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Simplify Reading and Writing of XML Fragments

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8 Aug 2006 43.4K   857   19   2
This article shows how to read and write XML fragments using the XmlChunkReader and XmlChunkWriter classes.

Introduction

This article is trying to solve two ultimate serialization problems:

  • Can an XML stream be deconstructed using multiple nested XmlReader processes;
  • Can an XML stream be assembled from multiple nested XmlWriter processes.

Solving these problems makes the using of XmlSerializer possible when you are creating XML from objects.

Using the Code

The library contains two classes: XmlChunkReader and XmlChunkWriter.

XmlChunkReader can be created using XmlReader while it’s reading XML element nodes. It can be used as a standalone XmlReader, e.g., to perform a deserialization operation. When XmlChunkReader is closed, the main reader points to the next XML node. Using XmlChunkReader helps avoid such calls as ReadInnerXml.

C#
// read file
using (XmlTextReader r = new XmlTextReader(xmlfile))
{
    r.ReadStartElement("items");
    while (r.Read() && r.MoveToContent() == XmlNodeType.Element)
    {
        using(XmlChunkReader chunkReader = new XmlChunkReader(r))
        {
            Item item = (Item)serializer.Deserialize(chunkReader);
            Console.WriteLine(item.ToString());
        }
    }
    r.ReadEndElement();    
}

XmlChunkWriter can be created using XmlWriter. It can be used as a standalone XmlWriter, e.g., to perform serialization of objects. When XmlChunkWriter is closed, the main XmlWriter is ready to continue writing XML data. Using XmlChunkWriter helps format data in the same manner and avoids writing of XML declaration instructions in the middle of XML.

C#
// write file
using (XmlTextWriter w = new XmlTextWriter(xmlfile, Encoding.UTF8))
{
    w.Formatting = Formatting.Indented;
    w.WriteStartElement("items");
    using (XmlChunkWriter chunkWriter = new XmlChunkWriter(w))
        serializer.Serialize(chunkWriter, new Item(1, "First"));

    using (XmlChunkWriter chunkWriter = new XmlChunkWriter(w))
        serializer.Serialize(chunkWriter, new Item(2, "Second"));
    w.WriteEndElement();
}

The library also simplifies the implementation of the IXmlSerializable interface.

The source code can be easily adapted for .NET framework version 1.1.

License

This article has no explicit license attached to it but may contain usage terms in the article text or the download files themselves. If in doubt please contact the author via the discussion board below.

A list of licenses authors might use can be found here


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Comments and Discussions

 
QuestionI made a couple of changes to get this to work with the serializers generated by .NET 4.5.1 Pin
Bern McCarty13-Dec-13 1:05
Bern McCarty13-Dec-13 1:05 
GeneralGreat, just what I need! Pin
Rynus_Rein2-Jun-09 23:17
Rynus_Rein2-Jun-09 23:17 

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