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WCF Test Client Tool

In this article I will explain about WCF test client.

Software Requirement

Before you start reading this tutorial you should make sure that visual studio 2008(or above versions) is installed on your machine.

Prerequisite Knowledge

Before you go ahead, it is required that you should know the

What is WCF service?
How to create a WCF service?
What is a service contract?
What is an operation contract?

What Is WCF Test Client

WCF test client is a GUI tool used to test a WCF service.

Creation Of A Sample WCF Service

In this section we will create a sample WCF service which we can test using the WCF test client tool.

The sample service contains 2 methods AddData and DivideData(Please see the screen shots below).

Service contract

Picture showing the AddData and DivideData method signature inside the IMathService interface

Click to Enlarge

Class inherits the interface

Picture showing the MathService class implementing the IMathService interface

Click to Enlarge

Open WCF Test Client

Once you have created the service run the application by pressing F5 or by clicking on the play button in visual studio.

WCF Test Client Window

When you run the service as shown in figure below. Please check the explanation provided in the image.

Picture showing the different components of the WCF test client tool

Click to Enlarge

Config File

Config file appears when you double click on the config file in WCF test client. It is the app.config file where the endpoint of service is defined. Please see the screenshot below.

Click to Enlarge

How To Invoke A Service

To invoke a method enter test values and click invoke button.

Click to Enlarge

Request And Response In Xml Format

Once you have invoked the method you can see the request and response in xml format by clicking on the xml tab as shown in figure below.

Picture showing the request and response in the XML format

Click to Enlarge

Summary

WCF test client tool helps you to test your WCF service before the service is deployed.

Posted By -	Karan Gupta

Posted On -	Wednesday, January 11, 2012

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