I have a SOA application.
1. data layer: Entity Framework
2. Service layer: WCF
3. presentation layer: silverlight
Now, in silverlight I want to use data types from data layer. I cannot add a direct reference to entity framework because silverlight is using a different .net CLR. So I added a service reference hoping it will recreate thoses types in reference.cs. However, it still doesn't work. The service call return a error message "The remote server returned an error: NotFound.". This only happens when the service function has a entity framework data types as return type. If a function returns a common type like a string, everything will work. So I am almost sure the problem is caused by type translation.
Does anybody know how to reference data types defined in entity framework, in a silverlight project.
Thank you very much!
I believe the current recommended practice when exposing your Entity Data Model to a Silverlight client is to use the new .NET WCF RIA Services. Here is a screencast introduction:
http://www.silverlight.net/learn/videos/all/net-ria-services-intro/
and here is the home page for .NET RIA Services:
http://www.silverlight.net/getstarted/riaservices/
I have been able to simply add a reference to a WCF service that returns entity types. When you do that, Visual Studio will build up similar types in your Silverlight project.
Another option is to use the POCO option in Entity Framework 4. If you create a class library in .NET and then create an identical class library in Silverlight (you can just add the .NET classes using 'add as link'), you should be able to use the same types in your Silverlight app, just make sure to check the "Reuse types in specified referenced assemblies" in the service reference configuration.
Related
I have tried several guides I find online, and nothing seems to work. I am trying to follow this guide, Setting up a new Silverlight 4 Project with WCF RIA Services, but when I try and add a Domain Services class to the RIA x.Web project, I get an error about an index dialoguie out of range etc. Google reveals this is maybe because VS can't find a connection string, although I have added one in App.config.
Then, if I try and add the DS class directly into my Silverlight host, bypassing teh RIA project, I get the same error, until I add an App.Config. After that, I can proceed an iota further, and I get to choose my DbContext and select a few entity classes to include in the DS class. But then I get an unspecified error.
Maybe something code-first specific? I find a NuGet package for CodeFirst EF and RIA, RIAServices.EntityFramework, but it doesn't support EF 4.3. I am going to try and duplicate my model in a dirty old edmx model and see.
Has anyone had any success doing any of this in VS 2012?
You should be adding connection strings to the Web.Config not an App.config
I've made a service for my silverlight 4 database (SQL) affairs (VS2010, C# ASP.NET web app), now I'm writing my SQL functions in this service, how can I use this functions? I've read some articles about deploying services but I think my case should not be much complicated, I have a big ASP.net web app with several web pages (I have a server running on winserver2008), it works great, also I have a SL app, what kind of files should I upload for using service? do I need an asmx? how can I create it? should I change anything in web.config?
what is the easiest way to use my service for communicating between SQL and SL? thanks
WCF RIA Services is the way to go. You do not want to bother with old-school ASMX web-services.
You will use an EF model and a DomainContext on the server to handle all database access via CRUD methods (Create, Read, Update & Delete).
On the client you will use the generated Domain Service client to access data.
Notes from my previous RIA post:
My suggestion is to always create RIA Service libraries instead of adding directly to a Silverlight application. Then you can link the Client-side library to any number of Silverlight applications, then link the .Web part of the RIA library to your website to provide the WCF service. Again the key is to migrate the config settings.
It will probably make a lot more sense if you create a new RIA services library project, add your EDM etc, then link the halves to a separate Silverlight app and your new ASP.net website.
Step-by-step:
Create RIA Services Library project by selecting Add New Project. Select Silverlight on the left. Select WCF RIA Services Class Library on the right. I will assume it is called the default name RIAServicesLibrary1 for this example. It will create a Silverlight client library called RIAServicesLibrary1 and a standard .Net library called RIAServicesLibrary1.Web for use by the Web server.
Add your EDMX to the RiaServices.web project. Select Add new item. Select Data on the left. Select ADO.Net Entity Data Model on the right. I will assume it is called the default Model1.edmx for this example. Connect it to your database tables etc.
Build your project so that the next step will find your data model.
Create a Domain Service referencing your EDMX models in your RiaServices.web project. Select Add new item. Select Web on the left. Select Domain Service Class on the right. I will assume it is called DomainService1.cs for this example. Choose your data items from the Add New Domain Service Class popup window by ticking the checkboxes. A set of RIA services objects and methods will be created for each item you select.
Add a reference to the client Ria services library project (RIAServicesLibrary1) to your Silverlight application.
Add a reference to the web RIA services library project (RIAServicesLibrary1.Web) to your hosting web application (e.g. you ASP.Net website).
Copy/merge the various sections in the RIAServicesLibrary1.Web/app.config file into your <webapplication>/web.config file. This will include any connection strings and the module sections.
Build the project again so that the Data Source window will see your new Domain Context data sources.
Use the RIAServicesLibrary1 client object (called DomainService1 in this example) directly from your Silverlight code like this:
DomainService1 client = new DomainService1();
or use the Data Sources window to drag/drop a new grid etc onto a page.
If the Data Sources window is not visible select the "Data" menu then the "Show Data Sources" option.
For more information try this Microsoft link: Using WCF RIA Services
I have a WCF service (using HTTP binding) that our WinForm and WFP apps can use with no problem. We have a Silverlight 4 developer who is saying he's not able to use the WCF service because it needs to be "reconfigured" for Silverlight use. I don't know if this is true or not, because I don't know anything about Silverlight.
So, my question is this. Should a WCF service, that uses HTTP binding, that is successfully being used by our WinForms and WPF applications, also be able to be consumed by Silverlight apps, without modifying or reconfiguring the WCF service?
Silverlight 4 supports the following bindings:
BasicHttpBinding
PollingDuplexHttpBinding
CustomBinding (with a subset of binding elements)
Silverlight and WCF Feature Comparison:
There are several ways to use the WCF
client stack to access a service.
It is used when invoking services
through automatically generated
proxies, as described in How to:
Access a Service from Silverlight. The
proxy must be generated in this
procedure by using the Add Service
Reference tool in Visual Studio 2010
for the Silverlight project.
Caution:
Proxies generated by using the WCF
Svcutil.exe tool will not work in
Silverlight 4. Use the SLsvcutil.exe
tool instead. For more information
about using this Silverlight tool, see
Using SLsvcUtil.exe to Access a
Service.
If you already have a Windows
Communication Foundation (WCF) service
contract definition, you can use the
generic ChannelFactory class without
having to generate a proxy. This might
be the case, for example, if your
client is sharing service definition
code with the project on the server.
In this case you could, for example,
define a service contract interface
IStockQuoteService and then use the
same IStockQuoteService code in both
the server and Silverlight projects.
This would involve using a
ChannelFactory.
This advanced technique is
demonstrated in How to: Call
Operations Asynchronously Using a
Channel Factory and in the Silverlight
4 context with Building and Accessing
Duplex Services. For more information
about defining and using service
contracts, see Designing Service
Contracts.
I am building a silverlight application using MVVM pattern but I don't understand what I am missing here...
ViewsProject (Silverlight Application) contains user controls and page. References ViewModelsProject.
ViewModelsProject (Silverlight class library) contains backend code of views. Also the business logic will reside in here. It will reference Models project.
ModelsProject (Windows class library) contains: Ado.net entity model of a local database and a WCF RIA DomainService built on the entity model. It's purpose is to get data from the local database and the entities are exposed via domain service.
Web project: Contains xap of ViewsProject.
Have I done everything correct so far? If yes then please help me understand:
How do I call the methods of the
domain service in the ViewsModel
project? If I reference the
ModelsProject, I get the error that
only silverlight projects can be
added.
If I change ModelsProject to a
silverlight class library project
then I can't add the entity model of
my database.
For client projects to use WCF RIA Service you need to set WCF RIA Services Link in project property.
As for modularity and separation in project architecture when using WCF RIA Services,
you can use WCF RIA Class libraries.
There isn't much sense in separating your views from your viewmodels IMHO. I've seen this approach used before but the view model (in my mind at least) represents a more 'view appropriate' abstraction of the data than the domain model can offer. The ViewModel provides a layer of indirection to allow the presentation to change without the model doing the same but it's little more than a sort of Adapter/Controller hybrid and lives alongside the view.
To answer your question though...
Typically, you'll have your SL project call your domain service (a web service usually) via commanding from your view to the viewmodel. The viewmodel command will then directly or indirectly make the web service call. This web service does not need to be a SL class library since it sits on the web server away from your client.
I get the feeling your thinking in terms of a desktop app here. Remember that the SL project runs client side and your data is not there. To wire all this up your gonna need some remote service to get the data from. A regular library reference is no good since the data is not on the client.
HTH, Stimul8d
I worked out the answer.
Change ViewModelsProject (Silverlight class library) to Silverlight Application type.
Check Enable Ria services during creation of the project.
In the view model class, add using ModelsProject.
Compile the ViewModelsProject.
All of the methods of the WCF Ria service will then appear in the code.
At the moment it seems that a RIA Domain Services class can not return a sinlge custom type.
There are parts of my app that needs just that, so think the only way to get that is to call back to a simple silverlight-enabled WCF Service, which i beleive will not have a problem returning a custom type. I don't see where the Silverlight client app has any sort of reference to the Ria Services. How do I set up both a Ria services and WCF service on the silverlight client. Will the WCF service be "aware" of the authenication already in place with the RIA services?
This is one of my biggest bugbears of RIA Services :). The good thing is that they are in the process of enabling complex types to be returned from invoke methods (according to the user voice site for RIA Services). However, that won't help you now :).
The best way to implement your requirement to return complex objects is indeed to set up a standard WCF Service to return complex types when required. You do so in the normal way that you would expose a WCF in any web project. You then consume it in your Silverlight application in much the same way you would a WCF Service in any other type of project (by adding it as a service reference). The main difference when consuming it (compared to other types of projects) is that Silverlight only supports asynchronous calls. One difference to be aware of from RIA Services is that whereas RIA Services automatically determines the URI of the domain services (based upon where the XAP file originated from), you will need to handle that aspect yourself (very important when you try to deploy your application :). Do this either by setting the URI in the app.config file, or use the method I use in the code accompanying this article here: http://www.silverlightshow.net/items/Building-a-Framework-for-Silverlight-Line-Of-Business-Applications.aspx.
In regards to your final question, yes, RIA Services uses standard ASP.NET authentication, so the cookie that it uses to maintain your authentication status is also used by any WCF Services in the same project. I talk a bit about security with WCF Services in this article if you want more information: http://www.silverlightshow.net/items/Building-a-Silverlight-Line-Of-Business-Application-Part-3.aspx.
Hope this helps...
Chris