nested parameters in php soap call

Question

This is my first run into the SOAP forest, so I have no idea what I'm doing and worse, the company has zero documentation or code examples. They at least provide an example call.

<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:tem="http://tempuri.org/">
   <soapenv:Header/>
   <soapenv:Body>
      <tem:GetRatesIPXML>
        <tem:ipXML>
        <![CDATA[
                <XML>
            <RateInput>
              <GUID>12345</GUID> 
              <RepID>abc</RepID> 
              <ZipCode>55343</ZipCode>
              <EffectiveDate>1/15/2014</EffectiveDate>
              <DateOfBirth >12/15/1980</DateOfBirth > 
              <FilterPlanCode></FilterPlanCode> 
            </RateInput>
          </XML>]]>
    </tem:ipXML>
      </tem:GetRatesIPXML>
   </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

I've used both SoapClient and NuSoap. I've tried everything from nested arrays to objects, strings, simpleXML. I can't seem to figure this out and after two days of googling I've reached my end. Here's my current implementation.

require('lib/nusoap.php');

class Carrier
{   
    const WSDL = 'http://getrates_staging.test.com/getrates.svc?wsdl';

    public function get()
    {
        $soapClient = new nusoap_client( self::WSDL , true);
        $soapClient->soap_defencoding = 'UTF-8';

        $string = ""
            . "<XML>"
            . "<RateInput>";

        $string .= "<GUID>12345</GUID>";

        $string .= "</RateInput></XML>";

        $response = $soapClient->call('GetRatesIPXML' , array('ipXML'=> $string) , '' , '', false, true);
        var_dump($soapClient->request);
        var_dump($soapClient->getError());
        var_dump($response);
    }
}

$foo = new Carrier();
$foo->get();

It results in something close but all the < get escaped to < so that doesn't work. Any help is appreciated.

edit

This is about as close as I get to the desired result

class Carrier
{   
    const WSDL = 'http://getrates_staging.test.com/getrates.svc?wsdl';

    public function get()
    {
        $soapClient = new SoapClient( self::WSDL , array('trace' => true));
        //$soapClient->soap_defencoding = 'UTF-8';

        $string = ""
            . "<![CDATA[ <XML>"
            . "<RateInput>";

        $string .= "<GUID>12345</GUID>";

        $string .= "</RateInput></XML> ]]>";

        $param = new SoapVar($string, XSD_ANYXML);

        $ipXML = new stdClass();
        $ipXML->ipXML = $param;

        try
        {
            $response = $soapClient->GetRatesIPXML($ipXML);
        }
        catch(Exception $e)
        {
            var_dump($e);
        }
        var_dump($soapClient->__getLastRequest());
        var_dump($response);
    }
}

$foo = new Carrier();
$foo->get();

I end up with

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<SOAP-ENV:Envelope xmlns:SOAP-ENV="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:ns1="http://tempuri.org/"><SOAP-ENV:Body><ns1:GetRatesIPXML><![CDATA[ <XML><RateInput><GUID>12345</GUID></RateInput></XML> ]]></ns1:GetRatesIPXML></SOAP-ENV:Body></SOAP-ENV:Envelope>

I don't get why it's dropping the surrounding <ns1:ipXML>

edit 2

At the end of the day this worked.

class Carrier
{   
    const WSDL = 'http://getrates_staging.test.com/getrates.svc?wsdl';

    public function get()
    {
        $soapClient = new SoapClient( self::WSDL , array('trace' => true));
        //$soapClient->soap_defencoding = 'UTF-8';

        $string = ""
            . "<ns1:ipXML><![CDATA[ <XML>"
            . "<RateInput>";

        $string .= "<GUID>1234</GUID> 
              <RepID>1234</RepID> 
              <ZipCode>55343</ZipCode>
              <EffectiveDate>1/15/2016</EffectiveDate>
              <DateOfBirth >07/01/1983</DateOfBirth > 
              <FilterPlanCode></FilterPlanCode>";

        $string .= "</RateInput></XML> ]]></ns1:ipXML>";

        $param = new SoapVar($string, XSD_ANYXML);

        $ipXML = new stdClass();
        $ipXML->ipXML = $param;

        try
        {
            $response = $soapClient->GetRatesIPXML($ipXML);
        }
        catch(Exception $e)
        {
            var_dump($e);
        }
        var_dump($soapClient->__getLastRequest());
        var_dump($response);
    }
}

$foo = new Carrier();
$foo->get();

But it seems so hacky. If anyone has a better suggestion I'm open.

Answer 1

Ordinarily, XML documents are constructed (and parsed) using PHP "helper libraries" such as SimpleXML (http://php.net/manual/en/book.simplexml.php), or techniques such as the ones described here (http://www.phpeveryday.com/articles/PHP-XML-Tutorial-P848.html).

The XML document is constructed as an in-memory data structure (arrays, etc.), and then converted, in one swoop, into the XML that is to be sent.

In fact, since what you are doing is SOAP, you can go one level of abstraction above that, e.g. (http://php.net/manual/en/book.soap.php). Off-the-shelf libraries exist which will handle both the task of constructing the XML payload, and sending it, and getting server responses and decoding them. That's where you should start.

"Actum Ne Agas: Do Not Do A Thing Already Done."