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The consequences of web services architecture
time to read 1 min | 90 words
I mentioned before that MS CRM's decision to build all its external API based on web services (that cannot be accessed outside of ASMX proxies) was a big mistake. It is a mistake because you are handing the developer a really clumsy, stupid, API.
I just spent an hour trying to figure out how to set a value to null. An hour!
It couldn't be as simple as this:
customer.new_employeeintouch = null;
It has to be:
customer.new_employeeintouch = new Lookup(); customer.new_employeeintouch.IsNull = true; customer.new_employeeintouch.IsNullSpecified = true;
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Oh come on, this is so logical you should actually be surprised that resharper did not guess it and expand your "= null" to that code ;-)
Rest assured. Microsoft could have come up with a clumsy, stupid API without involving web services.
Yes they could have, its called the Sharepoint 2007 API...
Did you maybe think that MS CRM is only a test of developer patience? Something like MTV Boiling Point thingy?
Hehehehehe... if you can only last for a couple of more things like that.... MS will award you :) :)
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Vladan
Riffing on The Other Steve's point: Microsoft DID come up with a clumsy, stupid API without involving web services.
There's nothing about that API example that is specific to web services or that would have been caused by wanting to expose it as a web service. I'm sure that API was equally clumsy and stupid before it was wrapped for web service exposure.
Let's call a horse a horse, shall we?
Ayende, but I did not get what was the problem with the web services?
Looks more like your opinnion, without having facts.
Darius,
Do you really think that something like this is a reasonable API?
Ayende,
Absolutely not.
The code smell probably lasts for two miles, or even longer. ;)
It's just that I'm picky, same API can be made without web services. simple as that
Oh, yes.
But the reason for this API is that they decided to base everything on XML proxies.
I am going to assume that without that it would have been better.
I'm hearing that SharePoint managed to do as worse, but I have no personal experience/
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