# One for SOAP & XML experts

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-for-soap-xml-experts/443654>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 2, 2008, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-for-soap-xml-experts/443654 "2008-04-02T08:30:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-for-soap-xml-experts/443654/1 "2008-04-02T08:30:51Z")

</div>

I’ve got a wsdl that contains bits like this:

```auto

<complexType name="ArrayOfString">
     <complexContent>
         <restriction base="soapenc:Array">
            <attribute ref="soapenc:arrayType" wsdl:arrayType="xsd:string[]"/>
         </restriction>
     </complexContent>
</complexType>
<complexType name="Result">
     <sequence>
        <element maxOccurs="1" minOccurs="0" name="groups" nillable="true" type="impl:ArrayOfString"/>
     </sequence>
</complexType>

```

The type result will be sent from the server to the client. When the value of ‘groups’ is null the SOAP  
message returned looks like this:

```auto

<multiRef id="id1" soapenc:root="0" soapenv:encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/" xsi:type="ns3:Result" xmlns:ns3="urn:mynamespace" xmlns:soapenc="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/">
   <groups xsi:type="xsd:string" xsi:nil="true"/>
</multiRef>

```

Java clients built on Axis like this just fine, but clients built with BEA Weblogic tools complain  
complain about a type mis-match because it expects an ArrayOfString and not just a string.

Since the BEA client is the only one that can’t cope I assume the problem is with them. What I’m  
looking for is the right XML, SOAP, or other reference document that says that this encoding is OK.  
Anyone know where to find this?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-for-soap-xml-experts/443654/2 "2008-04-02T15:30:20Z")

</div>

[QUOTE=kferr]  
Anyone know where to find this?  
[/QUOTE]

The specifications for SOAP versions 1.1 and 1.2 are both available from [this page](http://www.w3.org/TR/soap/). I’m not familiar enough with either standard to comment on your specific encoding issue, but if an answer exists, that’s where you’ll find it.