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title: Create WCF Service in .NET Framework Windows Forms
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title: Create a WCF Service in .NET Framework Windows Forms
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description: Create a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service in Visual Studio, test the service, and access it from a Windows Forms application.
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ms.date: 06/30/2023
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ms.topic: conceptual
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author: ghogen
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ms.author: ghogen
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manager: mijacobs
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ms.subservice: data-tools
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ms.topic: how-to
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ms.date: 03/16/2025
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dev_langs:
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- VB
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- CSharp
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- WCF, Visual Studio tools for
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- WCF services
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- WCF services, walkthrough
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author: ghogen
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ms.author: ghogen
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manager: mijacobs
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ms.subservice: data-tools
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# Customer intent: As a developer, I want to understand how to create a WCF Service in .NET Framework so I can access it from a Windows Forms app.
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---
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# Walkthrough: Create a simple WCF service in .NET Framework Windows Forms
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# Walkthrough: Create a WCF service in .NET Framework Windows Forms
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This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a simple Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service, test it, and then access it from a .NET Framework Windows Forms application.
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This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service, test it, and then access it from a .NET Framework Windows Forms application.
The WCF tools are not installed with the .NET workload; use the Visual Studio Installer to modify your installation. In the installer, choose **Windows Communication Foundation**under Individual Components. See [Modify Visual Studio](../install/modify-visual-studio.md).
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[Visual Studio](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/?cid=learn-onpage-download-cta) with the **Windows Communication Foundation**component installed. To install it:
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## Create a service
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1. Open **Visual Studio Installer** or select **Tools** > **Get Tools and Features**.
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1. In the installer, choose **Modify** next to the version of Visual Studio you want to modify.
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1. Select the **Individual components** tab, and then choose **Windows Communication Foundation** under **Development activities**.
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1. Select **Modify**.
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1. Open Visual Studio.
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For more information, see [Modify Visual Studio workloads, components, and language packs](../install/modify-visual-studio.md).
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## Create a service
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2. On the start window, choose**Create a new project**.
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1. In Visual Studio, select**File** > **New** > **Project** from the menu.
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3. Type **wcf service library**in the search box on the **Create a new project** page. Select either the C# or Visual Basic template for **WCF Service Library**, and then select **Next**.
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1. On the **Create a new project**page, enter **wcf service library** in the search box. Select either the C# or Visual Basic template for **WCF Service Library**, and then select **Next**.
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:::image type="content" alt-text="Screen shot that shows how to create a WCF Service Library project in Visual Studio." source="../data-tools/media/vs-2022/create-new-wcf-service-library.png":::
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> [!TIP]
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> If you don't see any templates, you might need to install the **Windows Communication Foundation** component of Visual Studio. Choose **Install more tools and features** to open Visual Studio Installer. Choose the **Individual components** tab, scroll down to **Development activities**, and then select **Windows Communication Foundation**. Click **Modify**.
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> If you don't see any templates, you might need to install the **Windows Communication Foundation** component of Visual Studio. For more information, see [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
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4. On the **Configure your new project** page, click**Create**.
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1. On the **Configure your new project** page, verify the settings, and then select**Create**.
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> [!NOTE]
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> This creates a working service that can be tested and accessed. The following two steps demonstrate how you might modify the default method to use a different data type. In a real application, you would also add your own functions to the service.
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This step creates a working WCF service that you can test and access. The following two steps demonstrate how to modify the default method to use a different data type. In a real application, you'd also add your own functions to the service.
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5. In **Solution Explorer**, double-click **IService1.vb** or **IService1.cs**.
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1. In Solution Explorer, double-click **IService1.cs** or **IService1.vb** in your WCF service library project, depending on which type of project you created.
1. In the **WCF Test Client** form, under **IService1**, double-click the **GetData()** method.
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3. In the **Request** box, select the **Value**field and type `Hello`.
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The **GetData**tab appears.
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:::image type="content" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the GetData method in the WCF Test Client form." source="../data-tools/media/wcf4.png":::
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4. Click the **Invoke**button. If a **Security Warning** dialog box appears, click **OK**. The result displays in the **Response** box.
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1. In the **Request** box, select the **Value** field and enter **Hello**.
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:::image type="content" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the Value field in the GetData tab." source="../data-tools/media/wcf5.png":::
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5. On the **File** menu, click **Exit** to close the test form.
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1. Select the **Invoke** button. If a **Security Warning** dialog box appears, select **OK**.
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The result displays in the **Response** box.
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:::image type="content" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the result displayed in the Response box." source="../data-tools/media/wcf6.png":::
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1. On the **File** menu, select **Exit** to close the test form.
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## Access the Service
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### Reference the WCF service
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1. On the **File** menu, point to **Add > New Project**. Choose **Windows Forms App (.NET Framework)** project.
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1. Select **File** > **Add** > **New Project**.
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1. In the **Add a New Project** window, choose either a C# or Visual Basic **Windows Forms App (.NET Framework)** project. Select **Next**, and then **Create** to create the project.
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1.Right-click on the project node, and click**Add > Service Reference**. The**Add Service Reference** dialog box appears.
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1.In Solution Explorer, right-click the project node of the new project, and select**Add** >**Service Reference**.
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1. In the **Add Service Reference** dialog box, click **Discover**.
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The **Add Service Reference** dialog box appears.
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1. Select **Discover**.
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:::image type="content" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the Add Service Reference dialog box." source="../data-tools/media/vs-2022/add-service-reference-dialog-box.png":::
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**Service1** displays in the **Services** pane.
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1.Click**OK** to add the service reference.
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1.Select**OK** to add the service reference.
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### Build a client application
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1. In **Solution Explorer**, double-click **Form1.vb** or **Form1.cs** to open the Windows Forms Designer if it is not already open.
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1. In Solution Explorer, depending on which type of project you created, double-click **Form1.cs**, or **Form1.vb**, in the Windows Forms app to open the Windows Forms Designer.
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1. Open the **Toolbox** by clicking on **View** > **Toolbox**(or **Ctrl**+**Alt**+**X** on the keyboard).
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1. Open the **Toolbox** by selecting **View** > **Toolbox**from the menu, or press **Ctrl**+**Alt**+**X** on the keyboard.
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1. From the **Toolbox**, drag a `TextBox` control, a `Label` control, and a `Button` control onto the form.
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1. From the **Toolbox**, drag a **TextBox** control, a **Label** control, and a **Button** control onto the form.
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:::image type="content" alt-text="Screenshot showing adding controls to the form." source="../data-tools/media/vs-2022/windows-communication-foundation-client-app.png" lightbox="../data-tools/media/vs-2022/windows-communication-foundation-client-app.png":::
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:::image type="content" alt-text="Screenshot that shows how to add controls to the form." source="../data-tools/media/vs-2022/windows-communication-foundation-client-app.png" lightbox="../data-tools/media/vs-2022/windows-communication-foundation-client-app.png":::
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1. Double-click the `Button`, and add the following code in the `Click` event handler:
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1. Double-click the **Button**, and add the following code in the `Click` event handler:
1. In **Solution Explorer**, right-click the project node (for example, **WindowsFormsApp1**), and click**Set as StartUp Project**.
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1. In Solution Explorer, right-click the project node (for example, **WindowsFormsApp1**), and select**Set as StartUp Project**.
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1. Press **F5** to run the project. Enter some text and click the button. The label displays "You entered:" and shows the text that you entered.
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1. Press **F5** to run the project. Enter some text and select the button. The label displays **You entered:** followed by the text that you entered.
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:::image type="content" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the result displayed in the running form." source="../data-tools/media/vs-2022/windows-forms-app.png":::
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