XmlSerializer

[Loui Mercieca]

Hi,

I have created a class, named FormField , which basically contains two
fields, name and value. I have set the [XmlRoot(ElementName="field",
Namespace=null)] tag before the class and the field is set as an
XmlAttribute whil the name as XmlText.

In my main class, i have created an arraylist which contains a collection of
this class FormField. Basically its:

public void Add( string sName, string sValue )
{
FormField ff = new FormField( sName, sValue );
m_alFields.Add( ff );
}

The problem arise when i try to serialise this collection. For some reason,
none of the fields are present, only the root element is. The code i use is:

XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(FormFieldCollection),
new System.Type[] { typeof( FormField ) } );
StringWriter writer = new StringWriter();
serializer.Serialize( writer, this);

[note: FormFieldCollection is the main class]

The result i get is:

<?xml version= "1.0" encoding= "utf-16"?>
<fieldsRoot xmlns:xsd= "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi=
"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" />

Whilst the result i want is:

<?xml version= "1.0" encoding= "utf-16"?>
<fieldsRoot>
<field name = [name]>[value]</field>
</fieldsRoot>

Furthermore is there a way, to ommit the default namespaces?

Thanks in advance.

[Dino Chiesa [Microsoft]]

> Whilst the result i want is:

<?xml version= "1.0" encoding= "utf-16"?>
<fieldsRoot>
<field name = [name]>[value]</field>
</fieldsRoot>

Loui, you don't show your code for the collection class; I suspect that is
the problem. Attached below is some code that does what you want.
Furthermore is there a way, to ommit the default namespaces?
Yes, the way to do this is explicitly specify a collection of namespaces to
include in the root element, and in that collection, add a blank namespace.
so,

XmlSerializerNamespaces ns = new XmlSerializerNamespaces();
ns.Add( "", "" );
XmlSerializer s1 = new XmlSerializer(typeof(FormFieldCollection));
FormFieldCollection fc= new FormFieldCollection();
// add elements here ....
s1.Serialize(System.Console.Out, fc, ns);

This only works if xsi and xsd are *not* used in your instance. If either
one is required, it will appear in the serialized stream.
-D

--
Dino Chiesa
Microsoft Developer Division
d i n o c h @ OmitThis . m i c r o s o f t . c o m

---- begin code ----
using System.IO;
using System.Xml.Serialization;

[XmlRoot(ElementName="field", Namespace=null)]
public class FormField {

public FormField() {}
public FormField(string Name, string Value) {
name= Name;
value= Value;
}
[XmlAttribute]
public string name;

[XmlText]
public string value;
}
// here is the collection class
// Note: cannot use attributes on a type derived from CollectionBase !
//
// [XmlRoot("fieldsRoot", Namespace="", IsNullable=false)]
// [XmlType("fieldsRoot", Namespace="")]
public class FormFieldCollection : System.Collections.CollectionBase {
public FormFieldCollection() {}

public int Add(FormField field)
{
return List.Add(field);
}

public FormField this[int index]
{
get { return(( FormField)List[index]); }
set { List[index] = value; }
}
}

namespace Ionic {

// useful for suppressing the XML Declaration line
public class XmlTextWriterFormattedNoDeclaration :
System.Xml.XmlTextWriter {
public XmlTextWriterFormattedNoDeclaration (System.IO.TextWriter w) :
base(w) { Formatting= System.Xml.Formatting.Indented;}
public override void WriteStartDocument () { }
}
public class TestDriver {

static void Main(string[] args) {

try {

FormFieldCollection fc= new FormFieldCollection();

XmlSerializer s1 = new XmlSerializer(typeof(FormFieldCollection));

// explicitly specify the namespace collection to suppress default
namespace entries in the root elt:
XmlSerializerNamespaces ns = new XmlSerializerNamespaces();
ns.Add( "", "" );
fc.Add(new FormField("one", "Remember the human"));
fc.Add(new FormField("two", "Adhere to the same standards of
behavior online that you follow in real life"));
fc.Add(new FormField("three", "Know where you are in cyberspace"));

// use a custom TextWriter to suppress the XML declaration
System.Console.WriteLine("\n====================== ======================\nSerialized:");
s1.Serialize(new
XmlTextWriterFormattedNoDeclaration(System.Console .Out), fc, ns);
System.Console.WriteLine("\n");

// apply a root override (not possible in code attributes on a
CollectionBase)
System.Console.WriteLine("\n====================== ======================\nSerialized
using a root override:");
XmlRootAttribute xRoot1 = new XmlRootAttribute();
xRoot1.Namespace = ""; // "urn:www.example.org";
xRoot1.ElementName = "fieldsRoot";

XmlSerializer s2 = new XmlSerializer(typeof(FormFieldCollection),
xRoot1);

s2.Serialize(new
XmlTextWriterFormattedNoDeclaration(System.Console .Out), fc, ns);
System.Console.WriteLine("\n");

}
catch (System.Exception e1) {
System.Console.WriteLine("Exception!\n" + e1);
}
}
}
}

---- end code ----

"Loui Mercieca" <lo**@gfi.com> wrote in message
news:%2***************@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl... Hi,

I have created a class, named FormField , which basically contains two
fields, name and value. I have set the [XmlRoot(ElementName="field",
Namespace=null)] tag before the class and the field is set as an
XmlAttribute whil the name as XmlText.

In my main class, i have created an arraylist which contains a collection
of this class FormField. Basically its:

public void Add( string sName, string sValue )
{
FormField ff = new FormField( sName, sValue );
m_alFields.Add( ff );
}

The problem arise when i try to serialise this collection. For some
reason, none of the fields are present, only the root element is. The code
i use is:

XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(FormFieldCollection),
new System.Type[] { typeof( FormField ) } );
StringWriter writer = new StringWriter();
serializer.Serialize( writer, this);

[note: FormFieldCollection is the main class]

The result i get is:

<?xml version= "1.0" encoding= "utf-16"?>
<fieldsRoot xmlns:xsd= "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi=
"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" />

Whilst the result i want is:

<?xml version= "1.0" encoding= "utf-16"?>
<fieldsRoot>
<field name = [name]>[value]</field>
</fieldsRoot>

Furthermore is there a way, to ommit the default namespaces?

Thanks in advance.

[Loui Mercieca]

Hi,

I did manage to do this by using the following code:

//Create a new empty name spave, used to ovveride the default
XmlSerializerNamespaces emptyNamespace = new XmlSerializerNamespaces();
emptyNamespace.Add("", "");

//Declare a new XmlSerializer instance, with the type of an array of
FormField, and the default attribute.
XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(FormField[]));

//Declare a new StringWriter used as the place to store the serialized xml
StringWriter writer = new StringWriter();

//Serialize the array, using the empty namespace
serializer.Serialize( writer, this.Fields,emptyNamespace );

However now i face a new problem. Although i am declaring and
XmlRootAttribute i am still getting the class name as the the root. What am
i doing wrong?

The declaration is as follows
[XmlRootAttribute("field")]
public class FormField

The result i get is as follows
<fieldsRoot>
<FormField name = [name]>[value]</FormField>
</fieldsRoot>
"Dino Chiesa [Microsoft]" <di****@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:eT**************@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...

Whilst the result i want is:

<?xml version= "1.0" encoding= "utf-16"?>
<fieldsRoot>
<field name = [name]>[value]</field>
</fieldsRoot>

Loui, you don't show your code for the collection class; I suspect that is
the problem. Attached below is some code that does what you want.

Furthermore is there a way, to ommit the default namespaces?

Yes, the way to do this is explicitly specify a collection of namespaces
to include in the root element, and in that collection, add a blank
namespace.
so,

XmlSerializerNamespaces ns = new XmlSerializerNamespaces();
ns.Add( "", "" );
XmlSerializer s1 = new XmlSerializer(typeof(FormFieldCollection));
FormFieldCollection fc= new FormFieldCollection();
// add elements here ....
s1.Serialize(System.Console.Out, fc, ns);

This only works if xsi and xsd are *not* used in your instance. If
either one is required, it will appear in the serialized stream.
-D

--
Dino Chiesa
Microsoft Developer Division
d i n o c h @ OmitThis . m i c r o s o f t . c o m

---- begin code ----
using System.IO;
using System.Xml.Serialization;

[XmlRoot(ElementName="field", Namespace=null)]
public class FormField {

public FormField() {}
public FormField(string Name, string Value) {
name= Name;
value= Value;
}
[XmlAttribute]
public string name;

[XmlText]
public string value;
}
// here is the collection class
// Note: cannot use attributes on a type derived from CollectionBase !
//
// [XmlRoot("fieldsRoot", Namespace="", IsNullable=false)]
// [XmlType("fieldsRoot", Namespace="")]
public class FormFieldCollection : System.Collections.CollectionBase {
public FormFieldCollection() {}

public int Add(FormField field)
{
return List.Add(field);
}

public FormField this[int index]
{
get { return(( FormField)List[index]); }
set { List[index] = value; }
}
}

namespace Ionic {

// useful for suppressing the XML Declaration line
public class XmlTextWriterFormattedNoDeclaration :
System.Xml.XmlTextWriter {
public XmlTextWriterFormattedNoDeclaration (System.IO.TextWriter w) :
base(w) { Formatting= System.Xml.Formatting.Indented;}
public override void WriteStartDocument () { }
}
public class TestDriver {

static void Main(string[] args) {

try {

FormFieldCollection fc= new FormFieldCollection();

XmlSerializer s1 = new XmlSerializer(typeof(FormFieldCollection));

// explicitly specify the namespace collection to suppress default
namespace entries in the root elt:
XmlSerializerNamespaces ns = new XmlSerializerNamespaces();
ns.Add( "", "" );
fc.Add(new FormField("one", "Remember the human"));
fc.Add(new FormField("two", "Adhere to the same standards of
behavior online that you follow in real life"));
fc.Add(new FormField("three", "Know where you are in cyberspace"));

// use a custom TextWriter to suppress the XML declaration

System.Console.WriteLine("\n====================== ======================\nSerialized:");
s1.Serialize(new
XmlTextWriterFormattedNoDeclaration(System.Console .Out), fc, ns);
System.Console.WriteLine("\n");

// apply a root override (not possible in code attributes on a
CollectionBase)

System.Console.WriteLine("\n====================== ======================\nSerialized
using a root override:");
XmlRootAttribute xRoot1 = new XmlRootAttribute();
xRoot1.Namespace = ""; // "urn:www.example.org";
xRoot1.ElementName = "fieldsRoot";

XmlSerializer s2 = new XmlSerializer(typeof(FormFieldCollection),
xRoot1);

s2.Serialize(new
XmlTextWriterFormattedNoDeclaration(System.Console .Out), fc, ns);
System.Console.WriteLine("\n");

}
catch (System.Exception e1) {
System.Console.WriteLine("Exception!\n" + e1);
}
}
}
}

---- end code ----

"Loui Mercieca" <lo**@gfi.com> wrote in message
news:%2***************@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...

Hi,

I have created a class, named FormField , which basically contains two
fields, name and value. I have set the [XmlRoot(ElementName="field",
Namespace=null)] tag before the class and the field is set as an
XmlAttribute whil the name as XmlText.

In my main class, i have created an arraylist which contains a collection
of this class FormField. Basically its:

public void Add( string sName, string sValue )
{
FormField ff = new FormField( sName, sValue );
m_alFields.Add( ff );
}

The problem arise when i try to serialise this collection. For some
reason, none of the fields are present, only the root element is. The
code i use is:

XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(FormFieldCollection),
new System.Type[] { typeof( FormField ) } );
StringWriter writer = new StringWriter();
serializer.Serialize( writer, this);

[note: FormFieldCollection is the main class]

The result i get is:

<?xml version= "1.0" encoding= "utf-16"?>
<fieldsRoot xmlns:xsd= "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi=
"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" />

Whilst the result i want is:

<?xml version= "1.0" encoding= "utf-16"?>
<fieldsRoot>
<field name = [name]>[value]</field>
</fieldsRoot>

Furthermore is there a way, to ommit the default namespaces?

Thanks in advance.

[Dino Chiesa [Microsoft]]

try [XmlType("field")]
-D

"Loui Mercieca" <lo**@gfi.com> wrote in message
news:eL**************@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

However now i face a new problem. Although i am declaring and
XmlRootAttribute i am still getting the class name as the the root. What
am i doing wrong?