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XML
Standards based
WSDL (a package to define all the methods) needs to be downloaded and saved to the server
System to system
State maintained
Built in security
OAuth or Session ID (OLD)
Can build Custom SOAP Web Services
Standard Salesforce WSDL
SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) Callout (eg bring data into external systems)
Synchronous
Web Service API
Anything referring to Web Service relates to SOAP.
Enterprise WSDL
Strongly Typed
For a specific org - has all of the customisations in that org
Changes if the org changes (eg custom fields added)
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Sync
Eg a transaction
Wait for a reply
Within the Salesforce limits
Async
Check back later if it’s done
Callouts
Ajax Toolkit (see https://tddprojects.atlassian.net/wiki/pages/createpage.action?spaceKey=SF&title=Old%20Stuff&linkCreation=true&fromPageId=1310556166 also)
Callouts via Apex with a Visualforce Controller
VF page requests data from VF Controller.
Controller does the callout to get the data.
Look wow, this would have been mindbreaking revolutionary stuff back in 2003 but now it’s just something you do regularly.
SOAP callouts
REST callouts
Security
One way SSL is enabled by default.
Two way SSL needs self-signed or CA-signed certificates
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