converting XML to useable C# object

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Hi all,

I have an XML file that is created by a powershell script, each XML has differing amounts of nodes within it. An example of a shorter one is below:

XML

<Objs Version="1.1.0.1" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/powershell/2004/04">
  <Obj RefId="0">
    <TN RefId="0">
      <T>...</T>
      <T>...</T>
      <T>...</T>
    </TN>
    <MS>
      <S N="LevelDisplayName">...</S>
      <S N="Message">...</S>
      <S N="MachineName">...</S>
      <I32 N="Id">...</I32>
    </MS>
  </Obj>
  <Obj RefId="1">
    <TNRef RefId="0" />
    <MS>
      <S N="LevelDisplayName">...</S>
      <S N="Message">...</S>
      <S N="MachineName">...</S>
      <I32 N="Id">...</I32>
    </MS>
  </Obj>
</Objs>

Now i want to get this XML file and convert it into a useable C# object. I've tried using a deserializer method but as the amount of nodes and what they are tagged as can change, i cannot create a class that accomodates these deserialized variables, so will error everytime.

C#

public static List<T> RetrieveFromXML<T>(string filename, string root)
{
     // Declare an object variable of the type to be deserialized.
     List<T> t;
     using (FileStream fs = new FileStream(filename, FileMode.Open))
     {
          XmlSerializer ser = new XmlSerializer(typeof(List<T>), new  XmlRootAttribute(root));
          t = (List<T>)ser.Deserialize(fs);
      }

      return t;
}

Is there a way that an object can be dynamically created from the XML, or any other method that you guys have come across?

Posted 11-Nov-12 23:52pm

MitchG92_24

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Storxstar 12-Nov-12 6:09am

have you tried using an XmlReader? If not try using one, with Multiple for loops too keep looping through nodes and returning values.

2 solutions

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**AmitGajjar** · Answer 1 · 2012-11-12T00:17:00

Solution 1

Hi,

You can use Dynamic of C# 4.0 feature. that may help you to generate object on the fly.

I found one link that may help you,

Converting XML to an dynamic object using ExpandoObject[^]

Best luck.

Posted 12-Nov-12 0:17am

AmitGajjar

Comments

MitchG92_24 14-Nov-12 5:22am

It hasn't worked for my use as it needs to operate on earlier .NET frameworks but it is a very useful feature so i shall be using in the future!

MitchG92_24 · Answer 2 · 2012-11-13T23:25:00

I have created an XDocument from the XML file itself and iterating through the nodes in the document and acting upon them differently using a switch statement. This has worked to how i want it.

C#

//Counters
            int index = 0; //Increments through the array of Obj's
            int sIndex = 0; //Increments through the array of S's

            XDocument xmlDoc = XDocument.Load(file);
            List<obj> allObjects = new List<obj>();
            List<eventlog> eventLog = new List<eventlog>();

            foreach (var obj in xmlDoc.Descendants())
            {
                switch (obj.Name.LocalName.ToString())
                {
                    case "Obj":
                        {
                            Obj newObj = new Obj();
                            newObj.RefId = obj.Attribute("RefId").Value;
                            allObjects.Add(newObj);
                        }
                        break;
                    case "MS":
                        {
                            MS newMS = new MS();
                            allObjects[index].MyMS = newMS;

                        }
                        break;
                    case "S":
                        {
                            S newS = new S();
                            newS.Attribute = obj.Attribute("N").Value;
                            newS.Content = obj.Value.ToString();
                            allObjects[index].MyMS.S[sIndex] = newS;
                            sIndex++;
                            if (sIndex == 3)
                                sIndex = 0;
                        }
                        break;
                    case "I32":
                        {
                            I32 i32 = new I32();
                            i32.Id = Convert.ToInt32(obj.Value.ToString());
                            allObjects[index].MyMS.i32 = i32;
                            index++;
                        }
                        break;
                    default:
                        break;
                }
            }</eventlog></eventlog></obj></obj>