CODEWITHSUNDEEP
asp.netweb-services
Deane
Deane

Reputation: 8747

Can I distribute a Web service as a DLL and specify the endpoint in the web.config?

I have a Web service currently in an ASMX file.

I want to move this code into its own class library project which generates a DLL. I want to be able to drop this DLL into any Web application and have it work.

However, without an ASMX file, I have no URL endpoint. How do I get around this?

Essentially, I want to run a Web service without having to distribute an ASMX. I just want to distribute a DLL. Can I map the endpoint for the Web service in the web.config, or something?

(I think that perhaps WCF might do this, but one look at the config for that, and it feels like the cure is worse than the disease...)

Upvotes: 0

Views: 1742

Answers (3)

Scott Davis
Scott Davis

Reputation: 401

Here is a sneaky way of getting it that actuall has the app WRITE the webservice if it does not exist - pretty tricky...

Embed ASMX in DLL (sort of)

Upvotes: 0

Allan
Allan

Reputation: 469

Would hosting your service in a Windows Service resolve you problem? http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/Aa529311.aspx

__Allan

Upvotes: -1

Scott Davis
Scott Davis

Reputation: 401

If I understand your question correctly - the short answer is no - you can't turn a web service into a dll.

An .asmx file is essentially a page that has to be served by IIS in order to work.

Although you might experiment with embedding it as a resource and using HttpHandlers to route the request. But in the end that wouldn't really be an asmx service (see this link).

Now, your .dll can CALL a webservice and can have the url configured for the calling of that service in the web.config or app.config whichever you need, but the service itself can't be wrapped up in a dll.

What WCF does is allow you to create a service library, but it still has to be hosted to be publicly available however you can access it as if it were a dll locally by self hosting it.

Upvotes: 2

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