The partner reference of a component or a stand-alone reference specifies the interface that is used in the invocation of another service.
WSDL and Java interfaces in partner references
The implementation type of the component determines the type of interface that its partner references can have. Mediation flow components can only have WSDL interfaces in their partner references. The Java component and the stand-alone reference can have either a WSDL or Java interface in its partner reference. In this case, the Add References dialog will allow you to specify the type of interface that will be used for the partner reference; that is, you will have a set of radio buttons for Show WSDL and Java, Show WSDL, and Show Java options, as shown in the following image:
If Java interface is not supported for the partner reference, the Add Reference dialog will not have the options to select WSDL or Java interfaces, as shown in the following image:
The instructions in this topic assumes that you have a choice in selecting either a WSDL or Java interface for the partner reference.
Instructions to add the partner reference
When working with the assembly editor, a partner reference can be added to the node before you wire it to a target node, or the partner reference can be added during the wiring.
Add the partner reference before you add the wire
To add a partner reference to a component or stand-alone references before you do the wiring, follow these instructions:
Every reference on the node is represented by a reference icon, on
the right side of the component. By default, a newly created reference has
multiplicity setting of 1..1 which means that it must have exactly one wire
going to a target service. See related tasks for more information on adding
more than one wire to a reference.
Add the partner reference as you add the wire
You can add wires by using the wire in the palette or dragging the wire handle from the source node. As you add a wire from a component or stand-alone references to a target service (which is either a component or import), you will be prompted if a matching partner reference is to be added to the source node. If you answer OK, the reference will be created on the source component or stand-alone references.
Also, you can invoke the Advanced wiring dialog to do the wiring. There is a New Reference button in the dialog to let you add a new partner reference before doing wiring. See "Wiring nodes" under related tasks for more information on advanced wiring.