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How to stub wsdl service endpoints?

I want to run some integration tests on a WSDL client application. Therefore I'd like to have the WSDL server (which is not in control of me) to response with the same xml response always.
How could I achieve this? Is there any tool out that offers a wsdl endpoint an can always return the same xml (which I then could take from my live logs)?

SOAPUI offers this functionality. I've used it before with ease.
Alternatively if you do not want to go through the hassle of converting the WSDL request to a meaningful response, take a look at services like mocky which simply echo back a payload.

Take a look at Soap-UI - it has the ability to mock web services exactly as you mentioned using just a wsdl. You can then decide which XML the mocked web service will return, and it will run as a server locally. Instead of pointing to the 'real' server you can then point to your own local endpoint in order to retreive the same response. More information available on my blog here

How to connect WSDL file in my application using SOAP service?

I am doing a project using Java and BPEL. I successfully created webservices in Java and integrated them using BPEL. All i generated a single output WSDL file. Now, I have to use this output WSDL file in my application using SOAP communication. How can i do that? Is there any help out side for such scenarios? Walkthroughs are really appreciated..

Depending on the architecture of your application (Standard Java, Spring-based, ...) there might or not be a documented procedure to consume a SOAP-based webservice.
On the other hand, you're always free to pick a webservice development framework to handle that. For instance, you could pick either CXF or AXIS2 (I believe these are the two most popular frameworks for Java WebServices). Each of these frameworks provides a tool called "wsdl2java" that helps you generate client-side/server-side/both Java classes. Then, you can easily add those classes and the requireds libraries to your application.
Having used CXF in the past, It even does provide several way to consume a webservice
Generating the client-side classes
Using CXF dynamic client factory : basically, you'll retrieve an endpoint proxy from a factory object.
Hope that'll help

I start with SoapUI (or downloadable from sourceforge), that will let you consume the WSDL and fire off requests against your server. Typically I'm hitting someone else's webservice, and trying to figure out what the data looks like before I start wiring my code together, but in your case its just a verification that the services would be/are working.
Then, as #KHY said, you can automatically convert the wsdl into java with a wsdl2java and start coding (look under the Related list on the right panel of this SO screen)

If it is a Java application, then the easiest way to consume a service is using JAX-WS. It's really easy to create a Web service client from WSDL.
See this link
Once you deploy the BPEL project on server, then refer the WSDL with http://server:port/application/YourBPELProjectService?WSDL in the consuming application. You will need to write different client code based on the BPEL type - Synchronous, Asynchronous etc.

Is it possible to generate code for WS operations from eclipse web services explorer?

I have successfully tested WS operation from eclipse WS explorer. I have problems with programming all the neccessary parameters for WS operation (lots of non Java types). I created my WS client from wizard.
Is it possbile to generate code that would call the same operation as in WS explorer?
If that can't be done, what is the best way to view outgoing SOAP request so i can better see which parameter is null/missing? I am tunneling my connection to the WS endpoint, so i can't see packets with e.g. Wireshark.

You can use TCP/IP monitor of Eclipse to monitor web services.
Check: Using the TCP/IP Monitor to test Web services

You can use SOAPUI to view the soap request and responses. Also you can refer to the section 9.5 of the notes below: -
http://www.slideshare.net/krizsan/scdjws-5-study-notes-3085287

Simple (standalone) Java SOAP web service client from WSDL using Maven

I'm looking to generate a simple standalone Java client which will make calls to a SOAP web service, given a wsdl. When I say simple and standalone I mean that once I'm done I want to be able to do something like
import my.generated.nonsense;
public static void main(String[] args) {
Client client = new Client();
client.getSomething();
}
I've had great time recently with Maven on some other projects and I want to keep that going, so would aim to use it here. I don't want the tool to generate anything expect the classes that allow me to do the above.
Anyone done this recently and can recommend a ws library and Maven plugin? Thanks.

Have a look at CXF and its Maven plug in. CXF would generate code similar to yours (of course web services could fail and you should add exception handling). Have in mind though that SOAP web services is a complicated topic and simplicity in the generated code may not be always desirable. Generating a client with the default settings may not work for some clients. You would then need to tweak the configuration of the code generation and/or add code to handle it. CXF is good both for easy/default clients and more complicated ones.

I would recommend SOAP UI for what you need to do. You do not need to write any code - you can call the web service from the soap UI client.
If you need to automate making soap calls you can use the maven plugin as part of your build/deploy process. More info about the maven plugin here:
http://www.soapui.org/Test-Automation/maven-2x.html

Testing Web Services Consumer

Here are some tools that I have found to test web services consumers:
http://www.soapui.org/
https://wsunit.dev.java.net/
Are there any others? I would prefer testing frameworks that are written in Java or Python.

I have used soapui by a maven plugin. It can create junit-linke reports to be run and analysed like unit tests. This can be easily integrated in continious build, also with the free distribution of soapui.

I've used Web Service Studio.
Web Service Studio is a tool to invoke web methods interactively. The
user can provide a WSDL endpoint. On clicking button Get the tool
fetches the WSDL, generates .NET proxy from the WSDL and displays the
list of methods available. The user can choose any method and provide
the required input parameters. On clicking Invoke the SOAP request is
sent to the server and the response is parsed to display the return
value.
This tool is meant for web service implementers to test their web
services without having to write the client code. This could also be
used to access other web services whose WSDL endpoint is known.
Also the Web Services Explorer in Eclipse which comes as part of the Web Tools Platform.
Through UDDI and WSIL, other applications can discover WSDL documents
and bind with them to execute transactions or perform other business
processes. The Web Services Explorer allows you to explore, import,
and test WSDL documents.

The Grinder is right up your ally with both Java and Python, that handles most web services, (SOAP/REST/CORBA/RMI/JMS/EJB) etc.
http://grinder.sourceforge.net/

You really need to be more specific: What is it that you want to test in your WS-consumer? That it calls the right WS? This looks a bit pointless - WS are a perfect place for mocking whatever may be called - without anything being called.
In order to test the consumer you'd otherwise be writing a Webservice that mocks the original, right? I'd suppose that the communication protocol that goes through the wire is not the clients domain - e.g. it's generated. So the only thing a WS-consumer's client sees is the interface. And there's nothing to test in an interface.
It might be that I completely misunderstood your question - please clarify if I did. I'll revise the answer then.