Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) Tools

Windows Communication Foundation Tools

Microsoft Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) tools are designed to make it easier for you to create, deploy, and manage WCF applications. You can run all the tools from the command line.

WCF Test Client (WcfTestClient.exe)

A GUI tool that allows you to input parameters of arbitrary types, submit that input to the service, and view the response the service sends back.

You can locate this tool in below location:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\

WCF Service Host (WcfSvcHost.exe)

Hosts WCF services contained in libraries (*.dll) files. WCF Service Host enumerates the services in a WCF service project, loads the project’s configuration, and instantiates a host for each service that it finds. The tool is integrated into Visual Studio through the WCF Service template and is invoked when you start to debug your project. By using WCF Service Host, you can host a WCF service (in a WCF service library project) without writing extra code or committing to a specific host during development.

Service Trace Viewer Tool (SvcTraceViewer.exe)

Helps you view, group, and filter trace messages so that you can diagnose, repair, and verify issues with WCF services.

ServiceModel Registration Tool (ServiceModelReg.exe)

Manages the registration and un-registration of ServiceModel on a single machine. This command-line tool provides the ability to manage the registration of WCF and WF components on a single machine. Under normal circumstances you should not need to use this tool as WCF and WF components are configured when installed. But if you are experiencing problems with service activation, you can try to register the components using this tool.

Examples:

ServiceModelReg.exe -ia

  Installs all components

ServiceModelReg.exe -i -c:httpnamespace -c:etw

  Installs HTTP namespace reservation and ETW manifests

ServiceModelReg.exe -u -c:etw

  Uninstalls ETW manifests

ServiceModelReg.exe -r

  Repairs an extended install

Configuration Editor Tool (SvcConfigEditor.exe)

Creates and modifies configuration settings for WCF services. The Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) Service Configuration Editor (SvcConfigEditor.exe) allows administrators and developers to create and modify configuration settings for WCF services using a graphical user interface. With this tool, you can manage settings for WCF bindings, behaviors, services, and diagnostics without having to directly edit XML configuration files. Service Configuration Editor can be found in the C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v6.0\Bin folder.