Summary

Depending on the processing your web service performs, there may be times when you will want the service to support e-mail operations. For example, if a web service encounters a serious error, such as a corrupt database or a missing file, you may want the service to send an e-mail message to the programmer or system administrator. Likewise, if the service detects (using code that you include in the service) that a hacker is trying to break into the service, the service can send an e-mail message to the network or security administrator.

For years, users made extensive use of fax machines both in the home and office. Although e-mail has essentially eliminated most users’ needs for a fax, some users still feel the need to fax specific documents (such as legal contracts). In this chapter you took a look at eFax.com, a website that enables users to integrate fax and e-mail operations—the type of service that works well with the web services created in this chapter. Using the web services this chapter presents, your programs can send an e-mail message to the eFax.com site. The site’s software will use your e-mail message to create and send a fax to the phone number you specify.

Finally, this chapter examined a simple Chat web service. Although the web service’s code is quite simple, the code illustrates how programmers can integrate timer operations and control access to shared data.