science

Web Services Flow Language

Web Services Flow Language is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Web Services Flow Language rather than just read about it. In short: Web Services Flow Language 1.0 (WSFL) was an XML programming language proposed by IBM in 2001 for describing Web services compositions. Language considered two types of compositions.

Key takeaways

Web Services Flow Language belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Web Services Flow Language to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Web Services Flow Language from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Web Services Flow Language 1.0 (WSFL) was an XML programming language proposed by IBM in 2001 for describing Web services compositions. Language considered two types of compositions. The first type was for describing business processes as a collection of web services and the second was for describing interactions between partners. WSFL was proposed to be layered on top of Web Services Description Language. In 2003 IBM and Microsoft combined WSFL and Xlang to BPEL4WS and submitted it to OASIS for standardization. Oasis published BPEL4WS as WS-BPEL to properly fit the naming of other WS-* standards.

Web Services Endpoint Language (WSEL) Web Services Endpoint Language (WSEL) was an XML format proposed to be used to description of non-operational characteristics of service endpoints, such as quality-of-service, cost, or security properties. Format was proposed as a part of report which published Web Service Flow Language . It never gained wide acceptance.

Notes

References Leymann, Frank. (2001). "Web Services Flow Language (WSFL 1.0)". IBM Corporation. Hung, Patrick C. K. (2002). "Specifying Conflict of Interest in Web Services Endpoint Language (WSEL)". "ACM SIGecom Exchanges", Volume 3 Issue 3

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Web Services Flow Language

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Web Services Flow Language claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Web Services Flow Language before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Web Services Flow Language ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Web Services Flow Language

In research: Web Services Flow Language appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Web Services Flow Language in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Web Services Flow Language is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Programming language topic stubs, Web service specifications, Web services, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Web Services Flow Language outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Web Services Flow Language in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Web Services Flow Language means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Web Services Flow Language out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Web Services Flow Language in simple terms?

Web Services Flow Language 1.0 (WSFL) was an XML programming language proposed by IBM in 2001 for describing Web services compositions. Language considered two types of compositions.

Why does Web Services Flow Language matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Web Services Flow Language?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Web Services Flow Language.