Develop Reference

C# parse XML file to object

Using C#, is there a way to easily parse an XML file so that it can be used as an object?
Example XML:
<Config>
<Ui>
<Colour>black</Colour>
<Size>small</Size>
</Ui>
<Output>
<Mode>smb</Mode>
<Version>2</Version>
</Output>
</Config>
And then refer to the parameters in my application by
Config.Output.Mode
I've tried this method - How to Deserialize XML document
But when I try
var cfg = new Config();
cfg.Load(#"config.xml");
Console.WriteLine(cfg.Output.Mode);
visual studio indicates .Output.Mode is not valid.
Where Config.Load is
xmlData = File.ReadAllText(configPath);
var serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Config));
using (var reader = new StringReader(xmlData))
{
Config result = (Config)serializer.Deserialize(reader);
}

You have to create the classes that match the definition in the xml file in order to deserialize the file into an instance of the class. Note that I've named the properties with the same name as we have in the xml file. If you want to use different property names, then you'd need to add an attribute above the property that specifies the xml element that should map to it (like for the Ui, you would add the attribute: [XmlElement("Ui")]).
Note that I've also overridden the ToString methods for the classes so we can output them to the console in a nice fashion:
public class Config
{
public UI Ui { get; set; }
public Output Output { get; set; }
public override string ToString()
{
return $"Config has properties:\n - Ui: {Ui}\n - Output: {Output}";
}
}
public class UI
{
public string Colour { get; set; }
public string Size { get; set; }
public override string ToString()
{
return $"(Colour: {Colour}, Size: {Size})";
}
}
public class Output
{
public string Mode { get; set; }
public int Version { get; set; }
public override string ToString()
{
return $"(Mode: {Mode}, Version: {Version})";
}
}
Now all we have to do is create a StreamReader, point it to our file path, and then use the XmlSerializer class to Deserialize the file (casting the output to the appropriate type) into an object:
static void Main(string[] args)
{
var filePath = #"f:\private\temp\temp2.txt";
// Declare this outside the 'using' block so we can access it later
Config config;
using (var reader = new StreamReader(filePath))
{
config = (Config) new XmlSerializer(typeof(Config)).Deserialize(reader);
}
Console.WriteLine(config);
GetKeyFromUser("\n\nDone! Press any key to exit...");
}
Output

Here are the classes:
public class Config
{
public UI UI { get; set; }
public Output Output { get; set; }
}
public struct UI
{
public string Colour { get; set; }
public string Size { get; set; }
}
public struct Output
{
public string Mode { get; set; }
public int Version { get; set; }
}
The Deserialize function:
public static T Deserialize<T>(string xmlString)
{
if (xmlString == null) return default;
var serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(T));
using (var reader = new StringReader(xmlString))
{
return (T) serializer.Deserialize(reader);
}
}
And here's a working version:
Config cfg = Deserialize<Config>(xmlString);
Console.WriteLine(cfg.Output.Mode);

Parse complex xml to fetch particular node text in c#

Parsing XML file using SSIS / C#
operations like fetching record count from trailer , TIN from body and store into a variable or somewhere temporarily(your suggestions please) for further processing. I don't want to store it in a table.
Please find the sample xml mentioned below
<ACOParticipantData xmlns:xsi="">
<Header>
<HeaderCode>HDR_PFPRVDR</HeaderCode>
<FileCreationDate>20160101</FileCreationDate>
<ACOProgCode>21</ACOProgCode>
</Header>
<Participants>
<Participant>
<ACO_ID>V199</ACO_ID>
<TIN>123456789</TIN>
<Old_TIN>987654321</Old_TIN>
<Org_NPI>1234567890</Org_NPI>
<Ind_NPI>1234567890</Ind_NPI>
<CCN>123456</CCN>
<PRG_Eff_Dt>20160101</PRG_Eff_Dt>
<PRG_Term_Dt>20161231</PRG_Term_Dt>
</Participant>
</Participants>
<Trailer>
<TrailerCode>TRL_PFPRVDR</TrailerCode>
<FileCreationDate>20160101</FileCreationDate>
<RecordCount>1</RecordCount>
</Trailer>
</ACOParticipantData>

You need to get fist get list of Participants then fetch all Participants tin number into list like
Here i created console app for your demonstration purpose.
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
XDocument doc = XDocument.Load(#"Path to your xml file");
List<long> tinList = new List<long>();
tinList = doc.Descendants("Participants").Elements().Elements("TIN").Select(x => (long)x).ToList();
foreach (long tin in tinList)
{
Console.WriteLine(tin);
}
Console.ReadLine();
}
}
Output: (For 2 Participants)

You need to create a class for each node and use XML deserialisation to create the object.
I had to remove the empty namespace as the deserialisation process requires a valid namespace.
Also you can change the type of the properties according to your needs.
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Xml.Serialization;
using System.Linq;
public class Program
{
public class ACOParticipantData
{
public Header Header { get; set; }
public Participant[] Participants { get; set; }
}
public class Header
{
public string HeaderCode { get; set; }
public string FileCreationDate { get; set; }
public string ACOProgCode { get; set; }
}
public class Participant
{
public string ACO_ID { get; set; }
public string TIN { get; set; }
public string Old_TIN { get; set; }
public string Org_NPI { get; set; }
public string Ind_NPI { get; set; }
public string CCN { get; set; }
public string PRG_Eff_Dt { get; set; }
public string PRG_Term_Dt { get; set; }
}
public class Trailer
{
public string TrailerCode { get; set; }
public string FileCreationDate { get; set; }
public string RecordCount { get; set; }
}
public static void Main()
{
var xmlString = #"<ACOParticipantData>
<Header>
<HeaderCode>HDR_PFPRVDR</HeaderCode>
<FileCreationDate>20160101</FileCreationDate>
<ACOProgCode>21</ACOProgCode>
</Header>
<Participants>
<Participant>
<ACO_ID>V199</ACO_ID>
<TIN>123456789</TIN>
<Old_TIN>987654321</Old_TIN>
<Org_NPI>1234567890</Org_NPI>
<Ind_NPI>1234567890</Ind_NPI>
<CCN>123456</CCN>
<PRG_Eff_Dt>20160101</PRG_Eff_Dt>
<PRG_Term_Dt>20161231</PRG_Term_Dt>
</Participant>
<Participant>
<ACO_ID>V199</ACO_ID>
<TIN>123456780</TIN>
<Old_TIN>987654321</Old_TIN>
<Org_NPI>1234567890</Org_NPI>
<Ind_NPI>1234567890</Ind_NPI>
<CCN>123456</CCN>
<PRG_Eff_Dt>20160101</PRG_Eff_Dt>
<PRG_Term_Dt>20161231</PRG_Term_Dt>
</Participant>
</Participants>
<Trailer>
<TrailerCode>TRL_PFPRVDR</TrailerCode>
<FileCreationDate>20160101</FileCreationDate>
<RecordCount>1</RecordCount>
</Trailer>
</ACOParticipantData>";
var serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(ACOParticipantData));
ACOParticipantData obj = null;
using (var reader = new StringReader(xmlString))
{
obj = (ACOParticipantData)serializer.Deserialize(reader);
}
if (obj == null)
{
return;
}
foreach (var tin in obj.Participants.Select(x => x.TIN))
{
Console.WriteLine(tin);
}
}
}
Output:
123456789
123456780

Null value on xml deserialization using [XmlAttribute]

I have the following XML;
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<feedback>
<report_metadata>
<org_name>example.com</org_name>
</report_metadata>
</feedback>
and the following Feedback.cs class;
[XmlRoot("feedback", Namespace = "", IsNullable = false)]
public class Feedback
{
[XmlElement("report_metadata")]
public MetaData MetaData { get; set; }
}
[XmlType("report_metadata")]
public class MetaData
{
[XmlAttribute("org_name")]
public string Organisation { get; set; }
}
When I attempt to deserialize, the value for Organisation is null.
var xml = System.IO.File.ReadAllText("example.xml");
var serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Feedback));
using (var reader = new StringReader(input))
{
var feedback = (Feedback)serializer.Deserialize(reader);
}
Yet, when I change Feedback.cs to the following, it works (obviously the property name has changed).
[XmlType("report_metadata")]
public class MetaData
{
//[XmlAttribute("org_name")]
public string org_name { get; set; }
}
I want the property to be Organisation, not org_name.

In the example XML file org_name is an XML element, not an XML attribute. Changing
[XmlAttribute("org_name")] to [XmlElement("org_name")] at the Organisation property will deserialize it as an element:
[XmlElement("org_name")]
public string Organisation { get; set; }

probably just typo
[XmlAttribute("org_name")]
public string Organisation { get; set; }
was supposed to be
[XmlElement("org_name")]
public string Organisation { get; set; }

Try to modify your Xml classes like
[XmlRoot(ElementName = "report_metadata")]
public class MetaData
{
[XmlElement(ElementName = "org_name")]
public string Organisation { get; set; }
}
[XmlRoot(ElementName = "feedback")]
public class Feedback
{
[XmlElement(ElementName = "report_metadata")]
public MetaData MetaData { get; set; }
}
Then you will get your desired output like
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Feedback feedback = new Feedback();
var xml = System.IO.File.ReadAllText(#"C:\Users\Nullplex6\source\repos\ConsoleApp4\ConsoleApp4\Files\XMLFile1.xml");
var serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Feedback));
using (var reader = new StringReader(xml))
{
feedback = (Feedback)serializer.Deserialize(reader);
}
Console.WriteLine($"Organization: {feedback.MetaData.Organisation}");
Console.ReadLine();
}
}
Output:

Populate custom List sub class from XML document via LINQ

I have figured out how to populate a custom class from XML data, but I ran into an issue along the way. Things were working perfectly with my existing method of populating data until I was thrown a bit of a curve ball. The new schema I was sent is similar to this:
<ITEM_REPLY>
<TRAN_ID>1320691307345</TRAN_ID>
<REPLY_CODE>0</REPLY_CODE>
<UNIT_PRICE>8.2784</UNIT_PRICE>
<SUP_LOCS>
<SUP_LOC>
<SUP_LOC_ID>001134</SUP_LOC_ID>
<COUNTRY_ID>USA</COUNTRY_ID>
<QTY_AVL>47.000</QTY_AVL>
<ITEM_UOM>EA</ITEM_UOM>
</SUP_LOC>
<SUP_LOC>
<SUP_LOC_ID>006817</SUP_LOC_ID>
<COUNTRY_ID>USA</COUNTRY_ID>
<QTY_AVL>20.000</QTY_AVL>
<ITEM_UOM>EA</ITEM_UOM>
</SUP_LOC>
</SUP_LOCS>
<MESSAGE />
<QTY_BREAKS />
</ITEM_REPLY>
Pretty standard XML schema, problem is I'm not sure how to populate my custom class with it. Here's what I do have:
static void Main(string[] args)
{
var order = ConvertXMLMessage<ItemReply>(request);
}
protected static T ConvertXMLMessage<T>(String xmlData) where T : class, new()
{
var xml = new XmlDocument();
xml.LoadXml(xmlData);
var serializer = new System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer(typeof(T));
using (var xmlReader = new XmlNodeReader(xml.DocumentElement))
{
T work = (T)(serializer.Deserialize(xmlReader));
return work;
}
}
public class ItemReply
{
[XmlElement("ITEM_REPLY")]
public ItemAvlReply ITEM_REPLY { get; set; }
}
public class ItemAvlReply
{
[XmlElement("TRAN_ID")]
public string TRAN_ID { get; set; }
[XmlElement("REPLY_CODE")]
public string REPLY_CODE { get; set; }
[XmlElement("UNIT_PRICE")]
public string UNIT_PRICE { get; set; }
[XmlElement("SUP_LOCS")]
public SupplierLocations SUP_LOCS;
[XmlElement("MESSAGE")]
public string MESSAGE { get; set; }
[XmlElement("QTY_BREAKS")]
public string QTY_BREAKS { get; set; }
}
public class SupplierLocations
{
[XmlElement("SUP_LOC")]
public List<SupplierLocation> SUP_LOC;
}
public class SupplierLocation
{
[XmlElement("SUP_LOC_ID")]
public string SUP_LOC_ID { get; set; }
[XmlElement("COUNTRY_ID")]
public string COUNTRY_ID { get; set; }
[XmlElement("QTY_AVL")]
public string QTY_AVL { get; set; }
[XmlElement("ITEM_UOM")]
public string ITEM_UOM { get; set; }
}
This works perfectly minus the List<Item> part. I'm not overly experienced with LINQ and I'm not sure how to go about declaring a sub array in my class via this statement. I am also open to a different approach from creating the List<Item> part, I'm just not sure where to start otherwise. Is there a better approach for what I'm need to do? Is there an easy solution I am just unaware of in LINQ?

Here's a simple way to do it, assuming the example XML file you provided has typos. I assumed the OrderId has a closing tag, and that the closing tag for Items should be /Items.
Here's the version of the xml I used:
<Order>
<TransactionID>123</TransactionID>
<OrderID>1</OrderID>
<Items Number="2">
<Item>
<ItemName>Test</ItemName>
<Color>Red</Color>
</Item>
<Item>
<ItemName>Test1</ItemName>
<Color>Blue</Color>
</Item>
</Items>
</Order>
Here's the code to read/write the XML: (the xml variable is a String)
var order = ConvertXMLMessage<Order>(xml);
WriteXMLFile<Order>(order, #"test.xml");
Here's the ConvertXMLMessage and WriteXMLFile functions:
protected static T ConvertXMLMessage<T>(String xmlData) where T : class, new()
{
var xml = new XmlDocument();
xml.LoadXml(xmlData);
var serializer = new System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer(typeof(T));
using (var xmlReader = new XmlNodeReader(xml.DocumentElement))
{
T work = (T)(serializer.Deserialize(xmlReader));
return work;
}
}
protected static void WriteXMLFile<T>(T item, String saveLocation) where T : class, new()
{
System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer writer = new System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer(typeof(T));
System.IO.StreamWriter file = new System.IO.StreamWriter(saveLocation);
writer.Serialize(file, item);
file.Close();
}
and here's the class structure:
public class Order
{
[XmlElement("TransactionID")]
public string TransactionId { get; set; }
[XmlElement("OrderID")]
public string OrderId { get; set; }
[XmlElement("Items")]
public ItemsContainer Items;
}
public class ItemsContainer
{
[XmlAttribute("Number")]
public Int32 Number { get; set; }
[XmlElement("Item")]
public List<Item> Items;
}
public class Item
{
[XmlElement("ItemName")]
public string ItemName { get; set; }
[XmlElement("Color")]
public string Color { get; set; }
}
As you'll notice I added some attributes to let the XML parser know how to handle the class when it's converting from/to the XML. I also added another small class called "ItemsContainer" just to hold the details on the Items tag. If you didn't need the "Number" attribute, then you could probably find a way to do away with this. However, this should get you in the right direction.
The example I provided is a simple version of how I usually handle the situation, obviously there's some improvements you can make depending on your needs.
Edit
I changed the Item class to use ItemName instead of TransactionId. It was an oversight on my part.
Edit 2
Here's the corrections you need to make to the newly posted code. The reason the Order class worked in the previous example was it matched the root XML element. You're new XML does align with the base class. So we need to add in a couple more attributes to make this work. You can also remove your ItemReply class. It's not needed.
So here's the new classes:
[XmlRoot("ITEM_REPLY")]
public class ItemAvlReply
{
[XmlElement("TRAN_ID")]
public string TRAN_ID { get; set; }
[XmlElement("REPLY_CODE")]
public string REPLY_CODE { get; set; }
[XmlElement("UNIT_PRICE")]
public string UNIT_PRICE { get; set; }
[XmlElement("SUP_LOCS")]
public SupplierLocations SUP_LOCS;
[XmlElement("MESSAGE")]
public string MESSAGE { get; set; }
[XmlElement("QTY_BREAKS")]
public string QTY_BREAKS { get; set; }
}
public class SupplierLocations
{
[XmlElement("SUP_LOC")]
public List<SupplierLocation> SUP_LOC;
}
public class SupplierLocation
{
[XmlElement("SUP_LOC_ID")]
public string SUP_LOC_ID { get; set; }
[XmlElement("COUNTRY_ID")]
public string COUNTRY_ID { get; set; }
[XmlElement("QTY_AVL")]
public string QTY_AVL { get; set; }
[XmlElement("ITEM_UOM")]
public string ITEM_UOM { get; set; }
}
Everything else should remain the same. The parsing/converting the XML to classes should work without any changes.

Deserialization of properties won't work, but works in TestProject and Generic-Lists

i have a rally weird problem with the deserialization of my ApplicationSettings-Class.
The class looks like following:
[Serializable]
public class ApplicationSettings
{
public string SelectedGeneralSetting { get; set; }
public string SelectedCheckSetting { get; set; }
public string SelectedDataBaseSetting { get; set; }
public string SelectedCompareSetting { get; set; }
public List<GeneralSetting> GeneralSettings = new List<GeneralSetting>();
public List<CheckSetting> CheckSettings = new List<CheckSetting>();
public List<DataBaseSetting> DataBaseSettings = new List<DataBaseSetting>();
public List<CompareSetting> CompareSettings = new List<CompareSetting>();
public ApplicationSettings()
{
}
}
The serialization of this class just works fine, but deserialization won't work, the public properties SelectedGeneralSetting, SelectedCheckSetting, SelectedDataBaseSetting and SelectedCompareSetting are null. I'm deserializing using this method:
private void deserialize()
{
XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(ApplicationSettings));
FileStream file = new FileStream(ApplicationSettingsPath + #"\settings.xml", FileMode.Open);
ApplicationSettings = (serializer.Deserialize(file) as ApplicationSettings);
file.Close();
}
There are two strange things, the Lists contain also a lot of properties and they are deserilized correctly. I created a test-project, containing a public member and property and a generic list, all were successfully deserialized. I really have no Idea why it shouldn't work in my "main-project". Does anyone have an advice? How can the deserialization behave so weird?
Greetings!

This code works for me.
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(ApplicationSettings));
XmlReader reader = XmlReader.Create(new StringReader(
#"<?xml version=""1.0""?> <ApplicationSettings>
<SelectedGeneralSetting>Default</SelectedGeneralSetting>
<GeneralSettings>
<GeneralSetting><Name>DDD</Name></GeneralSetting>
</GeneralSettings></ApplicationSettings>"));
var result = (serializer.Deserialize(reader) as ApplicationSettings);
}
[Serializable]
public class ApplicationSettings
{
public string SelectedGeneralSetting { get; set; }
public List<GeneralSetting> GeneralSettings = new List<GeneralSetting>();
}
public class GeneralSetting
{
public string Name { get; set; }
}
Check [BR] text in your sample text

Did you miss the variable name in deserialize()?
It should be:
ApplicationSettings settings = (serializer.Deserialize(file) as ApplicationSettings);