SOAP Message Formatter
This SOAP formatter indents an envelope and pulls out the parts you actually need: which SOAP version it uses, whether there is a header, which operation is being called, and — when the response is an error — the fault message itself. That last part is why the tool exists. SOAP messages arrive as one enormous unbroken line far more often than not, and finding the fault string inside several kilobytes of namespaced XML is genuinely difficult by eye. Both the formatted envelope and the summary are shown, so you can read the structure and get the answer at the same time.
How it works
Formats a SOAP envelope and pulls out the parts you actually look for: the SOAP version, whether there is a header, which operation is being called, and the fault message if the response is an error.
SOAP messages arrive as one enormous line far more often than not, which makes finding the fault string genuinely difficult. Both the formatted envelope and the summary are shown.
Everything runs in your browser — nothing you paste is sent to a server.
The structure of a SOAP message
Every SOAP message is an envelope containing an optional header and a mandatory body:
<soap:Envelope>
<soap:Header> <!-- auth tokens, routing, transactions -->
<soap:Body> <!-- the actual call, or a Fault -->
</soap:Envelope>
The first element inside the Body names the operation. If it is Fault, the message is an error
response.
Reading a fault
A SOAP fault carries a code and a human-readable string. The code says what class of problem it was — a client error, a server error, a version mismatch — and the string says what actually happened. The string is what you want, and it is what gets extracted here.
1.1 versus 1.2
The two versions differ in namespace and in how faults are structured — 1.1 uses faultstring and 1.2
uses Reason. Both are recognised, so the fault message is found either way.
Frequently asked questions
What does the SOAP formatter show?
The indented envelope, plus a summary: the SOAP version, whether a header is present, the operation being called, and the fault message if there is one.
How does it tell 1.1 from 1.2?
From the envelope namespace. SOAP 1.1 uses the schemas.xmlsoap.org namespace and 1.2 uses the 2003/05 one from W3C.
Why does the fault message matter so much?
Because it is the actual error, buried inside kilobytes of namespaced XML on a single line. Extracting it turns a debugging session into a glance.
What is the operation?
The first element inside the Body, which names the remote method being called. It is what you need when working out which endpoint a captured message is for.
Does it validate against a WSDL?
No. It formats and summarises the message itself. Use the WSDL formatter to see what a service declares.
Is my message uploaded?
No. Formatting happens entirely in your browser, so a captured message containing credentials never leaves your device.
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