Documentation for a Web Service needs to contain several different elements. First and foremost, it should provide a Web Services Description Language (WSDL) file that programmatically describes the Web Service. Secondly, it needs to provide written documentation describing how to use the Web Service. This should include various items, including an API reference, troubleshooting tips, and usage descriptions. Finally, the documentation should provide sample code for all of the operations, preferably using the fewest lines of code needed to call the given method. Examples of SOAP messages going back and forth should be included along with the code. These sample messages will help developers develop a client in languages other than those outlined by the samples. Ideally, the documentation also should include a sample client that uses the Web Service, complete with source code.
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