Whats the best way to store a Collection(s) as XML?

Question

Is there a way to like convert a Collection to XML format in perhaps a line or two?  And then get it back the same way?

Or do you have to loop through it an use System.Xml.XmlWriter / System.Xml.XmlReader?

 

Thanks!  :)

Answer 1

Is there a way to like convert a Collection to XML

This process is called serialization

http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/1789/Object-Serialization-using-C

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/815813

http://www.dotnetperls.com/serialize-list

http://blog.kowalczyk.info/article/Serialization-in-C.html

Answer 2

If you really really need to have exact control over the output you could go with Linq to XML too. Although this method is less limited than the XmlSerializer it needs much more coding and is more error-prone.

Answer 3

If you use the binary serializer, is the data extractable by another program or decyperable by a person? Do they need the exact layout of your class? Or can they look at it and figure it out?

Answer 4

For XML ,syed amjad's have provided useful information for you , so I will mark his post as answer.

More, for binary serializer, it can be decyperable in another program.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/72hyey7b(v=vs.110).aspx