Can I generate a service reference automatically for a REST WCF service?
Not using WCF tools. Unlike with SOAP (which has an established protocol for describing services - WSDL), REST doesn't. WADL is one such protocol, but it isn't too widespread and WCF does not support it. You still get a WSDL, because WCF will describe everything it can from the service. However, the WSDL won't have a <wsdl:port> element, which would describe the REST endpoint, which is why you get the WSDL, but cannot generate a reference to it.
The post at http://blogs.msdn.com/b/carlosfigueira/archive/2012/03/26/mixing-add-service-reference-and-wcf-web-http-a-k-a-rest-endpoint-does-not-work.aspx has a lot more info on this issue.
Very old question, newer answer.
today using openapi (swagger) I can achieve this by using swagger inspector doing samples i can document my rest services as well as create a spec yml/json file allowing for validations and acceptance criteria as well as automated clients for java,python,c#,ruby,javascript and others I'm sure
I would like top elaborate:
Although it is true you cannot get a WSDL add service reference with a JSON REST WCF service, what I do is create two met data hooks:
- is the operations returning JSON
- is a single XML op returning a class wrapper which includes all the service classes I allow, I call it Discover:
i.e.
public class Discover{ public Manager Manager {get;} public Employee Emp {get;} ....}[OperationContract]public Discover DiscoverDTOs()