WSDL Definitions

A WSDL file is composed of five sections contained by the <definitions> root element:

• <types>: You define the data types used by your WSDL here. Data types in a WSDL are expressed as XML Schema elements.

• <portType>: This is the abstract interface definition of your web service. It’s similar to an interface definition in Java or C#. If you want a quick understanding of the functionality provided by a web service, this is the section of the WSDL to read.

• <message>: This section defines the format of the messages (think documents) that the web service uses.

• <binding>: This section describes how the portType is mapped into a concrete expression of data formats and protocols.

• <service>: This section contains a collection of port elements. This allows you to specify the fact that a web service might live on multiple endpoints.

Source: Definitive Guide to SOA Oracle Service Bus, Second Edition