How to pass array of IXmlSerializable class as parameter to WCF?

Question

I have two classes, one implements IXmlSerializable and one has DataContract attribute:

public class Foo : IXmlSerializable
{
    public XmlSchema GetSchema()
    {
        return null;
    }

    public void ReadXml(XmlReader reader)
    {
        reader.MoveToContent();
        XElement element = (XElement)XNode.ReadFrom(reader);

        if (element.Element("Foo") != null)
            element = element.Element("Foo");

        Property = Convert.ToInt32(element.Element("Property").Value);
    }

    public void WriteXml(XmlWriter writer)
    {
        var element = new XElement("Foo");
        element.Add(new XElement("Property", Property));

        element.WriteTo(writer);
    }

    public int Property { get; set; }
}

[DataContract]
public class Bar
{
    [DataMember]
    public int Property { get; set; }
}

Then I have the service interface

[ServiceContract]
public interface IFooBarService
{
    [OperationContract]
    void TestFoo(Foo toTest);

    [OperationContract]
    void TestListFoo(Foo[] toTest);

    [OperationContract]
    void TestBar(Bar toTest);

    [OperationContract]
    void TestListBar(Bar[] toTest);
}

And its implementation as:

public class FooBarService : IFooBarService
{

    public void TestFoo(Foo toTest)
    {
        var a = toTest.Property;
    }

    public void TestListFoo(Foo[] toTest)
    {
        foreach (var item in toTest)
        {
            var x = item.Property;
        }
    }

    public void TestBar(Bar toTest)
    {
        var a = toTest.Property;
    }

    public void TestListBar(Bar[] toTest)
    {
        foreach (var item in toTest)
        {
            var x = item.Property;
        }
    }
}

SOAP UI generated the xml needed to call the service. All works correctly except the call to TestListFoo where I receive an empty array

<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:tem="http://tempuri.org/" xmlns:com="http://schemas.datacontract.org/2004/07/Com.Panotec.Remote.Core.WebService" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
   <soapenv:Header/>
   <soapenv:Body>
     <tem:TestListFoo>
       <tem:toTest>      
         <Foo>
           <Property>1</Property>
         </Foo>    
         <Foo>
           <Property>1</Property>
         </Foo>    
         <Foo>
           <Property>1</Property>
         </Foo>    
         <Foo>
           <Property>1</Property>
         </Foo>
       </tem:toTest>
     </tem:TestListFoo>
   </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

What am I missing? Is it possible to achieve what I need? If not, how can I add the DataContract attribute to the class that implements IXmlSerializable?

Thanks

DataContracts must not have methods and logic. They must be used only to transfer data. The code relevant to reading and writing xml must reside in a different service or helper class. — Houssam Hamdan, Jul 31 '17 at 09:00
@HoussamHamdan - `DataContractSerializer` does in fact support `IXmlSerializable`. See [Types Supported by the Data Contract Serializer](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/wcf/feature-details/types-supported-by-the-data-contract-serializer): *Additionally, types that implement the IXmlSerializable interface are supported*. — dbc, Jul 31 '17 at 09:05
@dbc i am stressing here that we should not write logic inside DTO classes. — Houssam Hamdan, Jul 31 '17 at 09:10
@dbc but if I add the [DataContract] attribute to the Foo class I get a compilation error — Michele mpp Marostica, Jul 31 '17 at 09:13
@HoussamHamdan so I should write a class only with data and when it is received from the WCF service I have to use that data to initialize the other class with the logic? — Michele mpp Marostica, Jul 31 '17 at 09:14
@Michele - yes that's correct. Microsoft allows one or the other but not both, since they would conflict. When a type is marked with `IXmlSerializable` the data contract serializer handles it like `XmlSerializer` did. — dbc, Jul 31 '17 at 09:16
@dbc ok in fact when I call TestFoo it works correctly. But why I do not receive the data when calling the TestListFoo function? Is the XML not correct? — Michele mpp Marostica, Jul 31 '17 at 09:18
@Michele - what XML is generated for the call to `TestFoo()`? — dbc, Jul 31 '17 at 09:23
@dbc adding the namespace `com:` (I copied it from the `Bar` related xml) at the `Foo` tag made it work as expected, I'm doing more tests to verify it — Michele mpp Marostica, Jul 31 '17 at 09:33
@Michele - that's consistent with [this answer](https://stackoverflow.com/a/12041239) to [WCF Service via JavaScript with XML - Array parameters](https://stackoverflow.com/q/12041130) which array items corresponding to complex objects should be in the namespace of the object, which in your case must be the `com:` namespace. — dbc, Jul 31 '17 at 09:49
@Michele yes, dont mix concerns. Each layer must have a clear responsibility. — Houssam Hamdan, Jul 31 '17 at 10:20

How to pass array of IXmlSerializable class as parameter to WCF?

0 Answers0