XML serialization and why am I ending up with an ended element?

Question

What am I doing wrong here?

Test XML:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<CutToolsDatabase xmlns="https//www.trucklesoft.co.uk/cuttools">
  <MaterialGroup>
    <Name>White Back Folding Boxboard - GC1</Name>
    <Material>
      <Name>296Um</Name>
      <Text>
        <Value>Carte Lumina 640x900 200 Gsm</Value>
      </Text>
    </Material>
    <Material>
      <Name>345Um</Name>
      <Text>
        <Value>Carte Lumina 450x640 230 Gsm</Value>
      </Text>
    </Material>
    <Material>
      <Name>368Um</Name>
      <Text>
        <Value>Opus Card 720x1020 260 Gsm</Value>
      </Text>
    </Material>
    <Material>
      <Name>375Um</Name>
      <Text>
        <Value>Carte Lumina 720x1020 250 Gsm</Value>
      </Text>
    </Material>
    <Material>
      <Name>398Um</Name>
      <Text>
        <Value>Opus Card 720x1020 280 Gsm</Value>
      </Text>
    </Material>
    <Material>
      <Name>405Um</Name>
      <Text>
        <Value>Carte Lumina 450x640 270 Gsm</Value>
        <Value>Incada Silk 450x640 260 Gsm </Value>
      </Text>
    </Material>
    <Material>
      <Name>445Um</Name>
      <Text>
        <Value>Incada Silk 450x640 280 Gsm</Value>
      </Text>
    </Material>
    <Material>
      <Name>450Um</Name>
      <Text>
        <Value>Carte Lumina 450x640 300 Gsm</Value>
      </Text>
    </Material>
    <Material>
      <Name>485Um</Name>
      <Text>
        <Value>Incada Silk 450x640 300 Gsm</Value>
      </Text>
    </Material>
    <Material>
      <Name>495Um</Name>
      <Text>
        <Value>Carte Lumina 450x640 330 Gsm</Value>
      </Text>
    </Material>
    <Material>
      <Name>540Um</Name>
      <Text>
        <Value>Incada Silk 520x720 325 Gsm</Value>
      </Text>
    </Material>
    <Material>
      <Name>570Um</Name>
      <Text>
        <Value>Carte Lumina 450x640 380 Gsm</Value>
      </Text>
    </Material>
    <Material>
      <Name>590Um</Name>
      <Text>
        <Value>Incada Silk 450x640 350 Gsm</Value>
      </Text>
    </Material>
  </MaterialGroup>
</CutToolsDatabase>

The class that I have created for this XML:

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Xml.Serialization;

namespace CutTools.MaterialsDatabase
{
    [XmlRoot(ElementName = "CutToolsDatabase", Namespace = "https://www.trucklesoft.co.uk/cuttools")]
    public class CutToolsDatabase
    {
        [XmlArray]
        [XmlArrayItem(ElementName = "MaterialGroup")]
        public List<CutToolsDatabaseMaterialGroup> MaterialGroup;

        public CutToolsDatabase()
        {
            MaterialGroup = new List<CutToolsDatabaseMaterialGroup>();
        }
    }

    public class CutToolsDatabaseMaterialGroup
    {
        [XmlElement]
        public string Name;

        [XmlArray]
        [XmlArrayItem(ElementName = "Material")]
        public List<CutToolsDatabaseMaterial> Material;

        public CutToolsDatabaseMaterialGroup()
        {
            Name = "";
            Material = new List<CutToolsDatabaseMaterial>();
        }
    }

    public class CutToolsDatabaseMaterial
    {
        [XmlElement]
        public string Name;

        [XmlArray]
        [XmlArrayItem(ElementName = "Value")]  
        public List<string> Text;

        public CutToolsDatabaseMaterial()
        {
            Name = "";
            Text = new List<string>();
        }
    }
}

The code that i use to load the XML file:

private bool ReadMaterialsData(ref CutToolsDatabase docMaterialsDB)
{
    bool bRead = false;
    try
    {
        System.Reflection.Module mod = GetType().Module;
        string strPath = Path.GetDirectoryName(mod.FullyQualifiedName);
        XmlSerializer x = new XmlSerializer(docMaterialsDB.GetType());
        Bricscad.ApplicationServices.Application.ShowAlertDialog(Path.Combine(strPath, "Materials.xml"));
        using (StreamReader reader = new StreamReader(Path.Combine(strPath, "Materials.xml")))
        {
            docMaterialsDB = (CutToolsDatabase)x.Deserialize(reader);

            bRead = true;
        }
    }
    catch (System.Exception ex)
    {

    }

    return bRead;
}

So why I try the above like this:

CutToolsDatabase _docMaterialsDB = new CutToolsDatabase();
ReadMaterialsData(ref _docMaterialsDB);
_AcAp.Application.ShowAlertDialog(_docMaterialsDB.MaterialGroup.Count.ToString());

The result displayed is 0. What is wrong? I can read the xml file manually and use select paths so what have I done wrong?

I wrote a routine to add some elements and save it to XML. Why is it looking like this?

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<CutToolsDatabase xmlns="https://www.trucklesoft.co.uk/cuttools">
  <MaterialGroup>
    <MaterialGroup>
      <Name>Andrew Group</Name>
      <Material>
        <Material>
          <Name>Andrew Material</Name>
          <Text>
            <Value>Andrew Value</Value>
          </Text>
        </Material>
      </Material>
    </MaterialGroup>
  </MaterialGroup>
</CutToolsDatabase>

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered May 18 '20 at 12:03

2

[XmlArray]+[XmlArrayItem] represent doubly nested scenarios - like:

<Foos>
   <Foo/>
   <Foo/>
   <Foo/>
</Foos>

However, in your cases, they are all singly nested, so: you should use [XmlElement] instead:

[XmlRoot(ElementName = "CutToolsDatabase", Namespace = "https//www.trucklesoft.co.uk/cuttools")]
public class CutToolsDatabase
{
    [XmlElement(ElementName = "MaterialGroup")]
    public List<CutToolsDatabaseMaterialGroup> MaterialGroups { get; }

    public CutToolsDatabase()
    {
        MaterialGroups = new List<CutToolsDatabaseMaterialGroup>();
    }
}

public class CutToolsDatabaseMaterialGroup
{
    [XmlElement]
    public string Name { get; set; }

    [XmlElement(ElementName = "Material")]
    public List<CutToolsDatabaseMaterial> Material;

    public CutToolsDatabaseMaterialGroup()
    {
        Name = "";
        Material = new List<CutToolsDatabaseMaterial>();
    }
}

public class CutToolsDatabaseMaterial
{
    [XmlElement]
    public string Name { get; set; }

    [XmlElement]
    public Text Text { get; set; }

    public CutToolsDatabaseMaterial()
    {
        Name = "";
        Text = new Text();
    }
}

public class Text
{
    [XmlElement]
    public string Value { get; set; }
}

answered May 18 '20 at 12:03

Marc Gravell

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Thanks, what is wrong with the namespace? Also, there can be a list of "Value" objects". – Andrew Truckle May 18 '20 at 12:12
1

@AndrewTruckle the namespace needed a tweak locally, but... maybe it was a copy/paste error; as for `Value` - great, then use a list instead – Marc Gravell May 18 '20 at 12:16
I can confirm that is is writing a file OK. But it doesn't seem to be reading in my master file. It is still 0. Why might that be? – Andrew Truckle May 18 '20 at 12:17
@AndrewTruckle lol, it was the xml namespace after all; look **very very carefully** – Marc Gravell May 18 '20 at 12:35
I see that yours does not have a `:` but my code does. Is that what you mean? – Andrew Truckle May 18 '20 at 12:39
1

@AndrewTruckle it needs to match the xml; the xml does not have the `:` – Marc Gravell May 18 '20 at 12:40

jdweng · Answer 2 · 2020-05-18T15:14:21.397

The following code is tested. XML Serialization an XmlArray is two XML tags (parent and child). You only have one tag so you need to use XmlElement instead.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Data;
using System.Xml;
using System.Xml.Serialization;

namespace ConsoleApplication1
{
    class Program
    {
        const string FILENAME = @"c:\temp\test.xml";
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            XmlReader reader = XmlReader.Create(FILENAME);

            XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(CutToolsDatabase));

            CutToolsDatabase db = (CutToolsDatabase)serializer.Deserialize(reader);

        }
    }
    [XmlRoot(ElementName = "CutToolsDatabase", Namespace = "https//www.trucklesoft.co.uk/cuttools")]
    public class CutToolsDatabase
    {
        public CutToolsDatabaseMaterialGroup MaterialGroup;
    }

    public class CutToolsDatabaseMaterialGroup
    {
        [XmlElement]
        public string Name;

        [XmlElement(ElementName = "Material")]
        public List<CutToolsDatabaseMaterial> Material;

        public CutToolsDatabaseMaterialGroup()
        {
            Name = "";
            Material = new List<CutToolsDatabaseMaterial>();
        }
    }

    public class CutToolsDatabaseMaterial
    {

        public string Name;

        [XmlElement(ElementName = "Text")]
        public List<Text> Text;

        public CutToolsDatabaseMaterial()
        {
            Name = "";
        }
    }
    public class Text
    {
        public string Value { get; set; }
    }
}

XML serialization and why am I ending up with an ended element?

2 Answers2