WCF - A simple example

This article will show you how to create, deploy and configure a WCF service (and client) in less than 5 minutes, in 4 easy steps:

  1. Create the service
  2. Deploy to IIS
  3. Configure IIS
  4. Create the client

We will be using Visual Studio 2017.

1 Create the service
  1. File New Project
    Visual C#
    WCF
    WCF Service Application
    Name: WeatherServiceApp
    OK
  2. Modify the sample code so that it looks like the two files below:

    IWeatherService.cs (refactored from IService1.cs) 

    using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using System.ServiceModel;
 
namespace WeatherServiceApp
{
    [ServiceContract]
    public interface IWeatherService
    {
        [OperationContract]
        WeatherReport GetWeather(Location location);
    }
 
    [DataContract]
    public class Location
    {
        [DataMember]
        public int ZipCode { get; set; }
    }
 
    [DataContract]
    public class WeatherReport
    {
        [DataMember]
        public int ZipCode { get; set; }
        [DataMember]
        public string Text { get; set; }
    }
}

    WeatherService.cs (refactored from Service1.cs) 

    using System;
 
namespace WeatherServiceApp
{
    public class WeatherService : IWeatherService
    {
        public WeatherReport GetWeather(Location location)
        {
            if (location == null)
                throw new ArgumentNullException("location");
 
            var weather = new WeatherReport
            {
                ZipCode = location.ZipCode,
                Text = "It will be dry and sunny today."
            };
 
            return weather;
        }
    }
}
2 Deploy to IIS
  1. Build Publish WeatherServiceApp
    Folder: c:\inetpub\wwwroot\wcf\
    Publish
3 Configure IIS

  1. Open IIS Manager, right click on the directory to which you deployed your service, and select Convert to Application. Accept the defaults, and click Okay.

4 Create the client
  1. File New Project
    Visual C#
    Windows Classic Desktop
    Console App (.NET Framework)
    Name: WeatherClient
    OK
  2. Project Add Service Reference
    Address:
    http://localhost/wcf/WeatherService.svc Go
    OK

    Program.cs 

    using System;
using WeatherClient.ServiceReference1;
 
namespace WeatherClient
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            var client = new WeatherServiceClient();
            var location = new Location()
            {
                ZipCode = 12508
            };
            var weather = client.GetWeather(location);
            Console.WriteLine(weather.Text);
        }
    }
}

Program output: 

It will be dry and sunny today.

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© Richard McGrath