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Target audience:
Users of the extension providing WCF support for C# and VB.NET.
Summary: This document provides basic information about the the extension providing WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) support for C# and VB.NET.
Description
This extension provides support for WCF (Windows Communication Foundation). The calculation of Automated Function Points for your .NET analyses will be supplmented through the creation of new objects and links specific to the WCF framework that will link back to objects/links produced by the base .NET analyzer.
In what situation should you install this extension?
If your .NET application contains WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) source code and you want to view these object types and their links, then you should install this extension.
WCF framework support
The following WCF frameworks are supported by this extension:
Version | Supported |
|---|---|
| All versions up to 4.5 |  |
- Function Points (transactions): a green tick indicates that OMG Function Point counting and Transaction Risk Index are supported
- Quality and Sizing: a green tick indicates that CAST can measure size and that a minimum set of Quality Rules exist
| Function Points (transactions) | Quality and Sizing |
|---|---|
|  |
CAST AIP release | Supported | Technology |
|---|---|---|
| 8.2.x | | C# and VB.NET |
| 8.1.x | | C# and VB.NET |
| 8.0.x | | C# and VB.NET |
| 7.3.7 and all higher 7.3.x releases | | C# only |
Supported DBMS servers
This extension is compatible with the following DBMS servers:
| CSS2 | Oracle | Microsoft |
|---|---|---|
| | |
Prerequisites
| An installation of any compatible release of CAST AIP (see table above) |
Bug Fix List
Please see WCF 1.1 - Bug Fix List.
Download and installation instructions
Please see:
- http://doc.castsoftware.com/display/EXTEND/Download+an+extension
- http://doc.castsoftware.com/display/EXTEND/Install+an+extension
The latest release status of this extension can be seen when downloading it from the CAST Extend server.
Packaging, delivering and analyzing your source code
Once the extension is installed, no further configuration changes are required before you can package your source code and run an analysis. The process of packaging, delivering and analyzing your source code does not change in any way:
- Package and deliver your application (that includes source code which uses WCF) in the exact same way as you always have. You can refer to the existing official CAST documentation for more information about this - see: http://doc.castsoftware.com/display/DOC82/Source+Code+Delivery+Guide+for+Application+Teams.
- Analyze your delivered J2EE application source code in the CAST Management Studio in the exact same way as you always have - the source code which uses WCF will be detected and handled correctly. You can refer to the existing official CAST documentation for more information about configuring an analysis - see: http://doc.castsoftware.com/display/DOC82/2.+Application+Analysis+Process+with+CAST+AIP
What results can you expect?
Once the analysis/snapshot generation has completed, you can view the results in the normal manner. The following objects and links will be displayed in CAST Enlighten:
Objects
| Icon | Description |
|---|---|
 | Configuration folder / Referred Service Endpoints folder |
 | WCF Client Endpoint |
 | WCF Service Endpoint |
 | WCF Operation Method |
 | WCF Service Contract |
 | WCF Service |
This translates to the following in CAST Enlighten:
Links
| Source | Link type | Target | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| WCF Service | referLink | .NET class implementing the WCF Service |  |
| Proxy class method client side | callLink | WCF Service method on service side |  |
| WCF Client Endpoint | callLink | WCF Service |  |
Limitations
In this section we list the most significant functional limitations that may affect the analysis of applications using WCF:
- If the configuration of WCF service is done through the code (endpoint configuration, service creation), this not supported.
- No support for advanced Annotations (IsOneWay for example)
- No support for DataContracts
- No support for Duplex
- No support for Callback
- .svc files are ignored
Limitations/open bugs in Functional Release 1.1
- Unable to See the WCF objects in the object list of the CAST Transaction Configuration Center if the WCF extension is installed on an existing triplet
- Call-Link is not getting created from WCF Client endpoint to WCF Service
