VB.NET || How To Serialize & Deserialize XML Using VB.NET

The following is a module with functions which demonstrates how to serialize and deserialize XML using VB.NET.
The following generic functions use System.Xml.Serialization to serialize and deserialize an object.
1. Serialize – Integer Array
The example below demonstrates the use of ‘Utils.Xml.Serialize‘ to serialize an integer array to xml.
The optional function parameter allows you to specify the System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute.
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' Serialize - Integer Array ' Declare array of integers Dim numbers = New Integer() {1987, 19, 22, 2009, 2019, 1991, 28, 31} ' Optional: Create an XmlRootAttribute overloaded constructor and set its namespace. Dim myXmlRootAttribute = New System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute("OverriddenRootElementName") With { .Namespace = "http://www.microsoft.com" } ' Serialize to XML Dim numbersXml = Utils.Xml.Serialize(numbers) ' Display XML Debug.Print(numbersXml) ' expected output: ' <?xml version="1.0"?> ' <ArrayOfInt xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"> ' <int>1987</int> ' <int>19</int> ' <int>22</int> ' <int>2009</int> ' <int>2019</int> ' <int>1991</int> ' <int>28</int> ' <int>31</int> ' </ArrayOfInt> |
2. Serialize – String List
The example below demonstrates the use of ‘Utils.Xml.Serialize‘ to serialize a list of strings to xml.
The optional function parameter allows you to specify the System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute.
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' Serialize - String List ' Declare list of strings Dim names = New List(Of String) From { "Kenneth", "Jennifer", "Lynn", "Sole" } ' Serialize to XML Dim namesXml = Utils.Xml.Serialize(names) ' Display XML Debug.Print(namesXml) ' expected output: ' <?xml version="1.0"?> ' <ArrayOfString xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"> ' <string>Kenneth</string> ' <string>Jennifer</string> ' <string>Lynn</string> ' <string>Sole</string> ' </ArrayOfString> |
3. Serialize – Custom Object List
The example below demonstrates the use of ‘Utils.Xml.Serialize‘ to serialize a list of custom objects to xml.
The optional function parameter allows you to specify the System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute.
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' Serialize - Custom Object List Public Class Part Public Property PartName As String Public Property PartId As Integer End Class ' Declare list of objects Dim parts = New List(Of Part) From { New Part With { .PartName = "crank arm", .PartId = 1234 }, New Part With { .PartName = "chain ring", .PartId = 1334 }, New Part With { .PartName = "regular seat", .PartId = 1434 }, New Part With { .PartName = "banana seat", .PartId = 1444 }, New Part With { .PartName = "cassette", .PartId = 1534 }, New Part With { .PartName = "shift lever", .PartId = 1634 }} ' Serialize to XML Dim partsXml = Utils.Xml.Serialize(parts) ' Display XML Debug.Print(partsXml) ' expected output: ' <?xml version="1.0"?> ' <ArrayOfPart xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"> ' <Part> ' <PartName>crank arm</PartName> ' <PartId>1234</PartId> ' </Part> ' <Part> ' <PartName>chain ring</PartName> ' <PartId>1334</PartId> ' </Part> ' <Part> ' <PartName>regular seat</PartName> ' <PartId>1434</PartId> ' </Part> ' <Part> ' <PartName>banana seat</PartName> ' <PartId>1444</PartId> ' </Part> ' <Part> ' <PartName>cassette</PartName> ' <PartId>1534</PartId> ' </Part> ' <Part> ' <PartName>shift lever</PartName> ' <PartId>1634</PartId> ' </Part> ' </ArrayOfPart> |
4. Deserialize – Integer Array
The example below demonstrates the use of ‘Utils.Xml.Deserialize‘ to deserialize xml to an integer array.
The optional function parameter allows you to specify the System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute.
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' Deserialize - Integer Array ' Declare Xml array of integers Dim numbersXml = $"<?xml version=""1.0""?> <ArrayOfInt xmlns:xsi=""http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"" xmlns:xsd=""http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema""> <int>1987</int> <int>19</int> <int>22</int> <int>2009</int> <int>2019</int> <int>1991</int> <int>28</int> <int>31</int> </ArrayOfInt> " ' Optional: Create an XmlRootAttribute overloaded constructor and set its namespace. Dim myXmlRootAttribute = New System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute("OverriddenRootElementName") With { .Namespace = "http://www.microsoft.com" } ' Deserialize from XML to specified type Dim numbers = Utils.Xml.Deserialize(Of Integer())(numbersXml) ' Display the items For Each item In numbers Debug.Print($"{item}") Next ' expected output: ' 1987 ' 19 ' 22 ' 2009 ' 2019 ' 1991 ' 28 ' 31 |
5. Deserialize – String List
The example below demonstrates the use of ‘Utils.Xml.Deserialize‘ to deserialize xml to a list of strings.
The optional function parameter allows you to specify the System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute.
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' Deserialize - String List ' Declare Xml array of strings Dim namesXml = $"<?xml version=""1.0""?> <ArrayOfString xmlns:xsi=""http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"" xmlns:xsd=""http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema""> <string>Kenneth</string> <string>Jennifer</string> <string>Lynn</string> <string>Sole</string> </ArrayOfString> " ' Deserialize from XML to specified type Dim names = Utils.Xml.Deserialize(Of List(Of String))(namesXml) ' Display the items For Each item In names Debug.Print($"{item}") Next ' expected output: ' Kenneth ' Jennifer ' Lynn ' Sole |
6. Deserialize – Custom Object List
The example below demonstrates the use of ‘Utils.Xml.Deserialize‘ to deserialize xml to a list of objects.
The optional function parameter allows you to specify the System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute.
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' Deserialize - Custom Object List Public Class Part Public Property PartName As String Public Property PartId As Integer End Class ' Declare Xml array of objects Dim partsXml = $"<?xml version=""1.0""?> <ArrayOfPart xmlns:xsi=""http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"" xmlns:xsd=""http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema""> <Part> <PartName>crank arm</PartName> <PartId>1234</PartId> </Part> <Part> <PartName>chain ring</PartName> <PartId>1334</PartId> </Part> <Part> <PartName>regular seat</PartName> <PartId>1434</PartId> </Part> <Part> <PartName>banana seat</PartName> <PartId>1444</PartId> </Part> <Part> <PartName>cassette</PartName> <PartId>1534</PartId> </Part> <Part> <PartName>shift lever</PartName> <PartId>1634</PartId> </Part> </ArrayOfPart> " ' Deserialize from XML to specified type Dim parts = Utils.Xml.Deserialize(Of List(Of Part))(partsXml) ' Display the items For Each item In parts Debug.Print($"{item.PartId} - {item.PartName}") Next ' expected output: ' 1234 - crank arm ' 1334 - chain ring ' 1434 - regular seat ' 1444 - banana seat ' 1534 - cassette ' 1634 - shift lever |
7. Utils Namespace
The following is the Utils Namespace. Include this in your project to start using!
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' ============================================================================ ' Author: Kenneth Perkins ' Taken From: http://programmingnotes.org/ ' Date: Nov 16, 2020 ' File: Utils.vb ' Description: Handles general utility functions ' ============================================================================ Option Strict On Option Explicit On Namespace Global.Utils Namespace Xml Public Module modXml ''' <summary> ''' Serializes the specified value to XML ''' </summary> ''' <param name="value">The value to serialize</param> ''' <param name="root">The XmlRootAttribute that represents the XML root element</param> ''' <returns>The value serialized to XML</returns> Public Function Serialize(Of T)(value As T _ , Optional root As System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute = Nothing) As String Dim xml = String.Empty Dim type = If(value IsNot Nothing, value.GetType, GetType(T)) Dim serializer = New System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer(type:=type, root:=root) Using stream = New System.IO.MemoryStream serializer.Serialize(stream, value) xml = GetStreamText(stream) End Using Return xml End Function ''' <summary> ''' Deserializes the specified value from XML to Object T ''' </summary> ''' <param name="value">The value to deserialize</param> ''' <param name="root">The XmlRootAttribute that represents the XML root element</param> ''' <returns>The value deserialized to Object T</returns> Public Function Deserialize(Of T)(value As String _ , Optional root As System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute = Nothing) As T Dim obj As T = Nothing Dim serializer = New System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer(type:=GetType(T), root:=root) Using stringReader = New System.IO.StringReader(value) Using xmlReader = System.Xml.XmlReader.Create(stringReader) obj = CType(serializer.Deserialize(xmlReader), T) End Using End Using Return obj End Function Public Function GetStreamText(stream As System.IO.Stream) As String Try TryResetPosition(stream) Dim stmReader = New System.IO.StreamReader(stream) Dim text = stmReader.ReadToEnd Return text Catch ex As Exception Throw Finally TryResetPosition(stream) End Try End Function Private Sub TryResetPosition(stream As System.IO.Stream) If stream.CanSeek Then stream.Position = 0 End If End Sub End Module End Namespace End Namespace ' http://programmingnotes.org/ |
8. More Examples
Below are more examples demonstrating the use of the ‘Utils‘ Namespace. Don’t forget to include the module when running the examples!
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' ============================================================================ ' Author: Kenneth Perkins ' Taken From: http://programmingnotes.org/ ' Date: Nov 16, 2020 ' File: Program.vb ' Description: The following demonstrates the use of the Utils Namespace. ' ============================================================================ Option Strict On Option Explicit On Imports System Public Module Program Public Class Part Public Property PartName As String Public Property PartId As Integer End Class Sub Main(args As String()) Try ' Declare array of integers Dim numbers = New Integer() {1987, 19, 22, 2009, 2019, 1991, 28, 31} ' Create an XmlRootAttribute overloaded constructor and set its namespace. Dim myXmlRootAttribute = New System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute("OverriddenRootElementName") With { .Namespace = "http://www.microsoft.com" } ' Serialize to XML Dim numbersXml = Utils.Xml.Serialize(numbers) ' Display XML Display(numbersXml) Display("") ' Declare list of strings Dim names = New List(Of String) From { "Kenneth", "Jennifer", "Lynn", "Sole" } ' Serialize to XML Dim namesXml = Utils.Xml.Serialize(names) ' Display XML Display(namesXml) Display("") ' Declare list of objects Dim parts = New List(Of Part) From { New Part With { .PartName = "crank arm", .PartId = 1234 }, New Part With { .PartName = "chain ring", .PartId = 1334 }, New Part With { .PartName = "regular seat", .PartId = 1434 }, New Part With { .PartName = "banana seat", .PartId = 1444 }, New Part With { .PartName = "cassette", .PartId = 1534 }, New Part With { .PartName = "shift lever", .PartId = 1634 }} ' Serialize to XML Dim partsXml = Utils.Xml.Serialize(parts) ' Display XML Display(partsXml) Display("") ' Declare Xml array of integers Dim numbersXmlTest = $"<?xml version=""1.0""?> <ArrayOfInt xmlns:xsi=""http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"" xmlns:xsd=""http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema""> <int>1987</int> <int>19</int> <int>22</int> <int>2009</int> <int>2019</int> <int>1991</int> <int>28</int> <int>31</int> </ArrayOfInt> " ' Deserialize from XML to specified type Dim numbersTest = Utils.Xml.Deserialize(Of Integer())(numbersXmlTest) ' Display the items For Each item In numbersTest Display($"{item}") Next Display("") ' Declare Xml array of strings Dim namesXmlTest = $"<?xml version=""1.0""?> <ArrayOfString xmlns:xsi=""http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"" xmlns:xsd=""http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema""> <string>Kenneth</string> <string>Jennifer</string> <string>Lynn</string> <string>Sole</string> </ArrayOfString> " ' Deserialize from XML to specified type Dim namesTest = Utils.Xml.Deserialize(Of List(Of String))(namesXmlTest) ' Display the items For Each item In namesTest Display($"{item}") Next Display("") ' Declare Xml array of objects Dim partsXmlTest = $"<?xml version=""1.0""?> <ArrayOfPart xmlns:xsi=""http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"" xmlns:xsd=""http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema""> <Part> <PartName>crank arm</PartName> <PartId>1234</PartId> </Part> <Part> <PartName>chain ring</PartName> <PartId>1334</PartId> </Part> <Part> <PartName>regular seat</PartName> <PartId>1434</PartId> </Part> <Part> <PartName>banana seat</PartName> <PartId>1444</PartId> </Part> <Part> <PartName>cassette</PartName> <PartId>1534</PartId> </Part> <Part> <PartName>shift lever</PartName> <PartId>1634</PartId> </Part> </ArrayOfPart> " ' Deserialize from XML to specified type Dim partsTest = Utils.Xml.Deserialize(Of List(Of Part))(partsXmlTest) ' Display the items For Each item In partsTest Display($"{item.PartId} - {item.PartName}") Next Catch ex As Exception Display(ex.ToString) Finally Console.ReadLine() End Try End Sub Public Sub Display(message As String) Console.WriteLine(message) Debug.Print(message) End Sub End Module ' http://programmingnotes.org/ |
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