Web Service with C# client and PERL web server resulting in null/empy return.

This is more an FYI than a problem as the issue has now been resolved.

I have a long standing PERL client/server web service process which has been functioning happily for a couple of years.

Recently I needed to write a C# client to also hook into this PERL web service. Creating the C# was pretty straight
forward (or so I thought), but no matter what I tried the web service request always returned a null data set
(the data set was actually just XML handed back as a string - so nothing overly complicated). I also setup a trace process
on the linux box running the web service to ensure the request was being received and returned correctly - it was, but still no dice.

I then started to trawl the web and after considerable time I found a reference where someone was having pretty much
the same problem (unfortunately I can't found that reference now, but without it I'd probably still be struggling with this).

The resolution required that ...
1. I create a WSDL document for my PERL web service.
2. Use this WSDL document to create a C# proxy class
3. Add this proxy class as a reference to my original C# web service client.

I created the WSDL using POD::WSDL

Using the created WSDL, I then created a C# proxy class using the wsdl tool from MS Visual Studio, which was then added as a reference to my initial C# web services.
Create a proxy class in MS visual studio
Further reference
WSDL to proxy class

Needless to say, the web service process is now working perfectly.

Note : this is not intended to be a "how to", I'm just putting the info "out there" as a reference to hopefully save some other souls the frustration I experienced.