Article
11/17/2011

KnownTypeAttribute Class

Microsoft Silverlight will reach end of support after October 2021. Learn more.

Specifies types that should be recognized by the DataContractSerializer when serializing or deserializing a given type.

Inheritance Hierarchy

System.Object
System.Attribute
System.Runtime.Serialization.KnownTypeAttribute

Namespace: System.Runtime.Serialization
Assembly: System.Runtime.Serialization (in System.Runtime.Serialization.dll)

Syntax

'Declaration
<AttributeUsageAttribute(AttributeTargets.Class Or AttributeTargets.Struct, Inherited := True,  _
    AllowMultiple := True)> _
Public NotInheritable Class KnownTypeAttribute _
    Inherits Attribute

[AttributeUsageAttribute(AttributeTargets.Class|AttributeTargets.Struct, Inherited = true, 
    AllowMultiple = true)]
public sealed class KnownTypeAttribute : Attribute

The KnownTypeAttribute type exposes the following members.

Constructors

	Name	Description
	KnownTypeAttribute(String)	Initializes a new instance of the KnownTypeAttribute class with the name of a method that returns an IEnumerable of known types.
	KnownTypeAttribute(Type)	Initializes a new instance of the KnownTypeAttribute class with the specified type.

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Properties

	Name	Description
	MethodName	Gets the name of a method that returns a list of types that should be recognized during serialization or deserialization.
	Type	Gets the type that should be recognized during serialization or deserialization by the DataContractSerializer.

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Methods

	Name	Description
	Equals	Infrastructure. Returns a value that indicates whether this instance is equal to a specified object. (Inherited from Attribute.)
	Finalize	Allows an object to try to free resources and perform other cleanup operations before the Object is reclaimed by garbage collection. (Inherited from Object.)
	GetHashCode	Returns the hash code for this instance. (Inherited from Attribute.)
	GetType	Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object.)
	Match	When overridden in a derived class, returns a value that indicates whether this instance equals a specified object. (Inherited from Attribute.)
	MemberwiseClone	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object.)
	ToString	Returns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object.)

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Remarks

Apply the KnownTypeAttribute attribute to a type to indicate to the DataContractSerializer the types that should be recognized when serializing or deserializing an instance of the type to which the attribute is applied. This attribute could also be recognized by other serializers that understand data contracts.

Note:
In your code, you can use the word KnownType instead of the longer KnownTypeAttribute.

You can either apply exactly one KnownTypeAttribute instance with the MethodName property set, or one or more KnownTypeAttribute instances with the Type property set.

Version Information

Silverlight

Supported in: 5, 4, 3

Silverlight for Windows Phone

Supported in: Windows Phone OS 7.1, Windows Phone OS 7.0

XNA Framework

Supported in: Windows Phone OS 7.0

Platforms

For a list of the operating systems and browsers that are supported by Silverlight, see Supported Operating Systems and Browsers.

Thread Safety

Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.

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