ReadXML and data types

[Stephanie Olds]

I have a C# program that reads an XML file into a DataSet set using ReadXml.
I'm trying to get two of the columns in the resulting DataSet to be integer
instead of string. The reaon I'm trying to do this is because I want to
display the DataSet table in a DataGrid with these two columns in currency
format, and it looks like the original data needs to be numeric before I can
convert it to currency. The conversion didn't do anything with a string; it
just displayed it in the original format.

Here is an example of the XML file I'm trying to read (I changed my field
names to be generic):
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<DocElement xmlns:dt="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:datatypes">
<Table1>
<Col1>2</Col1>
<Col2>346</Col2>
<Col3>501</Col3>
<Col4>09/01/2005</Col4>
<Col5>09:51:19</Col5>
<Col6>123456789</Col6>
<Col7 dt:dt="int">211</Col7>
<Col8 dt:dt="int">211</Col8>
<Col9>File1.tif</Col9>
<Col10>File2.tif</Col10>
</Table1>
</DocElement>

When I don't have the dt stuff in the DocElement or Col7 and Col8 lines, I
get a table with 10 columns and all the values as expected. However, when I
read this file with ReadXml, I get a table with only 9 columns when I look at
it in the Visual C# debugger. Either Col7 or Col8 seems to get skipped, and
the one that is remaining has a value of 0 instead of 211. The string values
are still OK.

How can I get this to work? (Or is there a way to convert a numeric string
to currency in a DataGrid?) Thanks -- Stephanie

P.S. Additional notes: At first I tried changing the DataGrid columns to
numeric after reading in the XML (without the dt stuff) into the DataSet and
binding the DataSet table to the DataGrid, but it said that wasn't allowed
since there was already data in the DataSet. Then I was going to try to
predefine my DataSet columns in my app before reading in the XML file, but I
thought there must be a better way. That's when I started trying to set the
data type in the XML file.
--
Stephanie Olds
Retail Professional Services
NCR Corporation

[Kevin Yu [MSFT]]

Hi Stephanie,

First of all, I would like to confirm my understanding of your issue. From
your description, I understand that you need to make a column in a DataSet
Xml Int type. If there is any misunderstanding, please feel free to let me
know.

To achieve this, you cannot simply add an attribute to the element in Xml,
we have to add an inline schema. Here is an example.

<?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>
<DocElement>
<xs:schema id="DocElement" xmlns=""
xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
xmlns:msdata="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:xml-msdata">
<xs:element name="DocElement" msdata:IsDataSet="true">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:choice maxOccurs="unbounded">
<xs:element name="Table1">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="Col1" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col2" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col3" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col4" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col5" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col6" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col7" type="xs:int" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col8" type="xs:int" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col9" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col10" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:choice>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:schema>
<Table1>
<Col1>2</Col1>
<Col2>346</Col2>
<Col3>501</Col3>
<Col4>09/01/2005</Col4>
<Col5>09:51:19</Col5>
<Col6>123456789</Col6>
<Col7>211</Col7>
<Col8>211</Col8>
<Col9>File1.tif</Col9>
<Col10>File2.tif</Col10>
</Table1>
</DocElement>

You can also seperate the schema into another .xsd file, if you don't want
to put the schema in the xml file.

HTH.

Kevin Yu
=======
"This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights."

[Stephanie Olds]

Kevin,
Thanks for the detailed response -- this was very helpful and my app worked
much better! (Now I just need the 211 to be $2.11, not $211.00, but I'll
work on that.)

If I want to put the schema in a separate XSD file, how do I associate this
with my XML file for ReadXml to use? (I assume I'll have to have some lines
referencing this XSD file in my XML file.) Also, can I have one XSD for
multiple XMLs that have the same format?
--
Stephanie Olds
Retail Professional Services
NCR Corporation
"Kevin Yu [MSFT]" wrote:

Hi Stephanie,

First of all, I would like to confirm my understanding of your issue. From
your description, I understand that you need to make a column in a DataSet
Xml Int type. If there is any misunderstanding, please feel free to let me
know.

To achieve this, you cannot simply add an attribute to the element in Xml,
we have to add an inline schema. Here is an example.

<?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>
<DocElement>
<xs:schema id="DocElement" xmlns=""
xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
xmlns:msdata="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:xml-msdata">
<xs:element name="DocElement" msdata:IsDataSet="true">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:choice maxOccurs="unbounded">
<xs:element name="Table1">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="Col1" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col2" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col3" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col4" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col5" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col6" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col7" type="xs:int" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col8" type="xs:int" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col9" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="Col10" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:choice>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:schema>
<Table1>
<Col1>2</Col1>
<Col2>346</Col2>
<Col3>501</Col3>
<Col4>09/01/2005</Col4>
<Col5>09:51:19</Col5>
<Col6>123456789</Col6>
<Col7>211</Col7>
<Col8>211</Col8>
<Col9>File1.tif</Col9>
<Col10>File2.tif</Col10>
</Table1>
</DocElement>

You can also seperate the schema into another .xsd file, if you don't want
to put the schema in the xml file.

HTH.

Kevin Yu
=======
"This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights."

[Kevin Yu [MSFT]]

Hi, Stephanie,

If you want to put the schema in a separate xsd file, you can use
DataSet.ReadXmlSchema to read from the xsd file. The ReadXmlSchema has to
be done before ReadXml that gets data. For example,

ds.ReadXmlSchema("test.xsd");
ds.ReadXml("test.xml");

With this, you don't need to modify your xml to reference the xsd file. And
you can use this xsd file for multiple xml files.

Kevin Yu
=======
"This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights."