External Interfaces

Using Web Services in MATLAB

In MATLAB, you use the createClassFromWsdl function to call Web service methods. The function creates a MATLAB class based on the methods of the Web service application program interface (API).

Here is an example of the createClassFromWsdl function using a URL:

• createClassFromWsdl('http://example.com/service.wsdl')
  

In the example, a URL to a WSDL file is passed to the function. The following example uses a file path instead of a URL:

• createClassFromWsdl('\myservicedirectory\service.wsdl')
  

In the example, a relative file path is passed to the function. Keep in mind that the target file must contain WSDL.

Note    To call remote Web services with MATLAB, you must have a working Internet connection.

The following procedure walks you through the necessary steps to build a simple Web service. To begin, the procedure shows you how to find the temperature the Web service used in previous examples:

1. In a Web browser, go to the XMethods Web site at http://www.xmethods.net.

   

2. In XMethods Demo Services, click on the Weather - Temperature link.
3. On the Weather - Temperature Web page, you will find the WSDL URL, as well as links to analyze the WSDL. Click the View RPC Profile link.

1. In the RPC Profile page, you will see the available methods. In this case, the available method is getTemp.

   

   In addition to the method name, you can see the input and output parameters and their data types. The output parameter returns a float data type. In Understanding Data Type Conversions, you see that MATLAB converts float to a double scalar.

4. To use the createClassFromWsdl function, enter the following code at the MATLAB command line:

• createClassFromWsdl('http://www.xmethods.net/sd/2001/Temperature
  Service.wsdl');
  

1. You pass the WSDL URL to the createClassFromWsdl function. In response, MATLAB outputs

   • ans =
     
     TemperatureService
     

   This indicates that MATLAB has successfully parsed the WSDL and created the TemperatureService class. To view the methods associated with the TemperatureService class, enter the following code:

   • methods(TemperatureService)
     

   MATLAB outputs

   • Methods for class TemperatureService:
     
     display              TemperatureService  
     getTemp 
     

5. In the current MATLAB directory, find the @TemperatureService folder. In the folder, you see the following files:
• getTemp.m--Contains the M-code for the getTemp method
• display.m--Contains the M-code for a generic display method
• TemperatureService.m -- Contains the M-code for MATLAB object constructor

1. The createClassFromWsdl function automatically creates a file for each Web service method, a file for a generic display method, and a file for the Web service MATLAB object.

   You can use the MATLAB help function to see the method signature, such as

   • help TemperatureService/getTemp
     
     getTemp(obj,zipcode)
     

6. Call the getTemp method with the following code:

• ts = TemperatureService;
  getTemp(ts, '01760');
  

1. The getTemp method in MATLAB requires two arguments. It requires an instance of the TemperatureService class (ts) and the zip code (01760). In response, MATLAB outputs:

   • ans =
     
     79
     

To review, the createClassFromWsdl function performs the following actions:

• Fetches and parses the WSDL to determine the Web service API
• Creates a folder, such as @TemperatureService, in the current MATLAB directory
• Creates the necessary M files in the directory, such as getTemp.m, display.m, and TemperatureService.m, based on the service API

For more information about object-oriented programming in MATLAB, see the MATLAB Programming documentation.

Finding More Information About Web Services

Building MATLAB Applications with Web Services

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