VISUAL WEBTOOLS CODE
VISUAL WEBTOOLS WINDOWS

VISUAL WEBTOOLS CODE

Base URL for USPS Address and Zip Code validation API. Public USPS_UserID As String = 'MyUSPS_UserID' Private Const BaseURL As String = _ ' http:/ / / ShippingAPITest.dll'

'Base URL for USPS Address and Zip Code validation API.

These are the base URL to the USPS Web Tools API, an instance of the class, and a property for the User ID that you obtained when you registered to use the USPS Web Tools API. Next, we want to define some properties our class is going to need. In either case, we want to rename our class “WebTools”, and rename the corresponding source file “WebTools.vb” or “WebTools.cs” depending on what environment we are dealing with. If you are a C# person, enter this to the declarations section of your C# project: In VB.Net add the following to the imports section at the top of your source: Now we need to include the System.Net namespace. In this case, we are creating a Class Library project. So, here is the solution we came up with:Ĭreate your project in either VB.Net or C#. I went and threw some down and dirty code in a junk project, and vioala! I got the response I was looking for. When I looked at what he had on his screen, I saw the writer was using the WebClient class of the System.Net namespace. But, bang your head no more for I have found a solution.Īs we were discussing the dilemma I was facing, a friend was poking around the search engines and showed me a web site that discussed a similar scenario, brining web content into a. From what I have seen in my search engine queries on this matter, I am not the only one to have spent hours banging my head on the table trying to get around this dilemma. We are not able to get this from the USPS Web Tools because the API wants to see a fully qualified request before it provides ANY response. When Visual Studio creates a “Web Reference”, it queries the service provider for a dynamic WSDL (Web Service Description Language). The problem is, if we enter the base URL (without parameter XML), Visual Studio is unable to validate the service reference. Now we have the “Add Web Reference” dialog, where we would normally enter the URL to a web service that we wish to consume. We can click on that “Advanced” button to get to the “Service Reference Settings” dialog, where (again) we find the “Add Web Reference” button in the lower left corner. If we look to the bottom left of this dialog, we find the “Advanced” button. When we add a web reference using Microsoft’s suggested methodology, we right click on our project, select “Add Service Reference”, we get the “Add Service Reference” dialog. And this appears to be true, especially if you are using Microsoft’s own flavor of web services (.Net Remoting), or SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol). Net is (according to Microsoft) designed to make implementing web services very easy. What we will focus on here is what the USPS does not clarify.

Rather than reproducing the United States Postal Service Web Toolkit Development guide here, I will refer you to the official web site where you can register as a user and obtain the Postal Service’s own materials.

VISUAL WEBTOOLS WINDOWS

However, the material provided by the USPS only provides one code example using JavaScript, which is a problem if your project is a Windows application, or a class that is to operate as a service. This service is relatively clear cut in it’s operation, and the technical information is acceptable. The United States Postal Service has developed an API which exposes several of the agency’s services to third party developers.

Visual webtools