Override class name for XmlSerialization

Question

I need to serialize IEnumerable. At the same time I want root node to be "Channels" and second level node - Channel (instead of ChannelConfiguration).

Here is my serializer definition:

_xmlSerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(List<ChannelConfiguration>), new XmlRootAttribute("Channels"));

I have overriden root node by providing XmlRootAttribute but I haven't found an option to set Channel instead of ChannelConfiguration as second level node.

I know I can do it by introducing a wrapper for IEnumerable and using XmlArrayItem but I don't want to do it.

Answer 1

Like so:

XmlAttributeOverrides or = new XmlAttributeOverrides();
or.Add(typeof(ChannelConfiguration), new XmlAttributes
{
    XmlType = new XmlTypeAttribute("Channel")
});
var xmlSerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(List<ChannelConfiguration>), or,
     Type.EmptyTypes, new XmlRootAttribute("Channels"), "");
xmlSerializer.Serialize(Console.Out,
     new List<ChannelConfiguration> { new ChannelConfiguration { } });

Note you must cache and re-use this serializer instance.

I will also say that I strongly recommend you use the "wrapper class" approach - simpler, no risk of assembly leakage, and IIRC it works on more platforms (pretty sure I've seen an edge-case where the above behaves differently on some implementations - SL or WP7 or something like that).

If you have access to the type ChannelConfiguration, you can also just use:

[XmlType("Channel")]
public class ChannelConfiguration
{...}

var xmlSerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(List<ChannelConfiguration>),
     new XmlRootAttribute("Channels"));
xmlSerializer.Serialize(Console.Out,
     new List<ChannelConfiguration> { new ChannelConfiguration { } });