Hi All and Rick,
I am about to take my first crack at Xamarin. It will start off as simple drill-down CRUD App calling to a Windows Server / SQL Server.
Question:
To avoid countless hours of testing and research, which is really the best method of passing data? (Rest, ASMX, WCF, etc..)
Rick, we still have that old SQL/Web Server (wwWebSQLServer) running at FULL crank. Maybe it would be better idea to build a .Net wrapper for it instead? It would be great not to have to add anything to the Server.
Thanks in advance, Bill
It's funny I was looking at the old wwWebSqlServer just the other day for another customer who needed to get distributed data online for a mobile app. Isn't the version I built for you running .NET? That service already supports JSON (or maybe I added this later).
REST is easiest and most efficient - no overhead of SOAP processing and libraries. Xamarin doesn't include the same WCF/Old WSDL client tools directly - you have to generate proxies manually and maintain them that way. Doable but not idea. I'd go with REST and just do the JSON parsing via helpers and a client wrapper for the service.
+++ Rick ---
Hi Rick,
Yes, I forgot, we did add JSON! (It was for those Debit Card guys, but that whole Industry soon after went down in flames taking our project with it. haha) However, I can't find the source anywhere.
So, I'm thinking, JSON wwWebSQLServer server side with JSON.Net / JSON2CSharp using POCO client side should be a good simple option?
I also have an old Silverlight app (RIA nightmare from hell) that I would like to revert back to WinForms could also use this schema.
thanks Bill
I like to create service client wrappers that simplify the HTTP calls and error checking that the client makes. It's not a ton of stuff but it's repetive and creating a client class with a few helpers for http configuration and get and send operations makes life a lot easier.
I tend to use my Westwind.Utilities.HttpUtils for this which makes short work of the serialization tasks.
+++ Rick ---
Hi Rick,
Do you have a newer version of wwWebSQLServer with JSON? I've looked everywhere and no luck.
HTTPUtils definitely looks like a useful tool. I'm going to look into the rest of your stuff to see what else can simplify this task.
I want to get the Data Access side down pat before I even begin to write the APP.
thanks Bill
Just keep in mind that these libs won't work on Xamarin as is. They might compile for it but don't know if they work as is.
+++ Rick ---
Do you have a newer version of wwWebSQLServer with JSON? I've looked everywhere and no luck.
Yup, but it probably needs a once over since that code is pretty ancient. The JSON support built in then was very rudimentary.
If I recall I built the server for you, then customized it after the fact to be more generically applicable. Never did anything with it other than use it in a few projects where customers needed a quick way to get distributed server access to their data. I have a FoxPro and .NET client that can use the data directly with DAL classes, but it's all pretty hazy since that was so long ago.
+++ Rick ---
Hi Rick,
I'll take anything you got (beggars can't be choosy). Probably have to customize it away. I know for one is to add the ability to fire a Stored Procedure multiple times in the same request based on multiple sets of parameters.
I am surprised that WebSQL isn't more popular. It's such a no-brainer to use and better solution than having to secure database connections all over the place.
BTW Your Markdown Monster looks really slick. Too bad I don't have much use for it. What I need is a XAML Monster! haha
Thanks Bill