XmlSerializer and IDictionary

[Jon Shemitz]

Why can't the XmlSerializer serialize IDictionary members?

 

[Matt Berther]

Hello Jon,

Take a peek at this: http://www.mattberther.com/2004/06/000487.html

 

[Jon Shemitz]

Take a peek at this: http://www.mattberther.com/2004/06/000487.html

Thanks, but I'm less interested in work-arounds than explanations ....

 

[Girish bharadwaj]

http://www.dotnet247.com/247reference/msgs/32/161907.aspx

 

[Jon Shemitz]

http://www.dotnet247.com/247reference/msgs/32/161907.aspx

Thank you. Though given how easy it is to serialize a dictionary with
IXmlSerializable (as per Matt's msg), I really suspect that the
explanations given are ... well ... basically bullshit, and it comes
down to something like "we didn't want to".

 

[Jon Shemitz]

http://www.dotnet247.com/247reference/msgs/32/161907.aspx

Thanks. It sounds sort of fishy, really: If I can XML serialize a
(variable-length and late-bound) ArrayList just by supplying the types
it may contain, why can't I XML serialize a Hashtable by supplying the
types of its Keys and Values?

I'm probably not understanding something, but it sure seems like there
was some laziness, here ....

 

[Girish bharadwaj]

Even though I will accept the Key identity issue for 1.1 .NET framework, I
would have thought Hashtable<> (from 2.0) would be serializable since the
framework would be aware of the types.
Oh well, Mysterious are the ways of .NET framework.
Anyway, if you want to research more so you can see where and how they are
doing it, you can download Rotor (SSCLI) and check out the xmlserializer.cs
file.