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.NET Development
.NET Framework 3.5
XContainer Class
 Descendants Method

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This page is specific to
Microsoft Visual Studio 2008/.NET Framework 3.5

Other versions are also available for the following:
.NET Framework Class Library
XContainer..::.Descendants Method

Returns a collection of the descendant elements for this document or element, in document order.

Namespace:  System.Xml.Linq
Assembly:  System.Xml.Linq (in System.Xml.Linq.dll)
Visual Basic (Declaration)
Public Function Descendants As IEnumerable(Of XElement)
Visual Basic (Usage)
Dim instance As XContainer
Dim returnValue As IEnumerable(Of XElement)

returnValue = instance.Descendants()
C#
public IEnumerable<XElement> Descendants()
Visual C++
public:
IEnumerable<XElement^>^ Descendants()
JScript
public function Descendants() : IEnumerable<XElement>

Return Value

Type: System.Collections.Generic..::.IEnumerable<(Of <(XElement>)>)
An IEnumerable<(Of <(T>)>) of XElement containing the descendant elements of the XContainer.

Note that this method will not return itself in the resulting IEnumerable<(Of <(T>)>). See DescendantsAndSelf if you need to include the current XElement in the results.

This method uses deferred execution.

The following example creates an XML tree, and then uses this axis method to retrieve the descendants.

C#
XElement xmlTree = new XElement("Root",
    new XAttribute("Att1", "AttributeContent"),
    new XElement("Child",
        new XText("Some text"),
        new XElement("GrandChild", "element content")
    )
);
IEnumerable<XElement> de =
    from el in xmlTree.Descendants()
    select el;
foreach (XElement el in de)
    Console.WriteLine(el.Name);
Visual Basic
' Attributes are not nodes, so will not be returned by DescendantNodes.
Dim xmlTree As XElement = _
    <Root Att1="AttributeContent">
        <Child>Some text
            <GrandChild>element content</GrandChild>
        </Child>
    </Root>
Dim de = From el In xmlTree.Descendants _
         Select el

For Each el In de
    Console.WriteLine(el.Name)
Next

This example produces the following output:

Child
GrandChild

Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows CE, Windows Mobile for Smartphone, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC, Xbox 360, Zune

The .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework do not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

.NET Framework

Supported in: 3.5

.NET Compact Framework

Supported in: 3.5

XNA Framework

Supported in: 3.0
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