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Developing a Simple Synchronous BPEL Process

Contributed by: Sherry Barkodar

Last updated: August 2008
This publication is applicable to NetBeans IDE 6.1 and 6.5.

This tutorial provides an overview of the sample project, SynchronousSample. Also the tutorial illustrates the enhancement, deploying, executing, and testing a synchronous BPEL process using NetBeans IDE 6.1 with all the necessary runtimes.

The synchronous BPEL process represents a simple synchronous flow. The process takes an input message and sends that message back synchronously. A client starts the synchronous process by invoking a request-response operation. After invoking a synchronous process, the client is blocked until the process finishes and returns the result.

In this tutorial you will use a sample BPEL project called SynchronousSample and a Composite Application project called SynchronousSampleApplication. The project includes WSDL and XML schema files, a deployment descriptor, and input files for testing. The web service interface for this process is a single synchronous operation.

Expected duration: 30 minutes

Contents

Tutorial Requirements Configuring and Starting the GlassFish Application Server Opening the SynchronousSample Project Exploring the BPEL Project in the Projects Window Exploring the WSDL Editor in the Source Editor Adding If Activity to the Design View Adding Assign Activity to the Design View Deploying the Project to the Application Server Creating a Test Drive Testing the SynchronousSampleApplication

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Tutorial Requirements

Before you proceed, make sure you review the requirements in this section.

Prerequisites

This tutorial assumes that you have some basic knowledge of, or programming experience with, the Java language and platform and the NetBeans IDE.

To complete this tutorial, you need the following software and resources.

Software or Resource Version Required

NetBeans IDE Version 6.5 or
version 6.1 "All"

Java Development Kit (JDK) Version 6 or
version 5

GlassFish Application Server V2

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Configuring and Starting the GlassFish Application Server

When you install full NetBeans IDE download, it includes the GlassFish application server. The NetBeans IDE will automatically start the application server when needed.

To start the GlassFish application server:

If the Services window is not visible, choose Window > Services. In the Services window, expand the Servers node.
The Servers node should contain the GlassFish application server subnode. If the GlassFish application server node does not appear, go to To configure the GlassFish Application Server.

[image]

Right-click the GlassFish application server node and select Start.
The Output window displays logging information about the application startup. If the Output window is not visible, choose Window > Output > Output.

When the message Application server startup complete appears in the Output window, the application server is running.
Note: If a green arrow badge appears on the GlassFish application server node, the server is running.

Note: Deploying an application to the GlassFish application server will automatically start the server. Thus, you do not have to manually start the application server.

Note: The following procedure shows how to configure the IDE to use an alternate version of the GlassFish V2 application server.

To configure the GlassFish V2 application server:

You might want to use a different version of the application server than the one provided with the IDE. For example, you might want to download and install a more current version of the GlassFish V2 application server from the GlassFish Community site.

The following procedure shows how to configure the IDE to use an alternate version of the GlassFish V2 application server. It assumes that you have downloaded and installed the alternate version of the application server.

In the Services window, right-click the Servers node and choose Add Server from the pop-up menu.
The Add Server Instance dialog box opens. In the Choose Server page, select GlassFish V2 from the list. Click Next.
The Platform Folder Location page opens. In the Platform Location field, use the Browse button to navigate to and select the installation location of the application server.

If you installed the GlassFish application server in the default location, use Table 1 as a guide for locating the installation. Otherwise, navigate to the location where you installed the GlassFish V2 application server.

Table 1: Default Application Server Installation Directory

Platform Installing As... SOA Installation Tools Bundle Installation

Solaris OS
Linux root /opt/glassfish-v2 /opt/SUNWappserver

Solaris OS
Linux user ~/glassfish-v2 ~/SUNWappserver

Mac OS X N/A /Applications/NetBeans/glassfish-v2ur2 /Applications/NetBeans/NetBeans 6.5

Windows N/A C:\Program Files\glassfish-v2ur2 C:\Sun\AppServer

Select the Register Local Default Domain radio button and click Next. Enter the user name and password for the domain's administrator.
If you accepted the default values during the installation, the user name is admin and the password is adminadmin. Click Finish.

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Opening the SynchronousSample Project

From the IDE's main menu, choose File >New Project.
The New Project wizard opens. In the Categories list, select Samples > SOA. In the Projects list, select Synchronous BPEL Process.

Sample BPEL Module project selected

Click Next. In the Project Name field, leave the default SynchronousSample.

Typing project name

(Optional) In the Project Location field, use the Browse button to navigate to and select a different folder where the IDE will store the project files. Click Finish.
The Projects window now contains two project nodes: one for a BPEL project called SynchronousSample, and one for a Composite application project called SynchronousSampleApplication.

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Exploring the BPEL Project in the Projects Window

In the Projects window, expand the SynchronousSample node, then expand the Process Files node.
The Process Files node contains these items:

SynchronousSample.bpel, the BPEL process SynchronousSample.wsdl, the process web service interface. SynchronousSample.xsd, the schema file.

SynchronousSample Project view

Double-click the SynchronousSample.bpel node.
Notice the following:

The BPEL Designer contains a tab for SynchronousSample.bpel. The SynchronousSample diagram is shown in the Design view.
The Design view is the business processes visual designer. In this view, you can visually model a business process. The BPEL Designer automatically generates BPEL code that corresponds to the visual design. You can view the source code in the Source view (Alt-O). The Design view Palette of BPEL elements opens on the right. The Navigator window shows the BPEL Logical View of the BPEL process.

SynchronousSample BPEL Design view
Click to enlarge

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Exploring the WSDL Editor in the Source Editor

In the WSDL Editor, you can create and edit Web Services Description Language (WSDL) files. The WSDL Editor includes the Design view, Source view, and the Partner view.

To see the WSDL view:

In the Projects window, double-click the SynchronousSample.wsdl file.
This WSDL file opens in the WSDL view. In the WSDL view, the WSDL file appears as a tree component where you can configure the file's elements and attributes.

SynchronousSample WSDL
Click to enlarge

To see the Source view:

Click the Source button on the toolbar.
The underlying XML source code appears in the Source view.

SynchronousSample WSDL Source view
Click to enlarge

To see the Partner view:

Click the Partner button on the toolbar.
The abstract elements of a WSDL file represented as interactions between partners appear in the Partner view.

SynchronousSample WSDL Source view
Click to enlarge

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Adding If Activity to the Design View

In the Projects window, double-click the SynchronousSample > Process Files > SynchronousSample.bpel node.
The IDE displays the SynchronousSample.bpel diagram in the Design view. On the Palette, in the Structured Activities section, select the If icon and drag your selection to the design area between the Start and Assign activities.
The IDE provides you with visual clues that show where you can drop the selection.
This action places an If activity called If1 in the Design view.

If activity added

In the Design view, double-click the If1 activity.
The BPEL Mapper view opens.
Use the BPEL Mapper to define the Boolean condition. Notice the sections at the top of the BPEL Mapper make up the menu bar.

BPEL Mapper

On the menu bar, click Operator and select ==EQUAL method Equal

.
The == Equal method appears in the middle portion of the BPEL Mapper, which is called the mapping pane. On the menu bar, click the String method and select String Literal

from the String drop-down list.
The String Literal box appears in the mapping pane of the Mapper. Double-click the String Literal box to make it editable, type Hello World in the box, and press the Enter key. Move the string literal box and the == Equal box to the middle of the mapping pane.

Equal and String Literal inserted

In the Source tree pane of the BPEL Mapper, under Variables, expand inputVar > inputType.
paramA appears under the inputType node . Drag the paramA onto the upper ingoing connector of the == Equal box. Select the small square on the right side of the string literal box. When the hand cursor is visible, drag a connecting line to the lower ingoing connector of the == Equal box. From the == Equal method, drag the link onto the Boolean Condition node on the destination pane.

Mapping

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Adding Assign Activity to the Design View

In the Design View (Alt-D), drag the Assign1 activity already existing on the diagram to the If1 activity. Place this Assign activity between the two large X icons in the If1 activity area.

Assign activity added

From the Basic Activities section of the Palette, drag the Assign activity to the Design view and place it to the right of the existing Assign element.

Second Assign activity added

Double-click the new Assign2 activity. The Mapper View opens. In the destination pane (the right pane), expand Variables > outputVar and select resultType node. From the Mapper's menu bar, choose the String method and select the concat Concat

from the String drop-down list.
The concat method appears in the mapping pane of the BPEL Mapper. Double-click the first field in the Concat box and type Hello followed by space in the first string and press Enter. On the Source tree pane of the BPEL Mapper (the left one), expand inputVar > inputType. Drag paramA onto the the second field of the Concat method. Drag the link from the outgoing connector of the Concat box onto the paramA under outputVar > resultType in the destination pane.
This concatenates the string Hello to the input and copies the statement into the output variable.

String Hello concatenated

Press Ctrl-S to save your edits.

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Deploying the Project to the Application Server

Deploying the project makes the service assembly available to the application server, allowing its service units to be run.

To deploy the Composite Application:

If the Output window is not visible, choose Window > Output. In the Projects window right-click the SynchronousSampleApplication project node and choose Deploy. In the Warning dialog box, make sure that the GlassFish V2 server is selected and click OK.
Notice a message similar to the following message appears in the Output window:
BUILD SUCCESSFUL.

Output window

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Creating a Test Drive

You can enhance the Composite Application project by adding test cases, binding them to the operations, supplying input, and then using the Tester.

In the Projects window, expand the SynchronousSampleApplication project node, right-click the Test node, and choose New Test Case from the pop-up menu.
The New Test Case wizard opens. For Name, enter: MyTestCase and click Next. Expand SynchronousSample-Source Packages, select SynchronousSample.wsdl and click Next Select operation1 and click Finish.
Notice in the project tree, under Test, new folder MyTestCase is created, containing two files: Input and Output.

MyTestcase

Double-click the Input and modify its content as follows:

Locate the following line in the Body contents:
<syn:paramA>?string?<syn:paramA> . Replace ?string? with Sherry.
The line should look like this:
<syn:paramA>Sherry<syn:paramA> . To save your changes, from the IDE's main menu, choose File > Save.

Double-click Output.xml to examine its contents.
Notice that before the test is run this file is empty.
Each time the test is run, the current output is compared to the contents of Output. When the test is run for the first time, the test status is failed and you are prompted to write the first output to the Output file.

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Testing the SynchronousSampleApplication

First we will run the TestCase0 test case, and then the recently created MyTestCase.

In the Projects window, navigate to the SynchronousSampleApplication > Test > TestCase0 directory.
The TestCase0 node contains two XML files: Input for input and Output for output.
Each time the test is run, the input is processed, and the current output is compared to the content of Output file. Right-click the TestCase0 project node, and choose Run from the context menu.
Notice this message in the JUnit Test Results window:

Test passed

This means, the test is passed, the received output matches the expected output contained in the Output file.

Now right-click the MyTestCase node, and choose Run from the pop-up menu.
This is a special case where the Output file is empty and the output is written to Output.
The Overwrite Empty Output dialog box opens so you can confirm that you want to overwrite Output.xml.

Overwrite Emplty Output?

Click Yes.
Notice the failed message:

MyTestcase failed

Double-click the Output file and check that now it is not empty. In should contain the result string "Hello Sherry"

Hello Sherry

Repeat step 3.
After the first run, the Output.xml file is no longer empty; its contents is preserved and is not overwritten by the new result. The new result is compared to the written output and as soon as it matches, the test status is Passed.

MyTestcase passed