Enable the Create Translator recipe for all projects.

Well I am back using the Software Factories, and currently using the the Web Client Software Factory June 2007 and the Web Service Software Factory Modelling Edition 2008 CTP both in Visual Studio 2008 Team System. They are defenetly the best way to enforce, teach good patterns to your teams to deliver a good set of maintanable code.

Our agile approach meant that we needed to have installed both factories side by side on the same machine and to overcome the issue that the GAX / GAT is only able to run in either 2005 or 2008 (Orcas) I decided to run WCSF in 2008 following the instructions of Ezequiel.

The Web Client Software Factory does not have the Create Translator recipe so whilst I could translate my model to my data contracts in the WSSF i could not translate my Datacontracts to my client model. After a bit of playing around I have managed to enable it, so here are the steps:
1. Have installed the Web Service Software Factory. :)

2. Modify the file:
%Program Files%\Microsoft Service Factory V3\Guidance Package\Recipes\Binding.xml

From:

<action referencetype="Microsoft.Practices.ServiceFactory.References.ProjectIsInRoleReference, Microsoft.Practices.ServiceFactory.GuidancePackage" role="ServiceRole" type="RefCreator" assetname="CreateTranslator" name="CreateTranslatorRef">

To:
<action referencetype="AnyStandardProjectReference" type="RefCreator" assetname="CreateTranslator" name="CreateTranslatorRef">

3. Close all instances of Visual Studio.
4. Open Visual Studio , go to Guidance Packages and add the Web Service Software Factory.
Note: If it is already there remove it and added it again to refresh the bindings
5. In the project you are creating add a folder “GeneratedCode".

Configuration Editor Tool (SvcConfigEditor.exe)

I have tinkering on and off with WCF for nearly two years, I still remember when Ingo Rammer gave us a small peak at how we will create our DataContracts on DevWeek 2005.

WCF is great but you have lots of settings to remember, the Service Software Factory it has done a great job on layering your architecture, but I have found that the Configuration Editor Tool will be the swiss army tool that will be used from Infrastructure guys to Developers and forgetful people like me.

Don Smith : Service Factory: Contracts

Don Smith released in his blog a series of blogcasts last April describing the Service Factory. Its never to late to have a look.

Part1 is an Introduction , Part2 Service Contracts and Part 3 Entity Translation

WCF News and Announcements : Just Released: Web Service Software Factory for WCF

The guys over at patterns & practices have just released (in December) the second version of the Web Service Software Factory. This new release has everything the first one had with the addition of loads of new stuff specifically for building WCF Web services using VS 2005. Some of the many new features help you apply message-level security, construct services from WSDL/XSD, perform design-time code/config analysis, apply message validation, and migrate from ASMX services. If you're building WCF Web services, you definitely want to check this out. http://msdn.com/servicefactory

Next one is planned for Nov 2007. To get more info check it out in CodePlex