Serialize and DeSerialize generic Array

We often use things like Configuration[] configs and like to manage that in a xml file you can edit. Two simple extension methods can help you.

        public static string SerializeArray(this T[] list)
        {
            System.Xml.XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
            System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer serializer = new System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer(list.GetType());
            System.IO.MemoryStream stream = new System.IO.MemoryStream();

            try
            {
                serializer.Serialize(stream, list);
                stream.Position = 0;
                doc.Load(stream);
                return doc.InnerXml;
            }
            catch { throw; }
            finally
            {
                stream.Close();
                stream.Dispose();
            }
        }

        public static T[] DeSerializeArray(string serializedData)
        {
            T[] list = null;
            System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer serializer = new System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer(typeof(T[]));
            XmlReader xReader = XmlReader.Create(new StringReader(serializedData));

            try
            {
                list = (T[])serializer.Deserialize(xReader);
            }
            catch
            {
                throw;
            }
            finally
            {
                xReader.Close();
            }

            return list;
        }

Code to serialize the data:

string xml1 = _environments.SerializeArray();
StreamWriter writer = new StreamWriter("config.xml");
writer.Write(xml1);
writer.Close();

To DeSerialize the data:

string xml = File.ReadAllText("config.xml");
_environments = Extensions.DeSerializeArray(xml);



If you don't like the root "ArrayOfConfiguration" you can change the extension methods to use a XmlRootAttribute like:
            XmlRootAttribute root = new XmlRootAttribute(rootName);
            System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer serializer = new System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer(typeof(T[]), root);

You need to use the matching name in both methods to get it working.

S.C.A.M 9

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