是否可以使用Protocol Buffers C＃（ProtoBuf-net）序列化复杂对象

Question

Is it possible to serialize complex object with Protocol Buffers C# (ProtoBuf-net) without using Protocontract and proto files ?

[ProtoBuf.ProtoContract(ImplicitFields = ProtoBuf.ImplicitFields.AllPublic)]

I have tried to use the ProtoContract but even then I can't serialize object (It is a LLBLGen ORM object).

Answer 1

Yes; there are various options here;

• firstly, note that "implicit fields" is brittle if you add members, since it has to make more guesses than I would like; only use that with stable contracts
• you can apply a default behaviour globally via GlobalSettings, but I tend to advise against it
• protobuf-net v1 can also work with:
  • XmlType/XmlElement attribute pairs, as long as the XmlElement specifies an Order
  • DataContract/DataMember attribute pairs, as long as the DataMember specifies an Order
  • partial classes; even for properties, via ProtoPartialMember attribute(s), etc
• protobuf-net v2 can be used 100% without attributes of any kind, by using a TypeModel to describe the interesting types at runtime ; this can also compile the model to a dedicated serialization dll if you need (in particular for use with AOT-dependent devices)

I can advise more, but there are a number of options presented; tell me which is/are most appropriate and I can add more detail.

Re .proto files; those are (and have always been) entirely optional with protobuf-net, as I recognise that there are a lot of cases where a code-first approach (or retrofit of serialization to an existing model) is useful. Three is a code-generator if you choose to use .proto, of course.