Develop Reference

Deserialize XML to generated class by xsd.exe

I generated classes using xsd.exe and I got over 40 classes:
Link : https://www.pastiebin.com/5cc3253981ff6
And now I want to only deserialize adres
That's my deserializer:
XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Adres));
using (StringReader reader = new StringReader(xmlDocumentText))
{
Adres info = (Adres)(serializer.Deserialize(reader));
}
But I got error There is an error in XML document (1, 40)
Below is only part of XML(the whole takes 15MB):
https://www.pastiebin.com/5cc325c457a55

Your code should look like this
XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(DomainClass.wpisyWpis));
using (StringReader reader = new StringReader(xmlDocumentText))
{
DomainClass.wpisyWpis info = (DomainClass.wpisyWpis)(serializer.Deserialize(reader));
}
You also need to add XmlRoot above this class :
/// <remarks/>
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("xsd", "4.6.1055.0")]
[System.SerializableAttribute()]
[System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThroughAttribute()]
[System.ComponentModel.DesignerCategoryAttribute("code")]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlTypeAttribute(AnonymousType = true)]
[XmlRoot("wpis")]
public partial class wpisyWpis
{
private Dokument dokumentField;
/// <remarks/>
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute(Namespace = "http://asseco.pl/xml/rpm/ksiegaPraktyka/2011/04/08/")]
public Dokument Dokument
{
get
{
return this.dokumentField;
}
set
{
this.dokumentField = value;
}
}
}

how can i use the file that is generated by xsd.exe in windows 10 universal app

I am generating .cs files from .xsd files using xsd.exe. But when I am adding the files to windows 10 universal blank app, I was getting error as "missing an assembly reference" for System.SerializableAttribute() and System.ComponentModel.DesignerCategoryAttribute(‌​"‌​code"). I fixed this by #t.ouvre's trick. Then there were no errors in any of the particular line of the code but when i am building the code i am getting an error saying that " Cannot find type System.ComponentModel.MarshalByValueComponent in module System.dll" and it doesn't specify exactly where the error is. How can I use the file generated by xsd.exe in windows 10 universal app? What are all the things that I need to do with the file to use it for serialization and deserialization (using DataContractSerializer in UWP)
/// <remarks/>
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("xsd", "4.6.81.0")]
[System.SerializableAttribute()]
[System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThroughAttribute()]
[System.ComponentModel.DesignerCategoryAttribute("code")]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlTypeAttribute(AnonymousType = true)]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute(Namespace = "", IsNullable = false)]
public partial class request
{
private usertype userField;
private string versionField;
/// <remarks/>
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute(Form = System.Xml.Schema.XmlSchemaForm.Unqualified)]
public usertype user
{
get
{
return this.userField;
}
set
{
this.userField = value;
}
}
/// <remarks/>
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlAttributeAttribute()]
public string version
{
get
{
return this.versionField;
}
set
{
this.versionField = value;
}
}
}
/// <remarks/>
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("xsd", "4.6.81.0")]
[System.SerializableAttribute()]
[System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThroughAttribute()]
[System.ComponentModel.DesignerCategoryAttribute("code")]
public partial class usertype
{
private string emailField;
private string passwordField;
/// <remarks/>
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute(Form = System.Xml.Schema.XmlSchemaForm.Unqualified)]
public string email
{
get
{
return this.emailField;
}
set
{
this.emailField = value;
}
}
/// <remarks/>
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute(Form = System.Xml.Schema.XmlSchemaForm.Unqualified)]
public string password
{
get
{
return this.passwordField;
}
set
{
this.passwordField = value;
}
}
}
/// <remarks/>
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("xsd", "4.6.81.0")]
[System.SerializableAttribute()]
[System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThroughAttribute()]
[System.ComponentModel.DesignerCategoryAttribute("code")]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlTypeAttribute(AnonymousType = true)]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute(Namespace = "", IsNullable = false)]
public partial class NewDataSet
{
private request[] itemsField;
/// <remarks/>
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute("request")]
public request[] Items
{
get
{
return this.itemsField;
}
set
{
this.itemsField = value;
}
}
}

You can fake missing classes (System.SerializableAttribute(),System.ComponentModel.DesignerCategoryAttribute), just add new files with theses classes definitions :
namespace System
{
internal class SerializableAttribute : Attribute
{
}
}
namespace System.ComponentModel
{
internal class DesignerCategoryAttribute : Attribute
{
public DesignerCategoryAttribute(string _) { }
}
}
for serialization and deserialization, you have to use System.Runtime.Serialization.DataContractSerializer. For example :
DataContractSerializer serializer = new DataContractSerializer(typeof(request));
var r = new request { version = "test" };
using (MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream())
{
serializer.WriteObject(ms, r);
ms.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin);
using (var sr = new StreamReader(ms))
{
string xmlContent = sr.ReadToEnd();
Debug.WriteLine(xmlContent);
ms.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin);
using (XmlReader reader = XmlReader.Create(sr))
{
var deserialized = serializer.ReadObject(reader) as request;
if (deserialized != null && deserialized.version == r.version)
{
Debug.WriteLine("ok");
}
}
}
}

SerializableAttribute()
and DesignerCategoryAttribute
aren't supported in the uwp apps.
To produce a successful class that can be copied directly into the UWP ap , use the following tip :
This is done in a UWP app so u can just go ahead and do this.
Well the XML serialization does have some limitations that is you must have a default constructor without any parameters.
if you are planing to serialize a class that doesn't have a constructor microsoft encourages to use DataContractSerializer for such use cases.
Now the code is quite simple
First instantiate the obj to serialize.
Make a new XmlSerializer object.
Then the XmlWriter obj , since it takes in many different writer classes and u Need to instantiate one i've chosen string builder for demo purposes.
Then just simply call serialize on the serializer obj passing in your obj and the xmlwriter and the xml writer produces the op in the string builder obj.
Then i just turn it into a string.. from here u can do anything with the xml .. save it or play with it ..
the last toUpper method was just added bcoz i needed a line for debug point .. it's not necessary at all ...
private void Button_Click( object sender , RoutedEventArgs e )
{
Animal a = new Animal("Sheep" , 4);
XmlSerializer m = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Animal));
StringBuilder op = new StringBuilder();
var x = XmlWriter.Create(op);
m.Serialize(x , a);
string s = op.ToString();
var p = s.ToUpper();
}
public class Animal
{
public Animal( string name , int legcount )
{
this.name = name;
this.legcount = legcount;
}
public Animal()
{
this.name = "default";
this.legcount = 10000000;
}
public string name { get; set; }
public int legcount { get; set; }
}
The reult of the Serialized class
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?>
<Animal xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<name>Sheep</name>
<legcount>4</legcount>
</Animal>
UPDATE: By this method you can first copy all of your serialized classes into the app and deserialize them when necessary inside the app.
Now all you need to do is copy your xml into ur new app and implement deserilization using the same techniques i've shown above.

Deserializing XML gives me null instead of the object

This is my XML:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE paymentService PUBLIC "-//WorldPay//DTD WorldPay PaymentService v1//EN"
"http://dtd.worldpay.com/paymentService_v1.dtd">
<paymentService version="1.4" merchantCode="ABC">
<reply>
<error code="4">
<![CDATA[Security violation]]>
</error>
</reply>
</paymentService>
I'm deserializing it into classes created using the XSD they provided:
var responseStreamReader = new StreamReader(response.GetResponseStream());
XmlRootAttribute xRoot = new XmlRootAttribute();
xRoot.ElementName = "paymentService";
XmlSerializer mySerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(paymentService), xRoot);
var someResponse = (paymentService) mySerializer.Deserialize(responseStreamReader);
It deserializes the paymentService, version, merchantCode, but the Item property is null.
This is part of the schema:
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("xsd", "4.0.30319.33440")]
[System.SerializableAttribute()]
[System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThroughAttribute()]
[System.ComponentModel.DesignerCategoryAttribute("code")]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlTypeAttribute(AnonymousType = true, Namespace = "http://tempuri.org/worldpa
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute(Namespace = "http://tempuri.org/worldpay", IsNullable = false
public partial class paymentService
{
private object itemField;
private paymentServiceVersion versionField;
private string merchantCodeField;
/// <remarks/>
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute("inquiry", typeof (inquiry))]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute("modify", typeof (modify))]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute("notify", typeof (notify))]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute("reply", typeof (reply))]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute("submit", typeof (submit))]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute("verify", typeof (verify))]
public object Item
{
get { return this.itemField; }
set { this.itemField = value; }
}
/// <remarks/>
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlAttribute]
public paymentServiceVersion version
{
get { return this.versionField; }
set { this.versionField = value; }
}
/// <remarks/>
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlAttribute(DataType = "NMTOKEN")]
public string merchantCode
{
get { return this.merchantCodeField; }
set { this.merchantCodeField = value; }
}
}
I would expect the Item to be a reply object.
What could I be doing wrong?

I've fixed this, possibly not in the best way, but for the benefit of others..
I just removed the namespaces from everything.
My schema was generated with XSD.exe and I removed all references to Namespace = "http://tempuri.org/worldpay", and this fixed it. It also meant I didn't have to mess around with the XmlRootAttribute.

Remove certain attributes (xmlns) using XmlSerializer class

I need to remove all of the xmlns attributes from every element. I am using the XmlSerializer class in c#.
Here is a sample of the XML I am getting from serializing an object returned by a webservice.
Code for serialization
public static string ToXML<T>(object obj,string nameSpace)
{
XmlSerializerNamespaces ns = new XmlSerializerNamespaces();
ns.Add("", "");
var xml = "";
using (var stringwriter = new StringWriter())
{
var serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(T));
serializer.Serialize(stringwriter, obj,ns);
xml = xml + stringwriter;
}
return xml;
}
Calling Code
var unitInfo = RC.GetUnitInfo(txtUnitNum.Text);
var x = XML.DocumentExtensions.ToXML<Vehicles>(unitInfo, "");
Result
<Vehicles>
<Unit xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">430160</Unit>
<VinNumber xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">1FUJGP9337</VinNumber>
<CustName xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">Ryder : N/A</CustName>
<CustCode xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">4199</CustCode>
<NationalAccountFVM xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">0</NationalAccountFVM>
<VehMake xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">FREIGHTLINER/MERCEDES</VehMake>
<VehModel xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">PX12564ST CASCADIA</VehModel>
<VehYear xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">2012</VehYear>
<VehDescrip xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">TRACTOR</VehDescrip>
<InService xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">10/28/2011 12:00:00 AM</InService>
<EngMake xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">CUMMINS ENGINE CO.</EngMake>
<EngModel xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">ISX'10 14.9 450/1800</EngModel>
<EngSize xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">450</EngSize>
<EngSerial xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">79502</EngSerial>
<TransMake xmlns="http://Entities/2006/09">FULLER TRANS., DIV. EATON</TransMake>
</Vehicles
I need to serialize the object without getting the xmlns attributes.
Vehicle Object
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("System.Xml", "4.0.30319.34234")]
[System.SerializableAttribute()]
[System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThroughAttribute()]
[System.ComponentModel.DesignerCategoryAttribute("code")]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlTypeAttribute(Namespace="http://Entities/2006/09")]
public partial class Vehicles {
private string unitField;
private string vinNumberField;
/// <remarks/>
public string Unit {
get {
return this.unitField;
}
set {
this.unitField = value;
}
}
/// <remarks/>
public string VinNumber {
get {
return this.vinNumberField;
}
set {
this.vinNumberField = value;
}
}
}

I modified your ToXML() method below to always correctly exclude a namespace.
The main difference is how the XmlSerializerNamespaces is instantiated.
Generating an empty namespace disables the inserting of namespaces by the XmlWriter into the output XML.
I also change how you build the output XML since string concatenation is more resource intensive than utilizing a StringBuilder in conjuction with a StringWriter.
public static string ToXML<T>(object obj)
{
StringBuilder outputXml = new StringBuilder();
using (var stringwriter = new StringWriter(outputXml))
{
// Define a blank/empty Namespace that will allow the generated
// XML to contain no Namespace declarations.
XmlSerializerNamespaces emptyNS = new XmlSerializerNamespaces(new[] { new XmlQualifiedName("", "") });
var serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(T));
serializer.Serialize(stringwriter, obj, emptyNS);
}
return outputXml.ToString();
}
Passing in a sample object, I get the output XML of
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?>
<Vehicles>
<Unit>430160</Unit>
<VinNumber>1FUJGP9337</VinNumber>
<CustName>Ryder : N/A</CustName>
<CustCode>4199</CustCode>
<NationalAccountFVM>0</NationalAccountFVM>
<VehMake>FREIGHTLINER/MERCEDES</VehMake>
<VehModel>PX12564ST CASCADIA</VehModel>
<VehYear>2012</VehYear>
<VehDescrip>TRACTOR</VehDescrip>
<InService>2011-10-28T00:00:00</InService>
<EngMake>CUMMINS ENGINE CO.</EngMake>
<EngModel>ISX'10 14.9 450/1800</EngModel>
<EngSize>450</EngSize>
<EngSerial>79502</EngSerial>
<TransMake>FULLER TRANS., DIV. EATON</TransMake>
</Vehicles>

Class for serialization into XML with different node structure in list

I want to create a serializable C# class that would serialize into:
<metadata>
<entry key="">
<dimensionInfo>
<enabled>false</enabled>
</dimensionInfo>
</entry>
<entry key="">false</entry>
</metadata>
Can you help me? I can't handle different entry node structure:/ Too hard for me:P

Let's begin from the lowest class in the hierarchy:
[Serializable]
public class DimensionInfo
{
[XmlElement("enabled")]
public Boolean Enabled { get; set; }
public DimensionInfo()
{
}
}
As you see, there's nothing special here. Then, proceed with the next:
[Serializable]
public class Entry
{
private DimensionInfo _dimensionInfo = default(DimensionInfo);
private Boolean _containsDimensionInfo = true;
[XmlAttribute("key")]
public String Key { get; set; }
[XmlText(typeof(String))]
public String ContainsDimensionInfo
{
get
{
return CheckDimensionContaining().ToString().ToLower();
}
set
{
_containsDimensionInfo = Boolean.Parse(value);
}
}
[XmlIgnore]
public Boolean ContainsDimensionInfoSpecified
{
get { return !CheckDimensionContaining(); }
}
[XmlElement("dimensionInfo")]
public DimensionInfo DimensionInfo
{
get { return _dimensionInfo; }
set { _dimensionInfo = value; }
}
[XmlIgnore]
public Boolean DimensionInfoSpecified
{
get { return CheckDimensionContaining(); }
}
public Entry()
{
Key = String.Empty;
CheckDimensionContaining();
}
private Boolean CheckDimensionContaining()
{
return _containsDimensionInfo = _dimensionInfo != default(DimensionInfo);
}
}
Here the magic begins. With using selective XmlIgnoreAttribute we can decide the ways the object serializes. The main class only wraps a list of Entries:
[Serializable]
[XmlRoot("metadata")]
public class Metadata
{
[XmlElement("entry")]
public List<Entry> Entries { get; set; }
public Metadata()
{
Entries = new List<Entry>();
}
}
How it is made: entry contains dimensionInfo if it exists, and false if it does not. Try out the code sample in console:
Metadata metadata = new Metadata();
metadata.Entries.Add(new Entry()); //Adding empty entry
//Adding entry with info
metadata.Entries.Add(new Entry() { DimensionInfo = new DimensionInfo() });
XmlSerializer xmlSerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Metadata));
using (FileStream fileStream = new FileStream("info.txt", FileMode.Create))
{
xmlSerializer.Serialize(fileStream, metadata);
}
It gave me the following output:
<metadata>
<entry key="">false</entry>
<entry key="">
<dimensionInfo>
<enabled>false</enabled>
</dimensionInfo>
</entry>
</metadata>
However, this code is not perfect and there's a lot of things to improve, but now you have an idea of how it works

If you ever encounter XML files that you need to consume via .Net there is a tool XML Schema Definition Tool (Xsd.exe) that does the conversion automatically.
Its a command-line tool and to open it you use the Start > All
Programs > Visual Studio 2008/10/12/13 > Visual Studio Tools > Visual
Studio Command Prompt
The syntax to create a class from the XML file is described in the MSDN article. I'll give you an overview of the process to get you started.
Save the xml file to the temp dirtectory:
<metadata>
<entry key="">
<dimensionInfo>
<enabled>false</enabled>
</dimensionInfo>
</entry>
<entry key="">false</entry>
</metadata>
Fire up the Visual Studio Command Prompt
To find out all the options enter xsd /?
Now you need to convert the XML file to a XSD file, this is the command:
xsd "C:\temp\File.xml" /c /outputdir:c:\temp
This will create an XSD file in the temp directory.
Then to convert the XSD file to a Serializable C# class this is the command:
xsd "C:\temp\File.xsd" /c /outputdir:c:\temp
This is the resulting C# Serialized class file:
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("xsd", "4.0.30319.1")]
[System.SerializableAttribute()]
[System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThroughAttribute()]
[System.ComponentModel.DesignerCategoryAttribute("code")]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlTypeAttribute(AnonymousType=true)]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute(Namespace="", IsNullable=false)]
public partial class metadata {
private metadataEntry[] itemsField;
/// <remarks/>
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute("entry", Form=System.Xml.Schema.XmlSchemaForm.Unqualified)]
public metadataEntry[] Items {
get {
return this.itemsField;
}
set {
this.itemsField = value;
}
}
}
/// <remarks/>
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("xsd", "4.0.30319.1")]
[System.SerializableAttribute()]
[System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThroughAttribute()]
[System.ComponentModel.DesignerCategoryAttribute("code")]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlTypeAttribute(AnonymousType=true)]
public partial class metadataEntry {
private metadataEntryDimensionInfo[] dimensionInfoField;
private string keyField;
/// <remarks/>
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute("dimensionInfo", Form=System.Xml.Schema.XmlSchemaForm.Unqualified)]
public metadataEntryDimensionInfo[] dimensionInfo {
get {
return this.dimensionInfoField;
}
set {
this.dimensionInfoField = value;
}
}
/// <remarks/>
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlAttributeAttribute()]
public string key {
get {
return this.keyField;
}
set {
this.keyField = value;
}
}
}
/// <remarks/>
[System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("xsd", "4.0.30319.1")]
[System.SerializableAttribute()]
[System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThroughAttribute()]
[System.ComponentModel.DesignerCategoryAttribute("code")]
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlTypeAttribute(AnonymousType=true)]
public partial class metadataEntryDimensionInfo {
private string enabledField;
/// <remarks/>
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute(Form=System.Xml.Schema.XmlSchemaForm.Unqualified)]
public string enabled {
get {
return this.enabledField;
}
set {
this.enabledField = value;
}
}
}

Sounds like;
public class Metadata
{
private Dictionary<string, object> entry;
}
Where the dictionary has two item; "false" and another object;
public class dimensionInfo
{
public bool enabled = false;
}
However, you have 2 keys that are empty string. Are you sure the keys shouldn't have a value?

Actually you can create your own custom serialization for any class, so you don't have to stick to the schema when implementing your class.
All you have to do is to create a class which implements the IXmlSerializable interface
You can read more on the topic here:
Custom XML serialization
Otherwise you can use Attributes to control XML serialization.
Using [XmlAttribute] results in serialization as attribute.
Using [XmlText] results in serialization as inner text in the node. (Like the false string inside the other element in your example XML.)
Example:
public class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Metadata meta = new Metadata();
meta.entry = new List<Entry>();
var dim = new dimensionInfo();
meta.entry.Add(
new Entry()
{
key = "",
O = dim
}
);
meta.entry.Add(
new Entry()
{
key = "",
text = "false",
O = null
}
);
XmlWriterSettings set = new XmlWriterSettings();
set.NamespaceHandling = NamespaceHandling.OmitDuplicates;
set.OmitXmlDeclaration = true;
set.DoNotEscapeUriAttributes = false;
set.Indent = true;
set.NewLineChars = "\n\r";
set.IndentChars = "\t";
XmlWriter writer = XmlWriter.Create(Console.Out, set);
XmlSerializer ser = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Metadata), "");
XmlSerializerNamespaces namespaces = new XmlSerializerNamespaces();
namespaces.Add(string.Empty, string.Empty);
ser.Serialize(writer, meta, namespaces);
}
[XmlRoot("metadata")]
public class Metadata
{
[XmlElement]
public List<Entry> entry;
}
public class dimensionInfo
{
[XmlElement]
public bool enabled = false;
}
public class Entry
{
[XmlAttribute] // serialized as attribute
public string key = "";
[XmlText] // serialized as text node
public string text = "";
[XmlElement("dimensionInfo")] // serialized as an element
public dimensionInfo O = null;
}
}
This resulted the following XML:
<metadata>
<entry key=""><dimensionInfo><enabled>false</enabled></dimensionInfo></entry>
<entry key="">false</entry>
</metadata>

You can use XSD.exe to autoGenerate C# class in which you can serialize.

A straight forward answer:
Having your class to implement IXmlSerializable interface and using an XmlSerializer to defining the behavior for all the cases you desire.
private DimensionInfo _value;
public void WriteXml(XmlWriter writer)
{
var valueSerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof (DimensionInfo));
var ns = new XmlSerializerNamespaces();
ns.Add("", "");
writer.WriteStartElement("entry");
writer.WriteAttributeString("key", string.Empty, string.Empty);
// Here you define how you want your XML structure to look like
// E.g. write an empty XML node in case of a null value
if (_value != null)
{
valueSerializer.Serialize(writer, value, ns);
}
writer.WriteEndElement();
}
Would produce this in XML
<entry key="">
<dimensionInfo>
<enabled>true</enabled>
</dimensionInfo>
</entry>
Or in case of a null value
<entry key="" />
A more detailed example with a XmlSerializableDictionary:
I used an XmlSerializableDictionary approach to produce the XML you provided. Again, you can specify precisely how the produced XML should look like in the WriteXml method.
[XmlRoot("metadata")]
public class XmlSerializableDictionary<TValue> : Dictionary<string, TValue>, IXmlSerializable where TValue : class
{
private const string XmlKeyName = "key";
private const string XmlValueName = "entry";
public void WriteXml(XmlWriter writer)
{
var valueSerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof (TValue));
var ns = new XmlSerializerNamespaces(); ns.Add("", "");
foreach (var key in Keys)
{
writer.WriteStartElement(XmlValueName);
writer.WriteAttributeString(XmlKeyName, string.Empty, key);
var value = this[key];
// Only serialize the value if value is not null, otherwise write the
// empty XML element.
if (value != null)
{
valueSerializer.Serialize(writer, value, ns);
}
writer.WriteEndElement();
}
}
public void ReadXml(XmlReader reader) { /* left out */ }
public XmlSchema GetSchema() { return null; }
}
The DimensionInfo type for reference
[XmlRoot("dimensionInfo")]
public class DimensionInfo
{
[XmlElement("enabled")]
public Boolean Enabled { get; set; }
}
The following code serializes the dictionary to XML
var xmlSerializableDictionary = new XmlSerializableDictionary<DimensionInfo>
{
{"justakey", new DimensionInfo {Enabled = true}},
{"anotherkey", null}
};
var xmlSerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof (SerializableDictionary<DimensionInfo>));
xmlSerializer.Serialize(File.Open(#"D:\xmlSerializedDictionary.xml", FileMode.Create), serializableDictionary);
Produced XML file:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<metadata>
<entry key="justakey">
<dimensionInfo>
<enabled>true</enabled>
</dimensionInfo>
</entry>
<entry key="anotherkey" />
</metadata>