XmlAttributes Class
Represents a collection of attribute objects that control how the XmlSerializer serializes and deserializes an object.
For a list of all members of this type, see XmlAttributes Members.
System.Object
System.Xml.Serialization.XmlAttributes
[Visual Basic] Public Class XmlAttributes [C#] public class XmlAttributes [C++] public __gc class XmlAttributes [JScript] public class XmlAttributes
Thread Safety
Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.
Remarks
Creating the XmlAttributes is part of a process that overrides the default way the XmlSerializer serializes class instances. For example, suppose you want to serialize an object that is created from a DLL which has an inaccessible source. By using the XmlAttributeOverrides, you can augment or otherwise control how the object is serialized.
The members of the XmlAttributes class correspond directly to a family of attribute classes that control serialization. For example, the XmlText property must be set to an XmlTextAttribute, which allows you to override serialization of a field or property by instructing the XmlSerializer to serialize the property value as XML text. For a complete list of attributes that control serialization, see the XmlSerializer.
For more details on using the XmlAttributeOverrides with the XmlAttributes class, see Overriding XML Serialization.
Example
[Visual Basic, C#, C++] The following example serializes an instance of a class named Orchestra, which contains a single field named Instruments that returns an array of Instrument objects. A second class named Brass inherits from the Instrument class. The example creates an XmlAttributes object to override the Instrument field--allowing the field to accept Brass objects--and adds the XmlAttributes object to an instance of the XmlAttributeOverrides class.
[Visual Basic] Imports System Imports System.IO Imports System.Xml.Serialization Imports Microsoft.VisualBasic Public Class Orchestra Public Instruments() As Instrument End Class Public Class Instrument Public Name As String End Class Public Class Brass Inherits Instrument Public IsValved As Boolean End Class Public Class Run Public Shared Sub Main() Dim test As New Run() test.SerializeObject("Override.xml") test.DeserializeObject("Override.xml") End Sub Public Sub SerializeObject(ByVal filename As String) ' Each overridden field, property, or type requires ' an XmlAttributes object. Dim attrs As New XmlAttributes() ' Create an XmlElementAttribute to override the ' field that returns Instrument objects. The overridden field ' returns Brass objects instead. Dim attr As New XmlElementAttribute() attr.ElementName = "Brass" attr.Type = GetType(Brass) ' Add the element to the collection of elements. attrs.XmlElements.Add(attr) ' Create the XmlAttributeOverrides object. Dim attrOverrides As New XmlAttributeOverrides() ' Add the type of the class that contains the overridden ' member and the XmlAttributes to override it with to the ' XmlAttributeOverrides object. attrOverrides.Add(GetType(Orchestra), "Instruments", attrs) ' Create the XmlSerializer using the XmlAttributeOverrides. Dim s As New XmlSerializer(GetType(Orchestra), attrOverrides) ' Writing the file requires a TextWriter. Dim writer As New StreamWriter(filename) ' Create the object that will be serialized. Dim band As New Orchestra() ' Create an object of the derived type. Dim i As New Brass() i.Name = "Trumpet" i.IsValved = True Dim myInstruments() As Instrument = {i} band.Instruments = myInstruments ' Serialize the object. s.Serialize(writer, band) writer.Close() End Sub Public Sub DeserializeObject(ByVal filename As String) Dim attrOverrides As New XmlAttributeOverrides() Dim attrs As New XmlAttributes() ' Create an XmlElementAttribute to override the Instrument. Dim attr As New XmlElementAttribute() attr.ElementName = "Brass" attr.Type = GetType(Brass) ' Add the element to the collection of elements. attrs.XmlElements.Add(attr) attrOverrides.Add(GetType(Orchestra), "Instruments", attrs) ' Create the XmlSerializer using the XmlAttributeOverrides. Dim s As New XmlSerializer(GetType(Orchestra), attrOverrides) Dim fs As New FileStream(filename, FileMode.Open) Dim band As Orchestra = CType(s.Deserialize(fs), Orchestra) Console.WriteLine("Brass:") ' The difference between deserializing the overridden ' XML document and serializing it is this: To read the derived ' object values, you must declare an object of the derived type ' (Brass), and cast the Instrument instance to it. Dim b As Brass Dim i As Instrument For Each i In band.Instruments b = CType(i, Brass) Console.WriteLine(b.Name + ControlChars.Cr + _ b.IsValved.ToString()) Next i End Sub End Class [C#] using System; using System.IO; using System.Xml.Serialization; public class Orchestra { public Instrument[] Instruments; } public class Instrument { public string Name; } public class Brass:Instrument { public bool IsValved; } public class Run { public static void Main() { Run test = new Run(); test.SerializeObject("Override.xml"); test.DeserializeObject("Override.xml"); } public void SerializeObject(string filename) { /* Each overridden field, property, or type requires an XmlAttributes object. */ XmlAttributes attrs = new XmlAttributes(); /* Create an XmlElementAttribute to override the field that returns Instrument objects. The overridden field returns Brass objects instead. */ XmlElementAttribute attr = new XmlElementAttribute(); attr.ElementName = "Brass"; attr.Type = typeof(Brass); // Add the element to the collection of elements. attrs.XmlElements.Add(attr); // Create the XmlAttributeOverrides object. XmlAttributeOverrides attrOverrides = new XmlAttributeOverrides(); /* Add the type of the class that contains the overridden member and the XmlAttributes to override it with to the XmlAttributeOverrides object. */ attrOverrides.Add(typeof(Orchestra), "Instruments", attrs); // Create the XmlSerializer using the XmlAttributeOverrides. XmlSerializer s = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Orchestra), attrOverrides); // Writing the file requires a TextWriter. TextWriter writer = new StreamWriter(filename); // Create the object that will be serialized. Orchestra band = new Orchestra(); // Create an object of the derived type. Brass i = new Brass(); i.Name = "Trumpet"; i.IsValved = true; Instrument[] myInstruments = {i}; band.Instruments = myInstruments; // Serialize the object. s.Serialize(writer,band); writer.Close(); } public void DeserializeObject(string filename) { XmlAttributeOverrides attrOverrides = new XmlAttributeOverrides(); XmlAttributes attrs = new XmlAttributes(); // Create an XmlElementAttribute to override the Instrument. XmlElementAttribute attr = new XmlElementAttribute(); attr.ElementName = "Brass"; attr.Type = typeof(Brass); // Add the element to the collection of elements. attrs.XmlElements.Add(attr); attrOverrides.Add(typeof(Orchestra), "Instruments", attrs); // Create the XmlSerializer using the XmlAttributeOverrides. XmlSerializer s = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Orchestra), attrOverrides); FileStream fs = new FileStream(filename, FileMode.Open); Orchestra band = (Orchestra) s.Deserialize(fs); Console.WriteLine("Brass:"); /* The difference between deserializing the overridden XML document and serializing it is this: To read the derived object values, you must declare an object of the derived type (Brass), and cast the Instrument instance to it. */ Brass b; foreach(Instrument i in band.Instruments) { b = (Brass)i; Console.WriteLine( b.Name + "\n" + b.IsValved); } } } [C++] #using <mscorlib.dll> #using <System.Xml.dll> #using <System.dll> using namespace System; using namespace System::IO; using namespace System::Xml::Serialization; public __gc class Instrument { public: String* Name; }; public __gc class Brass:public Instrument { public: bool IsValved; }; public __gc class Orchestra { public: Instrument* Instruments[]; }; void SerializeObject(String* filename) { /* Each overridden field, property, or type requires an XmlAttributes object. */ XmlAttributes* attrs = new XmlAttributes(); /* Create an XmlElementAttribute to override the field that returns Instrument objects. The overridden field returns Brass objects instead. */ XmlElementAttribute* attr = new XmlElementAttribute(); attr->ElementName = S"Brass"; attr->Type = __typeof(Brass); // Add the element to the collection of elements. attrs->XmlElements->Add(attr); // Create the XmlAttributeOverrides object. XmlAttributeOverrides* attrOverrides = new XmlAttributeOverrides(); /* Add the type of the class that contains the overridden member and the XmlAttributes to override it with to the XmlAttributeOverrides object. */ attrOverrides->Add(__typeof(Orchestra), S"Instruments", attrs); // Create the XmlSerializer using the XmlAttributeOverrides. XmlSerializer* s = new XmlSerializer(__typeof(Orchestra), attrOverrides); // Writing the file requires a TextWriter. TextWriter* writer = new StreamWriter(filename); // Create the object that will be serialized. Orchestra* band = new Orchestra(); // Create an object of the derived type. Brass* i = new Brass(); i->Name = S"Trumpet"; i->IsValved = true; Instrument* myInstruments[] = {i}; band->Instruments = myInstruments; // Serialize the object. s->Serialize(writer,band); writer->Close(); } void DeserializeObject(String* filename) { XmlAttributeOverrides* attrOverrides = new XmlAttributeOverrides(); XmlAttributes* attrs = new XmlAttributes(); // Create an XmlElementAttribute to override the Instrument. XmlElementAttribute* attr = new XmlElementAttribute(); attr->ElementName = S"Brass"; attr->Type = __typeof(Brass); // Add the element to the collection of elements. attrs->XmlElements->Add(attr); attrOverrides->Add(__typeof(Orchestra), S"Instruments", attrs); // Create the XmlSerializer using the XmlAttributeOverrides. XmlSerializer* s = new XmlSerializer(__typeof(Orchestra), attrOverrides); FileStream* fs = new FileStream(filename, FileMode::Open); Orchestra* band = dynamic_cast<Orchestra*> (s->Deserialize(fs)); Console::WriteLine(S"Brass:"); /* The difference between deserializing the overridden XML document and serializing it is this: To read the derived object values, you must declare an object of the derived type (Brass), and cast the Instrument instance to it. */ Brass* b; System::Collections::IEnumerator* myEnum = band->Instruments->GetEnumerator(); while (myEnum->MoveNext()) { Instrument* i = __try_cast<Instrument*>(myEnum->Current); b = dynamic_cast<Brass*>(i); Console::WriteLine( S"{0}\n{1}", b->Name, __box(b->IsValved)); } } int main() { SerializeObject(S"Override.xml"); DeserializeObject(S"Override.xml"); }
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Requirements
Namespace: System.Xml.Serialization
Platforms: Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 2000, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2003 family
Assembly: System.Xml (in System.Xml.dll)
See Also
XmlAttributes Members | System.Xml.Serialization Namespace | XmlAttributeOverrides | XmlSerializer