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SOAP API calls using Python

SOAP stands for Simple Object Access Protocol, as the name suggests nothing but a protocol for exchanging structured data between nodes. It uses XML instead of JSON.

To make SOAP requests to the SOAP API endpoint, use the “Content-Type: application/soap+xml” request header, which tells the server that the request body contains a SOAP envelope.

The server informs the client that it has returned a SOAP envelope with a “Content-Type: application/soap+xml” response header.

Zeep

Zeep is a Python SOAP client

docs.python-zeep.org/en/master

Zeep inspects the WSDL document and generates the corresponding code to use the services and types in the document. This provides an easy to use programmatic interface to a SOAP server.

You have to install the Zeep module

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pip3 install zeep

Country phone code example

We are using SOAP to get the phone dialing code from the Country code - Like DK - Returns 45

  • Set the WSDL URL. You can get the WSDL URL simply by visiting the base URL and click on Service Description. That will take you to the WSDL URL. The base URL will be service_url and append the service name after the base URL.
  • You need to create a header element. Set the header element with method_url and service_url.
  • Initialize a zeep client with the WSDL URL.
  • The setup is done, just call the zeep service with the service name, here the service name is CountryIntPhoneCode. You need to pass the parameters with the country_code and also pass the header to _soapheaders as a list.
  • This returns the phone code of the country.

The Python code 

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import zeep

# Set the WSDL URL
wsdl_url = "http://webservices.oorsprong.org/websamples.countryinfo/CountryInfoService.wso?WSDL"

# Set method URL
method_url = "http://webservices.oorsprong.org/websamples.countryinfo/CountryIntPhoneCode"

# Set service URL
service_url = "http://webservices.oorsprong.org/websamples.countryinfo/CountryInfoService.wso"

# Create the header element
header = zeep.xsd.Element(
	"Header",
	zeep.xsd.ComplexType(
		[
			zeep.xsd.Element(
				"{http://www.w3.org/2005/08/addressing}Action", zeep.xsd.String()
			),
			zeep.xsd.Element(
				"{http://www.w3.org/2005/08/addressing}To", zeep.xsd.String()
			),
		]
	),
)
# Set the header value from header element
header_value = header(Action=method_url, To=service_url)

# Initialize zeep client
client = zeep.Client(wsdl=wsdl_url)

# Set country code for Denmark
# Just change to the country you want UK/US/SE
country_code = "DK"

# Make the service call
result = client.service.CountryIntPhoneCode(
	sCountryISOCode=country_code,
	_soapheaders=[header_value]
)
# Print the result
print(f"Phone Code for {country_code} is {result}")