NullPointerException vb6 client

[Jim Andrews <ji...@austin.rr.com>]

I am using a vb6 client app which accesses a web service residing on a Apache Coyote/1.0 1b1 server

I used PocketSOAP WSDL Client Wizard to create a vb6 dll project from the wsdl which I then compiled and
reference with my client app.

I am receiving NullPointerException any time I make what I believe to be a valid request.
(However I do receive a defined FieldValidationException when I pass a bad arg i.e. a MAC with ":" rather than just hex digits
or any invalid mac value such as the last example below where I switched the order of args passed.)

Below is a tcpTrace of two requests/response.

Most information I have seen referring to NullPointerException has to do with the installation on the server such as
jdk version, classpath, etc... 
The server I am testing against is a new 'live' installation so this also makes me wonder if it may have to do with the
server rather than my request.

However since I am receiving proper validation error it appears that the web service is functioning properly at least
to some degree and may be the way my request is formatted.

The client is an existing application which is used as an interface between a legacy app and several other systems
and uses various means to communicate such as http post,  database row insert, telnet session, xml/soap, etc...
It already successfully communicates with one system via xml/soap and now I am trying to get going with another
one which uses a different wsdl.

I do not know axis and have no rights, authority,  or access to the server. I simply am needing some opinions of
whether or not to look more closely at my output request or should I urge them them to debug the axis installation
on the server. However I am aware that the NullPointerException is vague and could have numerous causes. I will
try to get more information if I am directed as to what to look for. I may be able to get telnet access to the server.

Any help I receive from the developers of the web service is sparse and slow. So any suggestions would be greatly
appreciated.

-- Jim

<tcpTraceLog tcpTraceVersion='0.8.0.712' xmlns='http://www.pocketsoap.com/tcptrace/xmlformat/01' xmlns:xsd='http://www.w3.org/1999/XMLSchema' xmlns:xsi='http://www.w3.org/1999/XMLSchema-instance'>
<logStarted xsi:type='xsd:timeInstant'>2005-04-12T16:54:49-05:00</logStarted>
<connection>
<loggedAt xsi:type='xsd:timeInstant'>2005-04-12T16:59:51-05:00</loggedAt>
<connectionOpened xsi:type='xsd:timeInstant'>2005-04-12T16:55:08-05:00</connectionOpened>
<connectionClosed xsi:type='xsd:timeInstant'>2005-04-12T16:59:51-05:00</connectionClosed>
<source>127.0.0.1</source>
<destination>alopa.imctv.com:80</destination>
<bytesClientToServer>683</bytesClientToServer>
<bytesServerToClient>614</bytesServerToClient>
<clientData>POST /axis/services/InboundService?wsdl HTTP/1.1
Host: localhost:8080
Accept-Charset: UTF-8, UTF-16;q=0.8, iso-8859-1;q=0.8
Accept-Encoding: deflate
Content-Type: text/xml; charset=UTF-8
SOAPAction: ""
User-Agent: PocketSOAP/1.4.3
Content-Length: 422

<S:Envelope
 S:encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"
 xmlns:a="http://api.metaprov.alopa.com"
 xmlns:S="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"
 xmlns:XS="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
 xmlns:XI="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<S:Body><a:getDetails><in0 XI:type="XS:string">Cable Home</in0>
<in1 XI:type="XS:string">0000cac5166d</in1>
</a:getDetails>
</S:Body></S:Envelope></clientData>
<serverData>HTTP/1.1 500 Internal Server Error
Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2005 20:54:22 GMT
Server: Apache Coyote/1.0

1b1
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
 <soapenv:Body>
  <soapenv:Fault>
   <faultcode>soapenv:Server.userException</faultcode>
   <faultstring>java.lang.NullPointerException</faultstring>
   <detail/>
  </soapenv:Fault>
 </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>
0

</serverData>
</connection>
<connection>
<loggedAt xsi:type='xsd:timeInstant'>2005-04-12T17:05:24-05:00</loggedAt>
<connectionOpened xsi:type='xsd:timeInstant'>2005-04-12T17:00:41-05:00</connectionOpened>
<connectionClosed xsi:type='xsd:timeInstant'>2005-04-12T17:05:24-05:00</connectionClosed>
<source>127.0.0.1</source>
<destination>alopa.imctv.com:80</destination>
<bytesClientToServer>682</bytesClientToServer>
<bytesServerToClient>948</bytesServerToClient>
<clientData>POST /axis/services/InboundService?wsdl HTTP/1.1
Host: localhost:8080
Accept-Charset: UTF-8, UTF-16;q=0.8, iso-8859-1;q=0.8
Accept-Encoding: deflate
Content-Type: text/xml; charset=UTF-8
SOAPAction: ""
User-Agent: PocketSOAP/1.4.3
Content-Length: 421

<S:Envelope
 S:encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"
 xmlns:a="http://api.metaprov.alopa.com"
 xmlns:S="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"
 xmlns:XS="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
 xmlns:XI="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<S:Body><a:getDetails><in0 XI:type="XS:string">0000cac5166d</in0>
<in1 XI:type="XS:string">CableHome</in1>
</a:getDetails>
</S:Body></S:Envelope></clientData>
<serverData>HTTP/1.1 500 Internal Server Error
Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2005 20:59:55 GMT
Server: Apache Coyote/1.0

2ff
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
 <soapenv:Body>
  <soapenv:Fault>
   <faultcode>soapenv:Server.userException</faultcode>
   <faultstring>com.alopa.metaprov.api.FieldValidationException: device-mac validation failed. </faultstring>
   <detail>
    <ns1:fault xsi:type="ns1:FieldValidationException" xmlns:ns1="http://api.metaprov.alopa.com">
     <ns1:errorCode xsi:type="xsd:string">3000</ns1:errorCode>
     <ns1:errorMessage xsi:type="xsd:string">device-mac validation failed. </ns1:errorMessage>
    </ns1:fault>
   </detail>
  </soapenv:Fault>
 </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>
0

</serverData>
</connection>
<logStopped xsi:type='xsd:timeInstant'>2005-04-12T17:38:51-05:00</logStopped>
</tcpTraceLog>