WFS DescribeFeatureType

Question

Here I read, that the WFS-Request DescribeFeatureType requests information about an individual feature type before requesting the actual data.

Because I want to inform myself about the FeatureType on a GeoServer, I entered the following command:

http://localhost:8080/geoserver/wfs?service=wfs&version=2.0.0&request=DescribeFeatureType

I entered this command in a browser that could display XML.

After sending the command a question pops up to save a file. I saved this file. The content of the file is:

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xsd:schema xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:wfs="http://www.opengis.net/wfs/2.0" elementFormDefault="qualified" targetNamespace="http://www.opengis.net/gml/3.2">
  <xsd:import namespace="http://www.opengis.net/gml/3.2" schemaLocation="http://localhost:8080/geoserver/schemas/gml/3.2.1/gml.xsd"/>
</xsd:schema>

I expected to see informations about FeatureTypes. What am I doing wrong?

Edit after jbalks answer:

I entered this command

http://localhost:8080/geoserver/wfs?service=wfs&version=2.0.0&request=DescribeFeatureType?typeNames=KRE_ALKIS:sg_flurstueck_f

and get

<ows:ExceptionReport version="2.0.0" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.opengis.net/ows/1.1 http://localhost:8080/geoserver/schemas/ows/1.1.0/owsAll.xsd">
<ows:Exception exceptionCode="OperationNotSupported" locator="DescribeFeatureType?typeNames=KRE_ALKIS:sg_flurstueck_f">
<ows:ExceptionText>
No such operation wfs 2.0.0 DescribeFeatureType?typeNames=KRE_ALKIS:sg_flurstueck_f
</ows:ExceptionText>
</ows:Exception>
</ows:ExceptionReport>

Edit on 7.12.2019

If I enter
http://localhost:8080/geoserver/wfs?service=wfs&version=2.0.0&request=DescribeFeatureType&typeNames=KRE_ALKIS:sg_flurstueck_f
I get

If I enter
http://localhost:8080/geoserver/KRE_ALKIS/wfs?service=wfs&version=2.0.0&request=DescribeFeatureType&typeNames=KRE_ALKIS:sg_flurstueck_f
or
http://localhost:8080/geoserver/KRE_ALKIS/wfs?service=wfs&version=2.0.0&request=DescribeFeatureType&typeNames=sg_flurstueck_f
I see an message that asks me if I want to save a file. The first lines in the file are

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><wfs:FeatureCollection xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:wfs="http://www.opengis.net/wfs/2.0" xmlns:KRE_ALKIS="KRE_ALIKS" xmlns:gml="http://www.opengis.net/gml/3.2" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" numberMatched="21350" numberReturned="5" timeStamp="2019-12-07T21:04:58.547Z" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.opengis.net/wfs/2.0 http://172.16.206.128:8080/geoserver/schemas/wfs/2.0/wfs.xsd KRE_ALIKS http://172.16.206.128:8080/geoserver/KRE_ALKIS/wfs?service=WFS&amp;version=2.0.0&amp;request=DescribeFeatureType&amp;typeName=KRE_ALKIS%3Asg_flurstueck_f http://www.opengis.net/gml/3.2 http://172.16.206.128:8080/geoserver/schemas/gml/3.2.1/gml.xsd"><wfs:member><KRE_ALKIS:sg_flurstueck_f gml:id="sg_flurstueck_f.108878"><KRE_ALKIS:id>DEBBAL650002cvLg</KRE_ALKIS:id><KRE_ALKIS:id_hash>305dea1e70263fdbe12bc329b1049ab6</KRE_ALKIS:id_hash><KRE_ALKIS:area>525.923984998768</KRE_ALKIS:area>

If I enter
http://localhost:8080/geoserver/KRE_ALKIS/wfs?service=wfs&version=1.0.0&request=DescribeFeatureType&typeNames=KRE_ALKIS:sg_flurstueck_f
or
http://localhost:8080/geoserver/KRE_ALKIS/wfs?service=wfs&version=1.0.0&request=DescribeFeatureType&typeNames=sg_flurstueck_f
I see the output nicly formatted in my browser. The first lines are

<wfs:FeatureCollection xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.opengis.net/wfs http://172.16.206.128:8080/geoserver/schemas/wfs/1.0.0/WFS-basic.xsd KRE_ALIKS http://172.16.206.128:8080/geoserver/KRE_ALKIS/wfs?service=WFS&version=1.0.0&request=DescribeFeatureType&typeName=KRE_ALKIS%3Asg_flurstueck_f">
<gml:boundedBy>
<gml:null>unknown</gml:null>
</gml:boundedBy>
<gml:featureMember>
<KRE_ALKIS:sg_flurstueck_f fid="sg_flurstueck_f.108878">
<KRE_ALKIS:id>DEBBAL650002cvLg</KRE_ALKIS:id

On the linked page in your question, the documentation says that the typeNames parameter is required for DescribeFeatureType. It's also confusing - they show an example of DescribeFeatureType where they have not specified the typeNames parameter. — jbalk, Dec 06 '19 at 22:07
https://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/278719/wfs-describefeaturetype-query-with-typenames — jbalk, Dec 06 '19 at 22:08
Thank you jbalk. I have addes text to my question above. I tried it with typeNames. Unfortunately I still see an "Error". Maybe I use the wrong value for type names? — astridx, Dec 06 '19 at 22:38
Take a look at the answer on the question I linked in my last comment. It has some tips you can try, such as capitalizing WFS. So service=WFS. Try that with your original get request — jbalk, Dec 06 '19 at 23:33
Thanks once again. I have now found my mistake. I copied too much the example in the documentation. I forgot to add your_geoserver_workspacename in http://localhost:8080/geoserver/your_geoserver_workspacename/wfs?service=wfs&version=2.0.0&request=getfeature&typename=layer_name — astridx, Dec 07 '19 at 07:29

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 07 '19 at 08:50

1

The issue with your first request is that you have a ? instead of a & separating your parameters.

http://localhost:8080/geoserver/wfs?service=wfs&version=2.0.0&request=DescribeFeatureType?typeNames=KRE_ALKIS:sg_flurstueck_f

should be:

http://localhost:8080/geoserver/wfs?service=wfs&version=2.0.0&request=DescribeFeatureType&typeNames=KRE_ALKIS:sg_flurstueck_f

answered Dec 07 '19 at 08:50

Ian Turton

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Thank you @Ian Turton.
You are right. This was a typo here. The main problem was, as wrote in the command above, that forgot the workspacename.
– astridx Dec 07 '19 at 09:15
You don't need the workspace name if you use the prefix on your featurename, this is much more standard and will work with all WFS servers not just GeoServer – Ian Turton Dec 07 '19 at 09:54
Strange. In my case http://localhost:8080/geoserver/workspace/wfs?request=DescribeFeatureType&service=WFS&version=1.0.0&typeNames=workspace:layer and http://localhost:8080/geoserver/workspace/wfs?request=DescribeFeatureType&service=WFS&version=1.0.0&typeNames=layer works OK. But http://localhost:8080/geoserver/wfs?request=DescribeFeatureType&service=WFS&version=1.0.0&typeNames=workspace:layer does not work. I just tried that extra one more time. But since I found a solution, that's OK. – astridx Dec 07 '19 at 11:54
Or do you mean that I did not set something correctly on the server? It is unfortunately all local, because I'm still learning with a virtual machine at the moment and have no opportunity to make the GeoServer public. – astridx Dec 07 '19 at 11:54
the second url in my answer should work on a local geoserver install (unless you deleted the sample data). – Ian Turton Dec 07 '19 at 16:12
I have copied the URL exactly as you wrote it. But I got an error. I'll copy the picture on the end of the question.
I think there is something wrong with my installation. But I can not find out what
– astridx Dec 07 '19 at 20:53

WFS DescribeFeatureType

Edit on 7.12.2019

1 Answers1