Questions a soap execute Template

[acesario]

I’m struggling with what the soap execute is doing based on the contents of the generated soap template and apache velocity statements therein. Apologies in advance for any dumb questions, still new to this and my first crack at the apache veloicty statements.

Some of this may be rubber ducking, but I’ll post any answers I find. Here goes:

1. My understanding is that the mapper values push to the template, which works with the snap to generate the soap payload for the designated web service. How does the template generate values exactly? And is there a way that I can see the exact payload in xml (not in json)?

Q2. Answered/ Can I hard code values? (or do I need to do all that in the mapper) For example, the type and value here:
<ns0:ID ns0:type=“Student_Course_Section_ID”>COURSE_SECTION_AAS202-01201201</ns0:ID> ANSWER: YES

3. Is there a debugger of any kind for the soap generation or apache velocity statements being used?

Q4. Answered Could I just write out a complete xml with all data elements and put it in the template, submit the soap and have it work with no mapper? ANSWER: YES, I tested this and was able to hardcode all values and submit without an issue for a simple get web service.

Q5. Can I use a new created variable from the mapper, instead of what comes in from the schema. For example $MyVar instead of the mapped ANSWER: YES

[acesario]

I got a working, hardcode example with a foreach working.

Here is an example, with my custom variables in a mapper.

…and a section of my template for this:

Blockquote #foreach($ID in $FORMAT.ID)
ns0:Course_Section_Combination_Instructional_Format_Contact_Hours_Data
ns0:Section_Combination_Instructional_Format_Reference
<ns0:ID ns0:type=“Instructional_Format_ID”>$ID</ns0:ID>
</ns0:Section_Combination_Instructional_Format_Reference> ns0:Course_Section_Instructional_Format_Contact_Hours0</ns0:Course_Section_Instructional_Format_Contact_Hours>
</ns0:Course_Section_Combination_Instructional_Format_Contact_Hours_Data>
#end

Now onto the real, mapped values.

[acesario]

5. Are there other places in snaplogic where we can use the apache velocity processing?

[del · Accepted solution]

acesario:

And is there a way that I can see the exact payload in xml (not in json)?

acesario:

Are there other places in snaplogic where we can use the apache velocity processing?

@acesario, take a look at the XML Generator snap. Paste your XML + Velocity in its Edit XML template, create an input view, and feed your Mapper into the XML Generator. It will output your XML as a string value to the $xml key.

[tk421_cogenics]

This is a good descriptio of the XML Generator usage.

I have found it good practice when working with SOAP Services that once you have the Request Template generated, copy the template over to an XML Generator Snap. This helps with building the request before making repeated failed calls to the service and helps with triage of failed requests and/or errors that may pop-up after deployment.