XML Serialization in C# .NET Core: A Comprehensive Guide | Pro Code Guide (2024)

In this article, we learn about XML-based Serialization and look at ways to achieve XML Serialization in C#. Serialization is an essential concept in software development that allows us to convert complex objects into a format suitable for storage or transmission. In C#, one of the commonly used serialization formats is XML (eXtensible Markup Language). XML provides a human-readable and platform-independent way to represent data. In this article, we will explore XML serialization in C# and learn how to serialize and deserialize objects using the .NET framework.

XML Serialization in C# .NET Core: A Comprehensive Guide | Pro Code Guide (1)

Table of Contents

The System.Xml.Serialization Namespace

C# provides a dedicated namespace, System.Xml.Serialization which contains classes and attributes for XML serialization. This namespace offers a powerful set of tools to facilitate the process of converting objects to and from XML.

XML Serialization Attributes

To control the serialization process, we can use attributes provided by the System.Xml.Serialization namespace. Here are some commonly used attributes:

  • XmlRootAttribute: Specifies the XML root element name for the serialized object.
  • XmlElementAttribute: Specifies the XML element name for a particular member of a class.
  • XmlAttributeAttribute: Specifies that a member should be serialized as an XML attribute rather than an element.
  • XmlIgnoreAttribute: Excludes a member from the serialization process.
  • XmlArrayAttribute: Specifies that a member represents an array of elements in the XML structure.

Basic XML Serialization in C#

To serialize an object to XML, we need to perform the following steps:

  1. Define the classes and their members that we want to serialize.
  2. Apply serialization attributes to control the serialization behaviour.
  3. Use a serializer to convert the object into XML.

Let’s consider a simple example where we have a Person class representing a person’s information:

public class Person{ public string Name { get; set; } public int Age { get; set; }}

To serialize an instance of the Person class, we can use the XmlSerializer class from the System.Xml.Serialization namespace:

Person person = new Person { Name = "John Doe", Age = 30 };XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Person));using (TextWriter writer = new StreamWriter("person.xml")){ serializer.Serialize(writer, person);}

In the above code, we create an instance of the Person class and initialize its properties. Then, we create an instance of the XmlSerializer class, passing the type of object we want to serialize as a parameter. We use a TextWriter (in this case, a StreamWriter) to specify where we want to store the XML data. Finally, we call the Serialize method of the serializer, passing the writer and the object to be serialized.

After running the code, a file named “person.xml” will be created with the following content:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><Person> <Name>John Doe</Name> <Age>30</Age></Person>

XML Deserialization

Deserialization is the process of converting XML data back into an object. We can achieve this using the XmlSerializer class as well. Here’s an example:

XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Person));using (TextReader reader = new StreamReader("person.xml")){ Person deserializedPerson = (Person)serializer.Deserialize(reader);}

In this code snippet, we create an instance of the XmlSerializer class, passing the type of object we want to deserialize. We use a TextReader (in this case, a StreamReader) to read the XML data from a file. Then, we call the Deserialize method of the serializer, passing the reader as a parameter. A result is an object of the type Person that contains the deserialized data.

Handling XML Namespace

When dealing with XML serialization, we might encounter scenarios where the XML contains namespaces. To handle namespaces, we can use the XmlSerializerNamespaces class:

XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Person));using (TextWriter writer = new StreamWriter("person.xml")){ XmlSerializerNamespaces namespaces = new XmlSerializerNamespaces(); namespaces.Add("custom", "http://example.com/custom-namespace"); serializer.Serialize(writer, person, namespaces);}

In the above code, we create an instance of the XmlSerializerNamespaces class and add the desired namespaces using the Add method. We then pass the namespaces object as the third parameter to the Serialize method.

Conclusion

XML serialization plays a crucial role in modern software development, allowing us to persist and exchange object data in a platform-independent manner. In this article, we explored the basics of XML serialization in C# using the System.Xml.Serialization namespace. We learned how to serialize and deserialize objects using the XmlSerializer class and how to handle namespaces. With this knowledge, you can apply XML serialization techniques to manage data in your C# applications efficiently.

ReferencesExamples of XML Serialization in C#

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XML Serialization in C# .NET Core: A Comprehensive Guide | Pro Code Guide (2)

XML Serialization in C# .NET Core: A Comprehensive Guide | Pro Code Guide (2024)

FAQs

How to do XML serialization in C#? ›

Once you have a C# object with data, call the Serialize() method on the XmlSerialize class, passing in a stream object and the object to serialize. The C# object is then serialized to XML and placed into the stream. If the stream object is a memory stream, you now have an XML string in memory.

How to read XML file in C# .NET core? ›

// Read XML using XDocument XDocument doc = XDocument. Load(XmlFileName); After loading the XML document into an XDocument object, use the Descendants() method in a LINQ expression to return a set of XElement objects of the parent nodes that start with the element <Product>, as shown in the following code snippet.

How to serialize list object to XML in C#? ›

XML serialization
  1. In Visual C#, create a new Console Application project.
  2. On the Project menu, select Add Class to add a new class to the project.
  3. In the Add New Item dialog box, change the name of the class to clsPerson.
  4. Select Add. ...
  5. Add the following code after the public class clsPerson statement.
May 8, 2022

What are the limitations of XML serialization with the XmlSerializer? ›

Unfortunately, all of them have their limitations. For example, the XmlSerializer does not support collections, the BinaryFormatter and the SoapFormatter serialize only classes marked as serializable. Further on, objects serialized with the BinaryFormatter cannot be edited manually (sometimes desirable).

What is the difference between serialize and deserialize XML in C#? ›

Serialization is the process of converting an object into a form that can be readily transported. For example, you can serialize an object and transport it over the Internet using HTTP between a client and a server. On the other end, deserialization reconstructs the object from the stream.

How to serialize an object into XML? ›

To serialize an object
  1. Create the object and set its public fields and properties.
  2. Construct a XmlSerializer using the type of the object. ...
  3. Call the Serialize method to generate either an XML stream or a file representation of the object's public properties and fields.
Sep 15, 2021

How to create an XML file in .NET Core? ›

XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument(); Once a document is created, you can load it with data from a string, stream, URL, text reader, or an XmlReader derived class using the Load method. There is also another load method, the LoadXML method, which reads XML from a string.

What is XmlDocument in C#? ›

In this article

The XmlDocument class is an in-memory representation of an XML document. It implements the W3C XML Document Object Model (DOM) Level 1 Core and the Core DOM Level 2. DOM stands for document object model. To read more about it, see XML Document Object Model (DOM).

What is the difference between XmlDocument and XmlWriter? ›

XmlWriter does stream-based writing of XML data. XmlDocument builds XML data as an object model in memory. You use XmlWriter when you need to produce XML documents without using memory proportional to the size of the document.

What is serialization in C#? ›

Serialization is the process of converting an object or data structure into a format that can be easily stored or transmitted. In C#, JSON serialization is commonly used due to its simplicity and widespread support.

How to serializable an object in C#? ›

Here are the following steps that we are going to do to create a serializable class and test it.
  1. Create a custom class named Employee and assign properties.
  2. Define the serialization functions.
  3. Create a main class and instantiate our Employee class.
  4. Serialize the object to a sample file.
Jan 31, 2002

How to get serialize data in C#? ›

A common way to deserialize JSON is to have (or create) a .NET class with properties and fields that represent one or more of the JSON properties. Then, to deserialize from a string or a file, call the JsonSerializer.Deserialize method. For the generic overloads, the generic type parameter is the .NET class.

What is XML serialization in C#? ›

XML Serialization in C#

XML serialization involves converting objects into XML format so that they can be easily stored, transmitted, or parsed. In C#, XML serialization is primarily handled by the System. Xml. Serialization namespace.

What are the disadvantages of serialization? ›

Disadvantages
  • Special handling because of flammability, toxicity.
  • Long sterilization and decontamination time.
  • Potential health hazard; fumes must be monitored.
  • Decreased effectiveness when improperly processed.
  • More costly than heat.

Why do we use XmlSerializer class? ›

Serializes and deserializes objects into and from XML documents. The XmlSerializer enables you to control how objects are encoded into XML.

How to write serialization in C#? ›

The general steps for serializing are as follows.
  1. Create an instance of a File that will store serialized objects.
  2. Create a stream from the file object.
  3. Create an instance of BinaryFormatter.
  4. Call the serialize method of the instance, passing it stream and object to serialize.
Oct 16, 2023

How to serialize a dictionary to XML in C#? ›

  1. XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(LanguageSettings<string, string>));
  2. TextReader textReader = new StreamReader(@"languages.xml");
  3. LanguageSettings<string, string> settings =
  4. (LanguageSettings<string, string>)serializer. Deserialize(textReader);
  5. textReader. Close();
Aug 6, 2018

How to use XML documentation in C#? ›

Documentation comments are similar to C# single-line comments, but start with /// (that's three slashes), and can be applied to any user-defined type or member. As well as containing descriptive text, these comments can also include embedded XML tags.

How to serialize DataTable to XML in C#? ›

Method 1. Use DataTable.WriteXml
  1. Xml()
  2. {
  3. try.
  4. {
  5. string ConString = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["ConString"].ConnectionString;
Aug 20, 2019

References

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