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SOAP HttpClient Sample

The ECGrid-SOAP-dotnet10-Console-HttpClient project demonstrates calling the ECGridOS SOAP API without a generated proxy. Instead, SOAP envelopes are constructed manually using XDocument and sent with HttpClient. This approach gives maximum control and has minimal dependencies.

:::caution Established API The ECGridOS SOAP API is in maintenance mode. For new integrations, use the REST API instead. This sample is provided for teams maintaining or migrating existing SOAP-based integrations. :::

Project Location​

samples/soap/ECGrid-SOAP-dotnet10-Console-HttpClient/

What It Demonstrates​

  • Constructing SOAP 1.1 envelopes with XDocument
  • Sending SOAP requests with HttpClient and the correct SOAPAction header
  • Parsing SOAP response XML with LINQ to XML
  • Full session lifecycle: Login → operations → Logout
  • Operations covered: Login, ParcelInBox, ParcelDownload, ParcelDownloadConfirm, Logout

SOAP Endpoint Details​

PropertyValue
Endpointhttps://os.ecgrid.io/v4.1/prod/ECGridOS.asmx
XML Namespacehttp://www.ecgridos.net/
SOAP VersionSOAP 1.1
Content-Typetext/xml; charset=utf-8

Key Files​

FilePurpose
Program.csEntry point — full session workflow
SoapClient.csReusable helper for sending SOAP envelopes
appsettings.jsonLogin credentials and endpoint URL

Key Patterns​

SOAP Envelope Construction​

/// <summary>
/// Builds a SOAP 1.1 envelope wrapping a single operation element.
/// </summary>
private static XDocument BuildEnvelope(string methodName, string ns, params (string Name, string Value)[] parameters)
{
    var soapNs = XNamespace.Get("http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/");
    var apiNs  = XNamespace.Get(ns);

    // SOAP body element containing the operation and its parameters
    var bodyContent = new XElement(apiNs + methodName,
        parameters.Select(p => new XElement(apiNs + p.Name, p.Value)));

    return new XDocument(
        new XElement(soapNs + "Envelope",
            new XAttribute(XNamespace.Xmlns + "soap", soapNs),
            new XAttribute(XNamespace.Xmlns + "ecg",  apiNs),
            new XElement(soapNs + "Body", bodyContent)));
}

Sending a SOAP Request​

private const string EcgNs       = "http://www.ecgridos.net/";
private const string EndpointUrl = "https://os.ecgrid.io/v4.1/prod/ECGridOS.asmx";

/// <summary>
/// Posts a SOAP envelope and returns the parsed response document.
/// </summary>
private static async Task<XDocument> PostSoapAsync(
    HttpClient http, string methodName, XDocument envelope)
{
    var body = new StringContent(
        envelope.ToString(),
        System.Text.Encoding.UTF8,
        "text/xml");

    // SOAPAction header is required by SOAP 1.1; value identifies the operation
    body.Headers.Add("SOAPAction", $"\"{EcgNs}{methodName}\"");

    var response = await http.PostAsync(EndpointUrl, body);
    response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();

    var xml = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
    return XDocument.Parse(xml);
}

Session Lifecycle​

// Program.cs — .NET 10 top-level statements

// Load credentials from IConfiguration — never hardcoded
var config = new ConfigurationBuilder()
    .AddJsonFile("appsettings.json")
    .AddUserSecrets<Program>()
    .Build();

using var http = new HttpClient();   // Console sample — single instance is acceptable here

// --- Login ---
var loginEnvelope = BuildEnvelope("Login", EcgNs,
    ("Login",    config["ECGridOS:Login"]!),
    ("Password", config["ECGridOS:Password"]!));

var loginResponse = await PostSoapAsync(http, "Login", loginEnvelope);

XNamespace ns = EcgNs;
// Extract the session ID from the Login response
var sessionId = loginResponse
    .Descendants(ns + "LoginResult")
    .First().Value;

// --- Check inbox ---
var inboxEnvelope = BuildEnvelope("ParcelInBox", EcgNs,
    ("SessionID", sessionId),
    ("MailboxID", config["ECGridOS:MailboxId"]!));

var inboxResponse = await PostSoapAsync(http, "ParcelInBox", inboxEnvelope);

foreach (var parcel in inboxResponse.Descendants(ns + "ParcelIDInfo"))
{
    var parcelId = parcel.Element(ns + "ParcelID")!.Value;

    // --- Download parcel ---
    var downloadEnvelope = BuildEnvelope("ParcelDownload", EcgNs,
        ("SessionID", sessionId),
        ("ParcelID",  parcelId));

    var downloadResponse = await PostSoapAsync(http, "ParcelDownload", downloadEnvelope);
    var base64Content = downloadResponse
        .Descendants(ns + "ParcelDownloadResult")
        .First().Value;

    var ediBytes = Convert.FromBase64String(base64Content);
    await File.WriteAllBytesAsync($"parcel-{parcelId}.edi", ediBytes);

    // --- Confirm download ---
    var confirmEnvelope = BuildEnvelope("ParcelDownloadConfirm", EcgNs,
        ("SessionID", sessionId),
        ("ParcelID",  parcelId));

    await PostSoapAsync(http, "ParcelDownloadConfirm", confirmEnvelope);
}

// --- Logout ---
var logoutEnvelope = BuildEnvelope("Logout", EcgNs, ("SessionID", sessionId));
await PostSoapAsync(http, "Logout", logoutEnvelope);

Configuration​

{
  "ECGridOS": {
    "Login": "",
    "Password": "",
    "MailboxId": 0
  }
}

Store credentials with user-secrets:

cd samples/soap/ECGrid-SOAP-dotnet10-Console-HttpClient
dotnet user-secrets set "ECGridOS:Login" "your-login"
dotnet user-secrets set "ECGridOS:Password" "your-password"

How to Run​

cd samples/soap/ECGrid-SOAP-dotnet10-Console-HttpClient
dotnet user-secrets set "ECGridOS:Login" "your-login"
dotnet user-secrets set "ECGridOS:Password" "your-password"
dotnet run

See Also​