Testing & Monitoring Web Services Using soapUI in NetBeans IDE

What is soapUI?

soapUI is a leading tool for Web Services Testing, developed by eviware. It's free, open-source software, with a vast feature set that includes Functional and Load Testing for Web Services, Web Services Simulation and Web Service Monitoring. In addition to its standalone version, it provides a plugin for NetBeans, which is now available on the NetBeans IDE Update Center.

Web Service Testing and Monitoring Features in NetBeans

With the integration of soapUI Plugin in NetBeans IDE 6.1, a variety of Web Service Testing features have been added, including the following:

• Web Service Functional Testing
• Web Service Load Testing
• Web Service Simulation
• Web Service Monitoring
• Validating WS-Interoperability (WS-I) Compliance

Installation and Setup

Starting with NetBeans IDE 6.1, the soapUIModule Plugin is available from the stable update center. Once the Plugin is installed, no additional setup is needed. It adds a soapUI pop-up menu to the IDE's Tools options. Select Preferences from the pop-up menu to set up optional configuration, such as proxy settings.

Functional Testing

Testing is an integral part of any software development process. In the case of Web Service development, it is essential to make sure the operations provided by the Web Service perform correctly. NetBeans IDE 6.1 allows users to create and execute Test Cases and Test Suites for Web Services.

Creating Test Cases

To create Web Service Tests for a Web Service, first create and deploy the Web Service you need to test. Select the Web Service Node in the Projects tab and right click on it. Invoke the "Create Web Service Tests" from the pop-up menu. The IDE downloads the WSDL for the Web Service and then displays the following dialog.

Accept all the defaults and accept the name of the Test Suite. This will create a test suite for the web service, which is shown as part of the project node.