The following table lists the ABL statements that are either valid only for consuming a web service or have special application in web service client programming.

Table 1. Statements to consume web services
ABL statement Description
CREATE SERVER server-handle Creates a server object and stores a reference to it in the specified HANDLE variable. You can then bind (logically connect) the server object to a web service using the server handle CONNECT( ) method.
CREATE SOAP-HEADER header-obj-handle Creates a SOAP header object used to add a SOAP header to a pending SOAP request message generated by an OpenEdge web service invocation.
CREATE SOAP-HEADER-ENTRYREF soap-obj-handle Creates a SOAP header-entryref object used to add SOAP header entries to an existing SOAP header.
DELETE OBJECT handle Deletes certain objects, including server objects, procedure objects, SOAP header objects, SOAP header-entryref objects, and asynchronous request objects. 
DELETE PROCEDURE 
procedure-handle
 Deletes the procedure object associated with a web service. 
FUNCTION operationName 
  [ RETURNS ] dataType 
  [ ( parameter 
    [ , parameter]... ]
      IN hPortType.
 Defines a user-defined function prototype to map a web service operation as specified by the WSDL Analyzer, which determines the need for a function to return a value. 
return = operationName   
  [( parameter
    [ , parameter]... ) ].
Invokes a web service operation defined as a user-defined function, where return is a variable to receive the value of the operation <return> parameter element, operationName is the name of the operation as specified in the WSDL file and whose ABL prototype is defined using the FUNCTION statement, and parameter is an ABL function parameter as required by the WSDL file for the operation. The operation can also be invoked as part of any other ABL statement that can invoke a user-defined function.
PROCESS EVENTS Handles any pending PROCEDURE-COMPLETE events for asynchronous requests by triggering execution of the event procedures for all completed asynchronous requests. You can also use any blocking I/O statement, such as the WAIT-FOR statement, to handle these events. 
RUN portTypeName
  [ SET hPortType] ON SERVER
   server-handle[ NO-ERROR ].
 Creates and associates a procedure object with a web service, where portTypeName is the name of a web service port type as specified in the WSDL file and whose operations this procedure object encapsulates, hPortType is a HANDLE variable that is set to the handle of the created procedure object, and server-handle is a handle to the server object that binds the web service. 
RUN operationName IN hPortType
   [ ASYNCHRONOUS
     [ SET asyncRequestHandle]
     [ EVENT-PROCEDURE
        eventInternalProcedure
       [ IN procedureContext]]
     [ EVENT-HANDLER 
        event-handler-name 
        [ EVENT-HANDLER-CONTEXT 
        event-handler-context ] ]
   [ ( parameter
     [ , parameter]. . . ) ]
   [ NO-ERROR ].
 Invokes a web service operation that does not contain a <return> parameter element, where operationName is the name of a web service operation specified in the WSDL file, hPortType is a handle to the procedure object that encapsulates the operation, and parameter is an ABL procedure parameter as required by the WSDL for the operation. If the operation is invoked asynchronously, asyncRequestHandle is a handle that is set to the asynchronous request object created for the asynchronous request, eventInternalProcedure is the name of an ABL internal procedure defined to handle the results of the asynchronous request, and procedureContext is a handle to an active ABL procedure object that encapsulates the event internal procedure. event-handler-name is the name of an internal procedure or a method that is specified as a callback handler.

The event-handler-context resolves to either a handle to an active procedure or the object-oriented ABL object's instance reference containing the method specified by event-handler-name.
WAIT-FOR ... Handles any pending PROCEDURE-COMPLETE events for asynchronous requests by forcing the event procedures or methods for all completed asynchronous requests to execute. You can also use PROCESS EVENTS or any other blocking I/O statement, such as the PROMPT-FOR statement, to handle these events.