WCF Service Creation with Visual Studio 2019

Are you ready to dive into the world of WCF service creation? Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is a pretty nifty framework that lets developers build and consume services that work across various protocols, including HTTP and TCP. The icing on top is that it’s possible to do all of this using Visual Studio 2019. Here are the steps you need to follow:

Step 1: Launch Visual Studio 2019 and create a new WCF Service Application

The first thing you must do is to launch Visual Studio 2019 and build a new WCF Service Application. The process is pretty simple:

1. Click on “Create a new project” on the Visual Studio start page.
2. Select “WCF Service Application” in the “Create a new project” window.
3. Choose your preferred name and location to save the project.
4. Hit “Create”.

Step 2: Add a Service Contract

Now that you have created a new project, it’s time to add a service contract. Here is how:

1. Right-click on the project in the Solution Explorer and opt for “Add” -> “New Item”.
2. Select “WCF Service”.
3. Choose a name for your service and click “Add”.
4. Rename the “Service1” class to something more descriptive (like “MyService”).
5. Add the [ServiceContract] attribute to the class.
6. Include a method to the class and add the [OperationContract] attribute to it. This method will be how clients use your service.
7. Build the project.

Step 3: Configure the WCF Service

Service configuration is an essential step towards making it operational. Here are the steps you need to follow for configuration:

1. Open the web.config file in the project.
2. Locate the <system.serviceModel> element and insert a <services> element within it.
3. Include a <service> element within the <services> element and set the name attribute to the full name of your service class, including the namespace.
4. Add an <endpoint> element inside the <service> element. Define the transport protocol, binding, and address of the service.
5. Save the web.config file.

Step 4: Test the WCF Service

Testing your service is the final step, and it’s a crucial one. Here’s what you have to do:

1. Run the project by pressing F5.
2. Open the test page in your default browser.
3. Click on the link of the service you created.
4. Use the WCF Test Client utility to view the list of methods exposed by your service.
5. Select a method and click “Invoke”.
6. The WCF Test Client will send a request to your service and display the response.

Congratulations, you have now successfully created a WCF service using Visual Studio 2019!