C# - JSON.NET-like library for XML?

Unperverted Vixen

I can work with LINQ to XML or the other built-in stuff if I have to, but I'd rather not; the code is painful, especially for building XML. ;)

Is there any library out there that can translate XML to/from POCOs, like JSON.NET does for JSON?

Tsaukpaetra

MSDN suggests this:

gewarren

Examples of XML Serialization - .NET

These code examples show advanced scenarios, including how to use XML serialization to generate an XML stream that conforms to an XML Schema document.

Ha. Ha.

This seems a little more like what you're looking for:

Kuv Patel / Jan 2, 2017

Convert XML to C# Object

Deserialize nested XML to complex C# objects or convert a complex C# object to hierarchical XML.

Zecc

@Unperverted-Vixen said in C# - JSON.NET-like library for XML?:

the code is painful, especially for building XML. ;)

It's not that bad if in your POCO you only have public properties you want to export.

public class Program
{

    public static void Main()
    {
        var thing = new Thing(){
            Level = 42,
            Name = "A thing",
            Nested = new Nested(){
                Where = "Right here",
                When = DateTime.Today,
            },
            List = new List<bool> { true, false, false, true, true },
        };
        XDocument doc = Serialization.Serialize(thing);
        Console.WriteLine(doc.ToString());
    }
    
    public static class Serialization
    {
        public static T Deserialize<T>(XDocument doc)
        {
            var xmlSerializer = new System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer(typeof(T));
    
            using (var reader = doc.Root.CreateReader())
            {
                return (T)xmlSerializer.Deserialize(reader);
            }
        }
    
        public static XDocument Serialize<T>(T value)
        {
            var xmlSerializer = new System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer(typeof(T));
    
            XDocument doc = new XDocument();
            using (var writer = doc.CreateWriter())
            {
                xmlSerializer.Serialize(writer, value);
            }
            doc.Root.Attributes().Where(x => x.IsNamespaceDeclaration).Remove();  // So annoying
            return doc;
        }
    }
    
    public class Thing
    {
        public int Level {get;set;}
        public string Name {get;set;}
        public Nested Nested {get;set;}
        public List<bool> List {get;set;} = new List<bool>();
    }
    public class Nested
    {
        public string Where {get;set;}
        public DateTime When {get;set;}
    }
}

Result:

<Thing>
  <Level>42</Level>
  <Name>A thing</Name>
  <Nested>
    <Where>Right here</Where>
    <When>2020-06-01T00:00:00+01:00</When>
  </Nested>
  <List>
    <boolean>true</boolean>
    <boolean>false</boolean>
    <boolean>false</boolean>
    <boolean>true</boolean>
    <boolean>true</boolean>
  </List>
</Thing>

Zecc

@Tsaukpaetra said in C# - JSON.NET-like library for XML?:

This seems a little more like what you're looking for:

Kuv Patel / Jan 2, 2017

Convert XML to C# Object

Deserialize nested XML to complex C# objects or convert a complex C# object to hierarchical XML.

It's doing pretty much what I posted above.

Unperverted Vixen

@Zecc said in C# - JSON.NET-like library for XML?:

@Unperverted-Vixen said in C# - JSON.NET-like library for XML?:

the code is painful, especially for building XML. ;)

It's not that bad if in your POCO you only have public properties you want to export.

I didn't think of XmlSerializer at all - I was only considering XmlDocument and LINQ to XML. That might be what I was looking for...