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
  <SOAP-ENV:Body>
    <CorticonRequest/>
  </SOAP-ENV:Body>
</SOAP-ENV:Envelope>

Once the SOAP request message has been prepared, a SOAP client must transmit the message to the Corticon Server (deployed as a Web Service) via HTTP.

If your SOAP tools have the ability to assemble a compliant request message from a WSDL you generated in Corticon Studio, then it is very likely they can also act as a SOAP client and transmit the message to a Corticon Server deployed to a supported application server. The Web Services section describes how to test this method of invocation with a third-party tool or application as a SOAP client.

When developing and testing SOAP messaging, it is very helpful to use some type of message interception tool (such as tcpTunnelUI or TCPTrace) that allows you to grab a copy of the request message as it leaves the client and the response message as it leaves Corticon Server. This lets you inspect the messages and ensure no unintended changes have occurred, especially on the client-side.