Serializing array of userdefined types

[Daniel Lidström]

Hello,

I want to have a class that contains only a collection of another class.
For example:

public __gc class Alignment {
public:
Alignment();
...
};

// Probably using XmlIncludeAttribute such as this is wrong...
[System::Xml::Serialization::XmlIncludeAttribute(__ typeof(Alignment))]
public __gc class Alignments : public System::Collections::ArrayList {
public:
Alignments();
...
};

I figured I could use Alignments like this:
Alignment* alignment = new Alignment;
Alignments* alignments = new Alignments;
alignments->Add(alignment);

BTW, I am using XmlSerializer and XmlTextWriter.

But I get exceptions:
--------- Exception Data ---------
Message: There was an error reflecting type 'LX.LandXML'.
Exception Type: System.InvalidOperationException
Source: System.Xml
StrackTrace: at
System.Xml.Serialization.XmlReflectionImporter.Imp ortTypeMapping(TypeModel
model, String ns, ImportContext context, String dataType, Boolean repeats)
at
System.Xml.Serialization.XmlReflectionImporter.Imp ortElement(TypeModel
model, XmlRootAttribute root, String defaultNamespace)
at System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer..ctor(Type type, String
defaultNamespace)
at System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer..ctor(Type type)
at main(Int32 argc, SByte** argv) in c:\documents and
settings\daniel.sbg\my documents\visual studio
projects\managed_test\test1\test1.cpp:line 22
TargetSite: System.Xml.Serialization.TypeMapping
ImportTypeMapping(System.Xml.Serialization.TypeMod el, System.String,
ImportContext, System.String, Boolean)
--------- Exception Data ---------
Message: There was an error reflecting property 'Alignments'.
Exception Type: System.InvalidOperationException
Source: System.Xml
StrackTrace: at
System.Xml.Serialization.XmlReflectionImporter.Imp ortStructLikeMapping(StructModel
model, String ns)
at
System.Xml.Serialization.XmlReflectionImporter.Imp ortTypeMapping(TypeModel
model, String ns, ImportContext context, String dataType, Boolean repeats)
TargetSite: System.Xml.Serialization.StructMapping
ImportStructLikeMapping(System.Xml.Serialization.S tructModel,
System.String)
What is the usual way to serialize a collection of the same type of
objects? The end result I am after is this:
<Alignments>
<Alignment name="Centreline>
</Alignment>
<Alignment name="LeftCatch">
</Alignment>
... arbitrary number of Alignments
</Alignments>

Any pointers or references very much appreciated.
Thanks!

--
Daniel

[Alex Shirshov]

Hello, Daniel!
You wrote on Wed, 19 May 2004 12:09:36 +0200:
[Sorry, skipped]
DL> What is the usual way to serialize a collection of the same type of
DL> objects? The end result I am after is this:
DL> <Alignments>
DL> <Alignment name="Centreline>
DL> </Alignment>
DL> <Alignment name="LeftCatch">
DL> </Alignment>
DL> ... arbitrary number of Alignments
DL> </Alignments>

DL> Any pointers or references very much appreciated.
DL> Thanks!

Well, maybe this example be right for you.

#using <mscorlib.dll>
#using <System.Xml.dll>
 
using namespace System;
using namespace System::Collections;
using namespace System::Xml;
using namespace System::Xml::Serialization;
using namespace System::IO;
 
public __gc class foo
{
public:
foo()
{
}
 
foo(System::String* s)
{
_s = s;
}
public:
[XmlAttributeAttribute(S"name")]
System::String* _s;
};
 
public __gc class foos
{
public:
foos()
{
arr = new ArrayList();
}
public:
[XmlArray(S"Alignments")]
[XmlArrayItemAttribute(S"Alignment",__typeof(foo))]
ArrayList* arr;
};
 
int _tmain()
{
XmlSerializer* xs = new XmlSerializer(__typeof(foo));
foo* f = new foo(S"hi!");
Text::StringBuilder* sb = new Text::StringBuilder();
StringWriter* sw = new StringWriter(sb);
xs->Serialize(sw,f);
sb->Append(S"\n-------\n");
foos* fs = new foos();
fs->arr->Add(f);
xs = new XmlSerializer(__typeof(foos));
xs->Serialize(sw,fs);
Console::WriteLine(sb->ToString());
return 0;
}
 

With best regards, Alex Shirshov.

[Daniel Lidström]

On Thu, 20 May 2004 12:39:27 +0400, Alex Shirshov wrote:

Hello, Daniel!
You wrote on Wed, 19 May 2004 12:09:36 +0200:
[...]
With best regards, Alex Shirshov.

Thanks a lot Alex! This is just what I needed.

--
Daniel

[Daniel Lidström]

On Wed, 19 May 2004 12:09:36 +0200, Daniel Lidström wrote:

Hello,
[...]
What is the usual way to serialize a collection of the same type of
objects? The end result I am after is this:
<Alignments>
<Alignment name="Centreline>
</Alignment>
<Alignment name="LeftCatch">
</Alignment>
... arbitrary number of Alignments
</Alignments>

New problem: The end result I am after is this:
<Alignments name="Road Project">
<Alignment name="Centerline" />
<Alignment name="Centerline 2" />
... arbitrary number of these
</Alignments>

What I get right now is this:
<Alignments name="Road Project">
<Alignment>
<Alignment name="Centerline" />
<Alignment name="Centerline 2" />
</Alignment>
</Alignments>

I am doing it this way (everything is in namespace LX):

public __gc class LandXML {
public:
LandXML() { }

__property LX::Alignments* get_Alignments() { return m_arr; }
__property void set_Alignments(LX::Alignments* a) { m_arr = a; }

protected:

LX::Alignments* m_arr;

};

public __gc class Alignment {
public:
Alignment() { }
[XmlAttributeAttribute("name")]
__property String* get_name() { return m_name; }
__property void set_name(String* n) { m_name = n; }

protected:
String* m_name;
};

public __gc class Alignments {
public:
Alignments() { m_array = new ArrayList(); }

[XmlAttributeAttribute("name")]
__property System::String* get_name() { return m_name; }
__property void set_name(System::String* n) { m_name = n; }

[XmlArrayItemAttribute(Type=__typeof(LX::Alignment) )]
__property ArrayList* get_Alignment() { return m_array; }
__property void set_Alignment(ArrayList* arr) { m_array = arr; }

void Add(LX::Alignment* alignment) { m_array->Add(alignment); }

protected:

String* m_name;
ArrayList* m_array;

};
Somewhere in main.cpp I set the elements of a LandXml object, and serialize
object to disk:

XmlSerializer* ser = new XmlSerializer(__typeof(LandXML));
XmlTextWriter* writer = new XmlTextWriter("out.xml", Encoding::UTF8);
// write a human readable file
writer->Formatting = Formatting::Indented;
LandXML* land_xml = new LandXML();
Alignment* alignment = new Alignment;
Alignment* alignment2 = new Alignment;
alignment->name = "Centerline";
alignment2->name = "Centerline 2";
land_xml->Alignments->Add(alignment);
land_xml->Alignments->Add(alignment2);
land_xml->Alignments->name = "Road Project";
ser->Serialize(writer, land_xml);
writer->Close();
So it seems I need to remove one level of Alignment, only I don't really
know how to do it. If I create a class Alignment that instead of having a
ArrayList as member, I let it inherit from ArrayList. Then it doesn't
matter if I have a attribute called name, because it will not be
serialized. How can I solve this problem? Any help in form of samples,
links, docs, very much appreciated.
Thanks!

--
Daniel