Using XML serialization to save the contents of TableLayoutPanel

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Hi,

I have used the XML serialization to save Text and a picture in a XML file. However, I am confused on how to extend the concept further.

I have a second Windows Form which has a TableLayoutPanel in which each cell has a Picture Box and a TextBox. The user has the option to set the number of rows and columns himself, so I do not know about the number of pictures that have to be saved in the XML file. Further, when the user pressed the load button, the same pictures have to come back to their original pictures boxes in the TableLayout.

How can I save the contents of the TableLayout in the XML file and retrieve them in their corresponding cells?

Here's the program that I have done till now.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/7f4dax0szsiaf4g/WindowsFormsApplication4.rar

Thanks for help.

Posted 4-Oct-10 15:12pm

optimus_prime1

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Yogesha Puttaswamy · Answer 1 · 2010-10-04T20:39:00

K,
just i ll write the code..

add a class to your project by name "Output" and add the below code

XML

namespace YourNamespace
{
    class Output
    {
        int row;
        int column;
        List<Customer> person = new List<Customer>();
        public int Row
        {
            get { return row; }
            set { row = value; }
        }
        public int Column
        {
            get { return column; }
            set { column = value; }
        }
        public List<Customer> Person
        {
            get { return person; }
            set { person = value; }
        }
        public void Load(string path)
        {
            if (File.Exists(path))
            {
                Output o = ObjectXMLSerializer<Output>.Load(path);
                this.row = o.row;
                this.column = o.column;
                this.person = o.person;
            }
        }
        public void Save(string path)
        {
            ObjectXMLSerializer<Output>.Save(this, path);
        }
    }
}

then modify your Form1 (TableLayoutForm) class as follows

XML

namespace MSDNForums
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        Output output = new Output();

        private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            output.Person.Clear();
            output.Row = int.Parse(rowsTextBox.Text);
            output.Column = int.Parse(columnsTextBox.Text);

            tableLayoutPanel1.RowCount = int.Parse(rowsTextBox.Text);
            tableLayoutPanel1.ColumnCount = int.Parse(columnsTextBox.Text);

            for (int col = 0; col < tableLayoutPanel1.ColumnCount; col++)
            {
                for (int rows = 0; rows < tableLayoutPanel1.RowCount; rows++)
                {
                    Panel p = new Panel();
                    TextBox tb = new TextBox();
                    PictureBox picb = new PictureBox();
                    p.Controls.Add(tb);
                    p.Controls.Add(picb);
                    picb.Location = new Point(0, tb.Top + 20);
                    tableLayoutPanel1.Controls.Add(p, col, rows);

                    Customer c = new Customer();
                    c.Index = col * tableLayoutPanel1.RowCount + rows;
                }
            }
        }

        private void LoadPerson()
        {
            output.Load("output.out");

            tableLayoutPanel1.Controls.Clear();

            foreach (Customer c in output.Person)
            {
                int rows = c.Index / output.Column;
                int col = c.Index % output.Column;

                Panel p = new Panel();
                TextBox tb = new TextBox();
                PictureBox picb = new PictureBox();
                p.Controls.Add(tb);
                p.Controls.Add(picb);
                picb.Location = new Point(0, tb.Top + 20);
                tableLayoutPanel1.Controls.Add(p, col, rows);
            }
        }

        private void SavePerson()
        {
            output.Save("output.out");
        }
    }
}

you can use SavePerson and LoadPerson function to save and load the file.
If you still didnt get, then better i ll send you the full code :)

Yogesha Puttaswamy · Answer 2 · 2010-10-04T16:41:00

Hi,

Method 1:

You can add one more variable index(int) to your customer object, which keep track of the position of the customer(picture and text) in your TableLayoutPanel.

so your customer class becomes
<pre>
public class Customer
{
int index;
string CustomerName;
Bitmap Picture;
}
</pre>
then you can use list to store the cutomer objects added to your TableLayoutPanel.

List<Customer> customer_list;

while saving the list in Xml (Simple Serialization) you can change the index according to the position in the TableLayoutPanel and you can keep track.

Method 2:

Instead of adding index to your customer object, you can use Dictionary which contains the position and customer object.

Dictionary<int, Customer>

The problem is you cant Serialize Dictionary by the XmlSerializer. You have to create you own SerializableDictionary. I tried with my own class and it works. here is the code :

<pre>
[XmlRoot("dictionary")]
public class MyDictionary<TKey, TValue>
: Dictionary<TKey, TValue, IXmlSerializable
{
public System.Xml.Schema.XmlSchema GetSchema()
{
return null;
}

public void ReadXml(System.Xml.XmlReader reader)
{
XmlSerializer keySerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(TKey));
XmlSerializer valueSerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(TValue));

bool wasEmpty = reader.IsEmptyElement;
reader.Read();

if (wasEmpty)
return;

while (reader.NodeType != System.Xml.XmlNodeType.EndElement)
{
reader.ReadStartElement("item");

reader.ReadStartElement("key");
TKey key = (TKey)keySerializer.Deserialize(reader);
reader.ReadEndElement();

reader.ReadStartElement("value");
TValue value = (TValue)valueSerializer.Deserialize(reader);
reader.ReadEndElement();

this.Add(key, value);

reader.ReadEndElement();
reader.MoveToContent();
}
reader.ReadEndElement();
}

public void WriteXml(System.Xml.XmlWriter writer)
{
XmlSerializer keySerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(TKey));
XmlSerializer valueSerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(TValue));

foreach (TKey key in this.Keys)
{
writer.WriteStartElement("item");

writer.WriteStartElement("key");
keySerializer.Serialize(writer, key);
writer.WriteEndElement();

writer.WriteStartElement("value");
TValue value = this[key];
valueSerializer.Serialize(writer, value);
writer.WriteEndElement();

writer.WriteEndElement();
}
}
}
</pre>

Hope it helps you...

Using XML serialization to save the contents of TableLayoutPanel

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