Get nodes from asmx service that return string XML, C#

Question

I am trying to query a public web service that returns the following xml:

This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.

<string xmlns="http://www.webserviceX.NET">
<NewDataSet> <Table> <Country>Maldives</Country> <City>Gan</City> </Table> <Table> <Country>Maldives</Country> <City>Male</City> </Table> </NewDataSet>
</string>

How can I get the list of cities in c# for loading a dropdowlist?

This is my code:

var restClient = new RestClient("http://www.webservicex.net/globalweather.asmx/GetCitiesByCountry");
        var request = new RestRequest(Method.GET);
        // request.Resource = "{version}/token";
        request.AddParameter("CountryName", "Maldives");


        var response = restClient.Execute(request);

//response.Content contains the troublesome string

I would appreciate your help, thanks.

Answer 1

Looks like your XML consists of the output of DataSet.WriteXml(writer, XmlWriteMode.IgnoreSchema) wrapped in a root element named "{http://www.webserviceX.NET}string" . So it will be easiest to deserialize the inner XML as a DataSet then bind the appropriate column of the appropriate DataTable :

First, deserialize the set:

        var rootElement = XElement.Parse(xmlString); // xmlString is //response.Content

        var set = new DataSet();
        var setElement = rootElement.DescendantsAndSelf().Where(e => e.Name.LocalName == "NewDataSet").FirstOrDefault();
        if (setElement != null)
        {
            using (var reader = setElement.CreateReader())
            {
                set.ReadXml(reader, XmlReadMode.Auto);
            }
        }

Next, pick out a table with a column named "City" :

        var table = set.Tables.Cast<DataTable>().FirstOrDefault(t => t.Columns["City"] != null);

Now that you have a DataTable , you can bind it following the instructions in What is the right way to populate a DropDownList from a database? , DropdownList DataSource and/or Databind a dropdownlist using DataTextField = "City" .