Service part reference

Service parts provide requesters with access to the functions in the service. A requester can be a local or remote program, handler, library, or another service.

If you are developing a Service part for deployment as a SOAP service, you need to understand how the EGL-generated WSDL file represents a function parameter, if the parameter is based on a structured Record part with substructures. Here is an example Record part:

Record ORDER type BasicRecord
   10 ORDERID char(5);
   10 ORDERITEMS char(35)[10];
      15 ITEMID char(5);
      15 DESCRIPTION char(30);
end

When constructing the WSDL file that guides the runtime transfer of data, the EGL generator flattens the definition. In essence, the WSDL representation is based on the following Record part:

Record ORDER type BasicRecord
   10 ORDERID char(5);
   10 ITEMID char(5)[10];
   10 DESCRIPTION char(30)[10];
end

To retain the intended nesting of one field in another, use records that are based on non-structured Record parts. For example, the following code retains the ORDERITEMS field:

Record ORDER type BasicRecord
   ORDERID char(5);
   ORDERITEMS ANITEM[10];
end 

Record ANITEM type BasicRecord
   ITEMID char(5);
   DESCRIPTION char(30);
end

If you need to transfer data between complex structured and non-structured records in your service logic, use the MOVE statement.

For more information about Service parts, see Services: a top-level overview.

Syntax

serviceName: The name that you assign to the service.
interfaceName: The name of the interface that this service implements. This variable is a guarantee that the service contains every function described in the interface.
serviceContents: Services can contain functions, variables, constants, and use declarations. Functions can include the private qualifier so that the requester cannot access them. Variables and constants are not available to the requester.

Example

The following example shows a simple service:

  Service EchoString
    function returnString 
      (inputString string in) 
      returns (string)
      return (inputString);
    end
  end

Compatibility

Table 1. Compatibility considerations for a Service part
Platform	Issue
COBOL generation	The maximum length of a generated service name is 7 characters.
IMS/VS, IMS™ BMP	Service part is not supported.
Rich UI	With one exception, Service generation is not supported in a Rich UI project. The exception is a dedicated service, as described in EGL support for SOA." you can write service logic in an EGL general or EGL web project, use that logic as the basis of a SOAP web service or REST service (which must be generated into an EGL web project), deploy that service to a web server, and access the deployed service from a Rich UI application.
VSE	Service part is not supported.