Microsoft recently released a new SOAP-enabled DHTML behavior for Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 and later versions. The new XML Web service behavior enables client-side script to invoke remote methods exposed by Microsoft .NET XML Web services, or other Web servers that support the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP). The XML Web service behavior is implemented with an HTML Components (HTC) file as an attached behavior, so it can be used in Internet Explorer.

The purpose of the XML Web service behavior is to provide a simple way of using and leveraging SOAP, without requiring expert knowledge of its implementation. The XML Web service behavior supports the use of a wide variety of data types, including intrinsic SOAP data types, arrays, and Extensible Markup Language (XML) data. This flexible component enables Internet Explorer to retrieve information from XML Web services and to update a page dynamically using DHTML and script, without requiring navigation or a full page refresh.

The next generation of .NET development tools and infrastructure, including Visual Studio .NET, the .NET Framework, and the .NET Enterprise Servers, are designed for the development of applications based on the XML Web services model. The XML Web service behavior is particularly significant because it enables Internet Explorer to use these next-generation XML Web services.

The Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) site provides the following documentation.