Nested XML Serialization C#

Question

I need to create nested Xml with serialization. I have two Lists with data that have to generate nested xml filtered by Number.

The lists:

List<Person> personList = new List<Person>();
personList.Add(new Person{
Number = 1,
Name = "Dean"
 });

personList.Add(new Person{
  Number = 2,
 Name = "Mike"
 });

 List<Home> homeList= new List<Home>();
  homeList.Add(new Home{
 Number = 2,
 City= "Paris",
 State = "France"
 });

homeList.Add(new Home{
Number = 1,
City= "London",
State = "England"
 });

So next i have class that i use for serialization:

public class CreateXML
{
[XElement(ElementName = "Home")]
List<Home> homeList= new List<Home>();
[XElement(ElementName = "Person")]
List<Person> personList = new List<Person>();
}

Method for creating XML:

 public void Serialize(CreateXML list)
    {
        XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(CreateXML));
        using (TextWriter writer = new StreamWriter(@"D:\XmlTEST.txt"))
        {
            serializer.Serialize(writer, list);
        }
    }

Now it generates Xml file first with all Person data then with Home data.

Actual output:

  <Person>
    <number>1<number>
    <name>Dean</name>
  </Person>
  <Person>
    <number>2<number>
    <name>Mike</name>
  </Person>
  <Home>
    <number>1</number>
    <city>London</city>
    <state>England</state>
  </Home>
  <number>2</number>
  <city>Paris</city>
  <state>London</state>
</Home>

Wanted ouput:

<Person>
  <number>1<number>
  <name>Dean</name>
  <Home>
    <number>1</number>
    <city>London</city>
    <state>England</state>
  </Home>
</Person>
<Person>
  <number>2<number>
  <name>Mike</name>
  <Home>
    <number>2</number>
    <city>Paris</city>
    <state>France</state>
  </Home>
</Person>

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

You want to associate a certain Home with the Person Dean:

<Person>
  <number>1</number>
  <name>Dean</name>
  <Home>
    <number>1</number>
    <city>London</city>
    <state>England</state>
  </Home>
</Person>

Yet in your code you do not associate these two entities:

personList.Add(new Person {
    Number = 1,
    Name = "Dean"
});

homeList.Add(new Home{
    Number = 1,
    City= "London",
    State = "England"
});

In the above example entities are completely unrelated -- you need to somehow relate them.

One way you can relate these entites is by defining a Home property on the Person type:

public class Person
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public int Number { get; set; }
    public Home Home { get; set; }
}

Then ditch homeList and assign Home instances to Person instances:

List<Person> personList = new List<Person>();
personList.Add(new Person
{
    Number = 1,
    Name = "Dean",
    Home = new Home
    {
        Number = 1,
        City = "London",
        State = "England"
    }
});

Output:

<personList>
  <Person>
    <Name>Dean</Name>
    <Number>1</Number>
    <Home>
      <Number>2</Number>
      <City>Paris</City>
      <State>France</State>
    </Home>
  </Person>
  <Person>
    <Name>Mike</Name>
    <Number>2</Number>
    <Home>
      <Number>1</Number>
      <City>London</City>
      <State>England</State>
    </Home>
  </Person>
</personList>

Update

Based on your comment, you can dynamically assign to the Home property like this:

foreach (var home in homeList)
{
    foreach (var person in personList)
    {
        if (home.Number == person.Number)
        {
            person.Home = home;
        }
    }
}

Bare in mind that, if there is no corresponding house number, the House property will remain null .