XML serialization

[=?ISO-8859-2?Q?Rafa=B3_Grzybowski?=]

Hello there,

I need to design classes, that can be serialized to XML like this:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<Groups xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<Group>
<Item name="Group 1 item 1" />
<Item name="Group 1 item 2" />
</Group>
<Group>
<Item name="Group 2 item 1" />
<Item name="Group 2 item 2" />
<Item name="Group 2 item 3" />
</Group>
<Group>
<Item name="Group 3 item 1" />
</Group>
</Groups>

Each node should be represented by C# class, and I have a problem
because:

[Serializable]
public class Groups : List<Group>
{
}

[Serializable]
public class Group : List<Item>
{
}

[Serializable]
public class Item
{
private string name;

[XmlAttribute (AttributeName="name")]
public string Name
{
get
{
return this.name;
}
set
{
this.name = value;
}
}
}

gives:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ArrayOfArrayOfItem xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-
instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<ArrayOfItem>
<Item name="Group 1 item 1" />
<Item name="Group 1 item 2" />
</ArrayOfItem>
<ArrayOfItem>
<Item name="Group 2 item 1" />
<Item name="Group 2 item 2" />
<Item name="Group 2 item 3" />
</ArrayOfItem>
<ArrayOfItem>
<Item name="Group 3 item 1" />
</ArrayOfItem>
</ArrayOfArrayOfItem>

I was able to get rid of ArrayOfArrayOfItem with this:

[Serializable]
[XmlRoot (ElementName = "Groups")]
public class Groups : List<Group>
{
}

[Serializable]
public class Group : List<Item>
{
}

[Serializable]
public class Item
{
private string name;

[XmlAttribute (AttributeName="name")]
public string Name
{
get
{
return this.name;
}
set
{
this.name = value;
}
}
}

which gives:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<Groups xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<ArrayOfItem>
<Item name="Group 1 item 1" />
<Item name="Group 1 item 2" />
</ArrayOfItem>
<ArrayOfItem>
<Item name="Group 2 item 1" />
<Item name="Group 2 item 2" />
<Item name="Group 2 item 3" />
</ArrayOfItem>
<ArrayOfItem>
<Item name="Group 3 item 1" />
</ArrayOfItem>
</Groups>

but I cannot change then name of inner "ArrayOfItem". The problem is
mainly, that I don't want to introduce to Groups class any property
member for Group collection - the name for such property will be
strange (either the main class is named Groups and the property
somehow else or the main class name is Foo and the property is
Groups). I know that the goal (from XML point of view) can be achieved
with something like below, but I don't like this 'Elements':

[Serializable]
public class Groups
{
private List<Groupelements = new List<Group();

[XmlElement (ElementName = "Group")]
public List<GroupElements
{
get
{
return this.elements;
}
}
}

[Serializable]
public class Group
{
private List<Itemelements = new List<Item();

[XmlElement (ElementName = "Item")]
public List<ItemElements
{
get
{
return this.elements;
}
}
}

[Serializable]
public class Item
{
private string name;

[XmlAttribute (AttributeName="name")]
public string Name
{
get
{
return this.name;
}
set
{
this.name = value;
}
}
}

Thank you & best regards

[Martin Honnen]

Rafał Grzybowski wrote:

but I cannot change then name of inner "ArrayOfItem". The problem is
mainly, that I don't want to introduce to Groups class any property
member for Group collection - the name for such property will be
strange (either the main class is named Groups and the property
somehow else or the main class name is Foo and the property is
Groups). I know that the goal (from XML point of view) can be achieved
with something like below, but I don't like this 'Elements':

[Serializable]
public class Groups
{
private List<Groupelements = new List<Group();

[XmlElement (ElementName = "Group")]
public List<GroupElements
{
get
{
return this.elements;
}
}
}

[Serializable]
public class Group
{
private List<Itemelements = new List<Item();

[XmlElement (ElementName = "Item")]
public List<ItemElements
{
get
{
return this.elements;
}
}
}

[Serializable]
public class Item
{
private string name;

[XmlAttribute (AttributeName="name")]
public string Name
{
get
{
return this.name;
}
set
{
this.name = value;
}
}
}

Im not sure there is another solution than the one you don't like.

--

Martin Honnen --- MVP XML
http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/

[chris.bahns]

On Nov 2, 4:20*pm, Rafa³ Grzybowski <[e-mail]:

Hello there,

I need to design classes, that can be serialized to XML like this:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<Groups xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
* <Group>
* * <Item name="Group 1 item 1" />
* * <Item name="Group 1 item 2" />
* </Group>
* <Group>
* * <Item name="Group 2 item 1" />
* * <Item name="Group 2 item 2" />
* * <Item name="Group 2 item 3" />
* </Group>
* <Group>
* * <Item name="Group 3 item 1" />
* </Group>
</Groups>

Each node should be represented by C# class, and I have a problem
because:

* * [Serializable]
* * public class Groups : List<Group>
* * {
* * }

* * [Serializable]
* * public class Group : List<Item>
* * {
* * }

* * [Serializable]
* * public class Item
* * {
* * * * private string name;

* * * * [XmlAttribute (AttributeName="name")]
* * * * public string Name
* * * * {
* * * * * * get
* * * * * * {
* * * * * * * * return this.name;
* * * * * * }
* * * * * * set
* * * * * * {
* * * * * * * * this.name = value;
* * * * * * }
* * * * }
* * }

gives:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ArrayOfArrayOfItem xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-
instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
* <ArrayOfItem>
* * <Item name="Group 1 item 1" />
* * <Item name="Group 1 item 2" />
* </ArrayOfItem>
* <ArrayOfItem>
* * <Item name="Group 2 item 1" />
* * <Item name="Group 2 item 2" />
* * <Item name="Group 2 item 3" />
* </ArrayOfItem>
* <ArrayOfItem>
* * <Item name="Group 3 item 1" />
* </ArrayOfItem>
</ArrayOfArrayOfItem>

I was able to get rid of ArrayOfArrayOfItem with this:

* * [Serializable]
* * [XmlRoot (ElementName = "Groups")]
* * public class Groups : List<Group>
* * {
* * }

* * [Serializable]
* * public class Group : List<Item>
* * {
* * }

* * [Serializable]
* * public class Item
* * {
* * * * private string name;

* * * * [XmlAttribute (AttributeName="name")]
* * * * public string Name
* * * * {
* * * * * * get
* * * * * * {
* * * * * * * * return this.name;
* * * * * * }
* * * * * * set
* * * * * * {
* * * * * * * * this.name = value;
* * * * * * }
* * * * }
* * }

which gives:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<Groups xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
* <ArrayOfItem>
* * <Item name="Group 1 item 1" />
* * <Item name="Group 1 item 2" />
* </ArrayOfItem>
* <ArrayOfItem>
* * <Item name="Group 2 item 1" />
* * <Item name="Group 2 item 2" />
* * <Item name="Group 2 item 3" />
* </ArrayOfItem>
* <ArrayOfItem>
* * <Item name="Group 3 item 1" />
* </ArrayOfItem>
</Groups>

but I cannot change then name of inner "ArrayOfItem". The problem is
mainly, that I don't want to introduce to Groups class any property
member for Group collection - the name for such property will be
strange (either the main class is named Groups and the property
somehow else or the main class name is Foo and the property is
Groups). I know that the goal (from XML point of view) can be achieved
with something like below, but I don't like this 'Elements':

* * [Serializable]
* * public class Groups
* * {
* * * * private List<Groupelements = new List<Group();

* * * * [XmlElement (ElementName = "Group")]
* * * * public List<GroupElements
* * * * {
* * * * * * get
* * * * * * {
* * * * * * * * return this.elements;
* * * * * * }
* * * * }
* * }

* * [Serializable]
* * public class Group
* * {
* * * * private List<Itemelements = new List<Item();

* * * * [XmlElement (ElementName = "Item")]
* * * * public List<ItemElements
* * * * {
* * * * * * get
* * * * * * {
* * * * * * * * return this.elements;
* * * * * * }
* * * * }
* * }

* * [Serializable]
* * public class Item
* * {
* * * * private string name;

* * * * [XmlAttribute (AttributeName="name")]
* * * * public string Name
* * * * {
* * * * * * get
* * * * * * {
* * * * * * * * return this.name;
* * * * * * }
* * * * * * set
* * * * * * {
* * * * * * * * this.name = value;
* * * * * * }
* * * * }
* * }

Thank you & best regards

I'm curious: Why did you decide to use serialization? If you write
direct XML code (with System.Xml), you would have full control over
the file format, and your core classes (Groups, Group, and Item in
your example) would not be cluttered with serialization "stuff", like
SerializableAttribute and XmlAttributeAttribute. Or, do you prefer
having what I call "clutter" defined as part of each class requiring
persistence?

Doing some general research into the advantages of using
Runtime.Serialization. Is there some requirement/benefit that is not
possible (or very difficult) without it?