How to Deserialize an XML Document into C# Objects?

C# XML Deserialization: Transforming XML Data into Objects

This guide demonstrates how to convert XML documents into C# objects, a process known as deserialization. Let's use this sample XML:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<cars>
  <car>
    <stocknumber>1020</stocknumber>
    <make>Nissan</make>
    <model>Sentra</model>
  </car>
  <car>
    <stocknumber>1010</stocknumber>
    <make>Toyota</make>
    <model>Corolla</model>
  </car>
  <car>
    <stocknumber>1111</stocknumber>
    <make>Honda</make>
    <model>Accord</model>
  </car>
</cars>

To deserialize this, we create matching C# classes:

[Serializable]
public class Car
{
    [System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute("StockNumber")]
    public string StockNumber { get; set; }

    [System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute("Make")]
    public string Make { get; set; }

    [System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute("Model")]
    public string Model { get; set; }
}

[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute("Cars", Namespace = "", IsNullable = false)]
public class Cars
{
    [XmlArrayItem(typeof(Car))]
    public Car[] Car { get; set; }
}

Now, we can deserialize the XML using XmlSerializer:

XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Cars));
Cars carData;
using (XmlReader reader = XmlReader.Create(xmlFilePath)) // xmlFilePath should be replaced with the actual file path
{
    carData = (Cars)serializer.Deserialize(reader);
}

Remember to replace xmlFilePath with the actual path to your XML file.

Alternatively, you can use a two-step process involving XSD:

1. Generate XSD: Create an XML Schema Definition (XSD) from your XML file using an appropriate tool (many IDEs offer this functionality).

2. Generate C# Classes from XSD: Use the xsd.exe command-line tool (included with Visual Studio) with the /classes option to generate C# classes from the XSD. This will automatically create classes mirroring your XML structure. Then, use the XmlSerializer as shown above. This method is particularly useful for complex XML structures.

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