C# Serialization XML

Hello Everybody,

just a simple question. Is there an attribute to skip empty arrays in the xml-serialization of c#? This would increase human-readability of the xml-output.

Thanks in advance

Matze

From stackoverflow

• Well, you could perhaps add a ShouldSerializeFoo() method:

  using System;
  using System.ComponentModel;
  using System.Xml.Serialization;
  [Serializable]
  public class MyEntity
  {
      public string Key { get; set; }
  
      public string[] Items { get; set; }
  
      [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never), Browsable(false)]
      public bool ShouldSerializeItems()
      {
          return Items != null && Items.Length > 0;
      }
  }
  
  static class Program
  {
      static void Main()
      {
          MyEntity obj = new MyEntity { Key = "abc", Items = new string[0] };
          XmlSerializer ser = new XmlSerializer(typeof(MyEntity));
          ser.Serialize(Console.Out, obj);
      }
  }
  

  The ShouldSerialize{name} patten is recognised, and the method is called to see whether to include the property in the serialization. There is also an alternative {name}Specified pattern that allows you to also detect things when deserializing (via the setter):

  [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never), Browsable(false)]
  [XmlIgnore]
  public bool ItemsSpecified
  {
      get { return Items != null && Items.Length > 0; }
      set { } // could set the default array here if we want
  }
  

• Thanks a lot! It works! Really fast replies here!

  Have a nice Holiday Season

  Marc Gravell : No problem; if that answers it, click the tick ;-p

  Charles Graham : Yeah, if it works, hen give him props and mark it as answered.