#72: Using PHP and SOAP to Request Data from Amazon.com

Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is a full-blown web service standard that, like anything with simple in the name, is far from simple. The idea is to place all of the details concerning the input and output of a web service into a Web Services Description Language (WSDL) document, so that you can automatically generate a programming interface and call a web service just as you would a method or function. You don't have to mess around with cURL, building queries, or any of that stuff—just create an object with your request, tell PHP to create the interface, call the method, and you get an object containing your goodies. In fact, when everything works the way it should, it is as easy ...

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