Develop Reference

How to parse XML with several Attributes and an options list

I have an XML file that looks something similar to this:
<root>
<data label="product data" min="0" max="10">
<option>
<id>1</id>
<name>Name1</name>
</option>
<option>
<id>2</id>
<name>Name2</name>
</option>
<option>
<id>3</id>
<name>Name3</name>
</option>
</data>
</root>
I need to retreive both data attributes and the option list.
I tried this:
[XmlRoot(ElementName = "root")]
public class Data
{
// Retreive data attributes
[XmlElement(ElementName = "data")]
public Options Attributes { get; set; }
// Retrieve option list
[XmlArray("data")]
[XmlArrayItem("option", Type = typeof(GeneralOptions))]
public GeneralOptions[] Options { get; set; }
}
Optional classes:
Options
public class Options
{
[XmlAttribute("label")]
public string Label{ get; set; }
[XmlAttribute("min")]
public string Min{ get; set; }
[XmlAttribute("max")]
public string Max{ get; set; }
}
GeneralOptions
public class GeneralOptions
{
[XmlElement(ElementName = "id")]
public string Id { get; set; }
[XmlElement(ElementName = "name")]
public string Name{ get; set; }
}
But when I try to deserialize the object, it launches the following exception:
The XML element 'data' from namespace '' is already present in the current scope. Use XML attributes to specify another XML name or namespace for the element.
I imagine the problem is that I'm trying to retreive the same element "twice". But I need to retreive both things. I cannot use the [Attribute] thing because there are several Attributes to retreive, and I need to do this with several XML Elements with the same format and I want to reuse it.
So, how can I retreive both of them?

You'll need to restructure it slightly:
[XmlRoot("root")]
public class Data
{
[XmlElement("data")]
public OptionsData Options { get; set; }
}
public class OptionsData
{
[XmlAttribute("label")]
public string Label { get; set; }
[XmlAttribute("min")]
public string Min { get; set; }
[XmlAttribute("max")]
public string Max { get; set; }
[XmlElement("option")]
public List<GeneralOptions> Items { get; } = new List<GeneralOptions>();
}
public class GeneralOptions
{
[XmlElement("id")]
public string Id { get; set; }
[XmlElement("name")]
public string Name { get; set; }
}

I suggest using xmltocsharp or anyother tools to convert the XML to C# Models within seconds... (eliminates all manual mistakes)
As mentioned by #canton7, another easy method is using Visual Studio: Edit -> Paste Special -> Paste XML As Classes
[XmlRoot(ElementName="option")]
public class Option {
[XmlElement(ElementName="id")]
public string Id { get; set; }
[XmlElement(ElementName="name")]
public string Name { get; set; }
}
[XmlRoot(ElementName="data")]
public class Data {
[XmlElement(ElementName="option")]
public List<Option> Option { get; set; }
[XmlAttribute(AttributeName="label")]
public string Label { get; set; }
[XmlAttribute(AttributeName="min")]
public string Min { get; set; }
[XmlAttribute(AttributeName="max")]
public string Max { get; set; }
}
[XmlRoot(ElementName="root")]
public class Root {
[XmlElement(ElementName="data")]
public Data Data { get; set; }
}

Issues Deserializing Xml in C#

I'm following the tutorial given here for deserializing an embedded xml document.
My Xml doc:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<ArrayOfAgency xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<DbAgencyDefinition>
<Name>RTD</Name>
<Country>USA</Country>
<City>Denver</City>
<State>CO</State>
<GtfsZipUrlDirectory>http://www.address.com/etc/</GtfsZipUrlDirectory>
<GtfsZipUrlFileName>file_name.zip</GtfsZipUrlFileName>
</DbAgencyDefinition>
</ArrayOfAgency>
My class I'm deserializing to:
public class DbAgencyDefinition
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public string City { get; set; }
public string Country { get; set; }
public string GtfsZipUrlDirectory { get; set; }
public string GtfsZipUrlFileName { get; set; }
public string State { get; set; }
}
The code that's trying to deserialize the XML to a list of DbAgencyDefinition:
var assembly = IntrospectionExtensions.GetTypeInfo(typeof(DbAgencyDefinition)).Assembly;
Stream stream = assembly.GetManifestResourceStream("MyNamespace.Resources.xml.AgencyDefinitions.xml");
var agencies = new List<DbAgencyDefinition>();
using (var reader = new StreamReader(stream))
{
var serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(List<DbAgencyDefinition>));
agencies = (List<DbAgencyDefinition>)serializer.Deserialize(reader);
}
The error I'm getting is:
System.Exception: There is an error in XML document. <ArrayOfAgency xmlns=''> was not expected
I've tried a million things with the XML, marking the class as Serializable, and it always returns this error. I looked at the code samples that the tutorial gives and I can't figure out why I'm getting this error.

VS for Windows, and maybe on Mac as well, has a special tool that will convert copied Xml into autogenerated classes. Now, it's not perfect but if you take your Xml file it generates a couple of classes similar to this:
public class ArrayOfAgency
{
public ArrayOfAgencyDbAgencyDefinition DbAgencyDefinition { get; set; }
}
public class ArrayOfAgencyDbAgencyDefinition
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public string Country { get; set; }
public string City { get; set; }
public string State { get; set; }
public string GtfsZipUrlDirectory { get; set; }
public string GtfsZipUrlFileName { get; set; }
}
As you might notice ArrayOfAgency is determined as a class holding a DbAgencyDefinition, which is why it's throwing an error while trying to deserialize it directly into a List<DbAgencyDefinition>. The type and what the serializer is expecting are not quite the same.
var serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(ArrayOfAgency));
var agencies = ((ArrayOfAgency)serializer.Deserialize(reader)).DbAgencyDefinition;
Also, as I mentioned the auto-generation may not be perfect because ArrayOfAgency may need to hold an array instead of a direct class if there can be more than one DbAgencyDefinition possible in Xml.
public class ArrayOfAgency
{
public ArrayOfAgencyDbAgencyDefinition[] DbAgencyDefinition { get; set; }
}
If you need more help or info on Xml Serialization check out the docs.

Try following :
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Xml;
using System.Xml.Serialization;
using System.IO;
namespace ConsoleApplication120
{
class Program
{
const string FILENAME = #"c:\temp\test.xml";
static void Main(string[] args)
{
using (var reader = new StreamReader(FILENAME, Encoding.UTF8))
{
var serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(ArrayOfAgency));
ArrayOfAgency agencies = (ArrayOfAgency)serializer.Deserialize(reader);
}
}
}
public class ArrayOfAgency
{
public DbAgencyDefinition DbAgencyDefinition { get; set; }
}
public class DbAgencyDefinition
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public string City { get; set; }
public string Country { get; set; }
public string GtfsZipUrlDirectory { get; set; }
public string GtfsZipUrlFileName { get; set; }
public string State { get; set; }
}
}

How to Serialize Nested Classes and Collections into XML?

First, i tried on the internet different ways, but i didn't got what i want. i have viewmodel class with the following properties;
public class UserEntitySubmissionsReportViewModel
{
public UserEntitySubmissionsReportViewModel()
{
Submissions = new FinalUserEntitiesAssignmentViewModel();
}
public int Id { get; set; }
public int Status { get; set; }
public DateTime SubmissionDate { get; set; }
public int UserEntityAssignmentId { get; set; }
public FinalUserEntitiesAssignmentViewModel Submissions { get; set; }
}
and the nested class FinalUserEntitiesAssignmentViewModel whcih is;
[Serializable]
public class FinalUserEntitiesAssignmentViewModel
{
public FinalUserEntitiesAssignmentViewModel()
{
ProjectInformation = new ProjectInformationViewModel();
MilestoneInformation = new MilestoneInformationViewModel();
ActivityListInformation = new ActivityListInformationViewModel();
ActivityInformation = new ActivityInformationViewModel();
SubActivityInformation = new List<SubActivityInformationViewModel>();
}
[XmlElement(ElementName = "ProjectInformation")]
public ProjectInformationViewModel ProjectInformation { get; set; }
[XmlElement(ElementName = "MilestoneInformation")]
public MilestoneInformationViewModel MilestoneInformation { get; set; }
[XmlElement(ElementName = "ActivityListInformation")]
public ActivityListInformationViewModel ActivityListInformation { get; set; }
[XmlElement(ElementName = "ActivityInformation")]
public ActivityInformationViewModel ActivityInformation { get; set; }
[XmlElement(ElementName = "SubActivityInformation")]
public List<SubActivityInformationViewModel> SubActivityInformation { get; set; }
}
[Serializable]
public class ProjectInformationViewModel
{
[XmlElement(ElementName = "Id")]
public int Id { get; set; }
[XmlElement(ElementName = "Name")]
public string Name { get; set; }
public string Description { get; set; }
}
When i serialize this, i only get the 1 property i.e Id for nested class.
var obj = new UserEntitySubmissionsReportViewModel();
var writer = new System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer(typeof(UserEntitySubmissionsReportViewModel));
System.IO.StreamWriter file = new System.IO.StreamWriter(Server.MapPath("~/App_Data/UserEntitySubmissionsReportViewModel.xml"));
writer.Serialize(file, obj);
file.Close();
The result i get is;
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<UserEntitySubmissionsReportViewModel xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<Id>0</Id>
<Status>0</Status>
<SubmissionDate>0001-01-01T00:00:00</SubmissionDate>
<UserEntityAssignmentId>0</UserEntityAssignmentId>
<Submissions>
<ProjectInformation>
<Id>0</Id>
</ProjectInformation>
<MilestoneInformation>
<Id>0</Id>
</MilestoneInformation>
<ActivityListInformation>
<Id>0</Id>
</ActivityListInformation>
<ActivityInformation>
<Id>0</Id>
<Attributes />
<Tools />
</ActivityInformation>
</Submissions>
</UserEntitySubmissionsReportViewModel>
As you can see, i am not able to serialize other properties. Similarly i have nest collection too. How can i serialize nested properties using C# ?

I think that when serializing XML that you need to define a default constructor for your classes. Try adding a construction for your ProjectInformationViewModel class.
public class ProjectInformationViewModel
{
// Default Constructor
public ProjectInformationViewModel()
{
}
}

error deserializing the object of type .... End element '......' from namespace '' expected. Found element 'item' from namespace ''

When I deserialize my jsonstring ,I am getting error message
There was an error deserializing the object of type RecordInfo. End element 'Warning' from namespace '' expected. Found element 'item' from namespace ''.
This is my JsonString
public const string jsonString = #"
{
""RequestId"":514106,
""Warning"":[],
""CustomerData"": {
""Email"":""abc#abc.com"",
""FullName"":""OrTguOfE"",
""OrderData"":[]
}
}";
Data contracts
[DataContract]
public class RecordInfo
{
[DataMember(Name = "RequestId")]
public string RequestId { get; set; }
[DataMember(Name = "Warning")]
public string Warning { get; set; }
[DataMember(Name = "CustomerData")]
public CustomerData CustomerData { get; set; }
}
[DataContract]
public class CustomerData
{
[DataMember(Name = "Email")]
public string RequestId { get; set; }
[DataMember(Name = "FullName")]
public string FullName { get; set; }
[DataMember(Name = "OrderData")]
public OrderData[] OrderData { get; set; }
}
[DataContract]
public class OrderData
{
[DataMember(Name = "OrderId")]
public string OrderId { get; set; }
[DataMember(Name = "SourceId")]
public string SourceId { get; set; }
[DataMember(Name = "SourceData")]
public SourceData[] SourceData { get; set; }
}
[DataContract]
public class SourceData
{
[DataMember(Name = "SourceDescription")]
public string SourceDescription { get; set; }
[DataMember(Name = "ProductName")]
public string ProductName { get; set; }
}
}
This is the Deserializer I use
private static T Deserialize<T>(string jsonString)
{
using (var ms = new MemoryStream(Encoding.Unicode.GetBytes(jsonString)))
{
var serializer = new DataContractJsonSerializer(typeof(T));
return (T)serializer.ReadObject(ms);
}
}
When I deserialize the bove jsonstring ,I am getting error message
There was an error deserializing the object of type RecordInfo. End element 'Warning' from namespace '' expected. Found element 'item' from namespace ''.
Any suggestions to resolve this error?

Set IsRequired = false, e.g.:
[DataMember(Name = "RequestId", IsRequired = false)]
MSDN Source: DataMemberAttribute.IsRequired Property
Gets or sets a value that instructs the serialization engine that the
member must be present when reading or deserializing.

Another reason I found for the similar error is when we map an array type of Json field to a non array field of the data contract class. (e.g.) my JSON data was like -
"ipAddress": [
"10.61.255.25",
"fe80:0000:0000:0000:10e1:0b66:96a6:9ac8"
]
But because I was unaware of this type of IPAddress data, I was mapping ipaddress to
[DataMember(Name="ipAddress")]
public string IPAddress ( get; set; }
Instead, it should be
[DataMember(Name="ipAddress")]
public string[] IPAddress ( get; set; }

XML De-serialization giving null values

i am having an XML string like
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<FullServiceAddressCorrectionDelivery xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<AuthenticationInfo xmlns="http://www.usps.com/postalone/services/UserAuthenticationSchema">
<UserId xmlns="">FAPushService</UserId>
<UserPassword xmlns="">Password4Now</UserPassword>
</AuthenticationInfo>
</FullServiceAddressCorrectionDelivery>
In Order to map the nodes with Class, i am having the class structure like
[Serializable]
public class FullServiceAddressCorrectionDelivery
{
[XmlElement("AuthenticationInfo")]
public AuthenticationInfo AuthenticationInfo
{
get;
set;
}
}
[Serializable]
public class AuthenticationInfo
{
[XmlElement("UserId")]
public string UserId
{
get;
set;
}
[XmlElement("UserPassword")]
public string UserPassword
{
get;
set;
}
}
For De-serialization , i used xmlserializer to De-serialize the object
byte[] byteArray = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(xmlString);
MemoryStream stream = new MemoryStream(byteArray);
XmlSerializer xs = new XmlSerializer(typeof(FullServiceAddressCorrectionDelivery));
var result = (FullServiceAddressCorrectionDelivery)xs.Deserialize(stream);
but the value FullServiceAddressCorrectionDelivery object is always null..
please help me what i am doing wrong here....

Add namesapce on the XmlElement attribute as described here
[Serializable]
public class FullServiceAddressCorrectionDelivery
{
[XmlElement("AuthenticationInfo",
Namespace =
"http://www.usps.com/postalone/services/UserAuthenticationSchema")]
public AuthenticationInfo AuthenticationInfo
{
get;
set;
}
}
[Serializable]
public class AuthenticationInfo
{
[XmlElement("UserId", Namespace="")]
public string UserId
{
get;
set;
}
[XmlElement("UserPassword", Namespace = "")]
public string UserPassword
{
get;
set;
}
}