Modern C# Serialization: XML and JSON Explained

Overview

This code demonstrates modern serialization techniques using XML and JSON formats, which are safer and more interoperable alternatives to the obsolete BinaryFormatter. The code shows four operations:

1. XML Serialization - Converting objects to XML format
2. XML Deserialization - Reading objects from XML
3. JSON Serialization - Converting objects to JSON format
4. JSON Deserialization - Reading objects from JSON (currently active)

1. XML Serialization

Code Breakdown:

Emp emp = new Emp();
// ... collect user input ...

string path = "D:\\\\KaradDotNetDemos\\\\Data\\\\Sample.xml";
FileStream fs = new FileStream(path, FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write);
XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Emp));
serializer.Serialize(fs, emp);
fs.Close();

Key Concepts:

• XmlSerializer: Built-in .NET XML serialization
• typeof(Emp): Tells serializer what type to expect
• Human-readable: XML output can be viewed/edited in text editors
• Cross-platform: XML is universally supported

Sample XML Output:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Emp>
  <No>123</No>
  <Name>John Doe</Name>
  <Address>123 Main St</Address>
</Emp>

Advantages:

• Self-describing: XML includes structure information