Using the WCF RESTful Test Client

The WCF RESTful test client is a web application.  When the test client launches, you see a single Web page.

Notes:

The WCF RESTful test client does not work properly in Internet Explorer 10 or later. Either select a different browser, or change Internet Explorer to compatibility mode as follows:

Press F12 to launch developer tools, then

  • For IE 10, set Browser Mode to Internet Explorer 10 Compatibility View.

  • For IE 11, click the emulation toolbar button on the left and set Document Mode to Internet Explorer 7.

Perform the following steps to use the test client:

  1. Enter the URL for the WCF RESTful Web Service you are testing in the Web Service URL text box in the form:

    http://<host>/<deployed-web-service-name>/Service.svc

    where, <host> is the DNS name or IP address of the ePortal Web Cluster which hosts the RESTful web service, and <deployed-web-service-name> is the deployed name of the RESTful web service.

    Note: The URL is automatically populated if you are testing locally, under the debugger.

  2. After entering the correct Web Service URL (or verifying that the default value is correct), click the Get Service Methods button.

    The test client app accesses metadata for the web service and populates the Select Method Name dropdown box.

  3. The Select Method Name value specifies the name of the web service method to be called.  The list for the dropdown box includes all generated methods for the web service, including Connect and Disconnect if they apply (for example, for web services that require a session).

  4. To test a particular method call:

    1. Select the method name from the dropdown box. The test client app then populates the Request text box with a JSON or XML template, as appropriate, for the selected method:

      • The template is populated with the initial values specified in the corresponding client message.  If no initial value is specified in the client message for a particular input field, the default is zero for a numeric value, the first enumerator for an enumerated type, or an empty string for a string type.

      • For a method with no parameters (for example, Connect or Disconnect), the Request box is empty.

    2. Enter the desired values into the JSON or XML template in the Request box.

    3. Click the Invoke Method button.

  5. The test client app displays the response to the method call in the Response text box This textbox is read-only.  The response will be JSON or XML (as appropriate) if the method returns successfully.  Alternatively, the response could be the text of an exception (including stack trace) or error message if an error occurred.

  6. As with the Microsoft WCF Test Client, you can select and invoke any method to test in any order; however, some cases may cause an error. For example, if the web service requires a session and you invoke a method other than Connect as the first call, it will result in an error.