Jonathan Williamson
1/14/2003 2:57:00 PM
The problem is I have a web service that performs analysis on data and may
return one or more datasets and some binary files for graphing. The third
party analysis code returns details of what files it has created and status
information.
I want to be able to return the status information and the files.
As I see it there are potentially two options.
1. Define a structured response (probably XML) that contains place holders
for the different pieces of information. and load the file data into these
placeholders before returning the whole thing to the client.
2. Use some kind of session state and have a second method to retrieve the
data files
3. Somehow create multiple responses to the same request. e.g. first
response is the status and details of what else is being returned. Second
and subsequent responses are the file data.
(1) is not nice since it will mean the client has to wait for all the data
files to be returned before it can process anything.
(2) is not nice since it requires sessions.
so I'm left with option (3). I don't think this would truly be one
request-response, effectively the client would have to set up some kind of
listener to receive the file data.
I don't know if this is possible or practical. It seems reasonably logical
to me but I don't know how I'd go about coding such a system.
Thoughts/comments/suggestions most welcome
Jon
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Jonathan.Williamson@Amadeus.co.uk
Jonathan Williamson
Amadeus Ltd