The partner reference of a component or a stand-alone references 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. All components support WSDL interfaces in their partner references. The Java component, the component that does not have an implementation type, and the stand-alone references can have either a WSDL or Java interface in its partner reference. In this case, the Add References dialog allows you to specify the type of interface that will be used for the partner reference; that is, you 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 assume 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 in the assembly editor, you can add a partner reference to a node before you wire it to a target, or you can add a partner reference during the wiring.
Add the partner reference before you add the wire
To add a partner reference to a component or stand-alone references node 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 node 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.
Related information