Design dilema using webservices

[raffe]

Hello all

I'm working on a design for a system consisting of a pocket pc applicatoin
as a client interacting with an asp.net application.

A feature in this system is that users of the pocketpc application collect
some data and post it to the asp.net application. The application running on
the pocket pc is developed by a another party. I have to provide a way for
the developers of that third party application to post the data to the
asp.net application. The data is always going to consist of a text string.

An obvious choice is to extend the asp.net application with a web service
with a method which the pocket pc application can call in order to send the
data. My concern is maintenance of the code where a third party is involved.
When I need to change the interface or make another change in the webservice
I don't want to involve the third party in order to fix and redeploy the
application. And redeployment is in this case a hassle as the users are
spread all over the country.

Would it be a better idea for me to make an assembly, which takes care of
the communication with the asp.net application, which will be deployed with
the third party application (only my assembly would have to redeployed)? Or
would it be ok to let the pocket pc application call the web service
residing on the asp.net application to be called by the third party code
directly?

The code maintenance and compatiblity as the asp.net application changes,
and the need for redeployment is my key concern. I have not much experience
with web services. Are there any issues there? What could make a web service
incompatible? What happens when the web service provider (the asp.net
application) gets upfraded to newer version? Can I extend the webservice
with more methods withould risking incompatibility? Other issues?

Rafael

 

[Keenan Newton]

Well deploying the application with your own web proxy assembly or
within the pocketpc app, in my ind wonèt make musch of a difference if
you are going to chnage the interface of the web method being called,
because the data being sent to you may also have to be changed (adding
addition parameters, etc...) As to your question about can you add
more web service methods without breaking anything, absolutely as long
as you do not change the existing web method interface you should be
fine. Try creating a simple web service application, and user
interface to try it out.

 

[raffe]

As to your question about can you add
more web service methods without breaking anything, absolutely as long
as you do not change the existing web method interface you should be
fine. Try creating a simple web service application, and user
interface to try it out.

Thank you! Trying it out...