KnownTypeAttribute Constructors

Definition

Namespace:

System.Runtime.Serialization

Assemblies:

netstandard.dll, System.Runtime.Serialization.Primitives.dll

Initializes a new instance of the KnownTypeAttribute class.

Overloads

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.

KnownTypeAttribute(String)

Source:

KnownTypeAttribute.cs

Initializes a new instance of the KnownTypeAttribute class with the name of a method that returns an IEnumerable of known types.

C#

public KnownTypeAttribute(string methodName);

Parameters

methodName

String

The name of the method that returns an IEnumerable of types used when serializing or deserializing data.

Examples

The following example uses the methodName parameter to identify a method in the type that contains an array of Type objects.

C#

namespace KnownTypeAttributeExample
{
    using System;
    using System.Xml;
    using System.Collections.Generic;
    using System.Text;
    using System.Runtime.Serialization;
    using System.IO;
    // The constructor names the method that returns an array
    // of types that can be used during deserialization.
    [KnownTypeAttribute("KnownTypes")]
    [DataContract]
    public class Employee
    {
        public Employee(string newFName, string newLName)
        {
            FirstName = newFName;
            LastName = newLName;
        }
        [DataMember]
        internal string FirstName;
        [DataMember]
        internal string LastName;
        [DataMember]
        internal int id;
        [DataMember]
        internal Manager Boss;

        // This method returns the array of known types.
        static Type[] KnownTypes()
        {
            return new Type[]{typeof(Manager), typeof(Employee)};
        }
    }

    [DataContract]
    public class Manager : Employee
    {
        // Call the base class's constructor.
        public Manager(string newFName, string newLName)
            : base(newFName, newLName)
        { }

        [DataMember]
        internal Employee[] Reports;
    }

    class Program
    {
        public static void Main()
        {
            try
            {
                Serialize("person1.xml");
                Deserialize("person1.xml");
            }
            catch (SerializationException se)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("{0}: {1}",
                se.Message, se.StackTrace);
            }
            finally
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Press Enter to exit....");
                Console.ReadLine();
            }
        }

        static void Serialize(string path)
        {
            Employee emp = new Employee("John", "Peoples");
            emp.id = 3001;
            Manager theBoss = new Manager("Michiyo", "Sato");
            theBoss.id = 41;
            emp.Boss = theBoss;

            DataContractSerializer ser =
                new DataContractSerializer(typeof(Employee));

            FileStream fs =
                new FileStream(path, FileMode.OpenOrCreate);
            ser.WriteObject(fs, emp);
            fs.Close();
        }
        static void Deserialize(string path)
        {
            DataContractSerializer ser =
                new DataContractSerializer(typeof(Employee));
            FileStream fs = new FileStream(path,
            FileMode.Open);
            Employee p = (Employee)ser.ReadObject(fs);

            Console.WriteLine("{0} {1}, id:{2}", p.FirstName,
                p.LastName, p.id);
            fs.Close();
        }
    }
}

Remarks

This constructor uses a method name that matches a method of the class. The method returns a IEnumerable<T> of Type objects. During serialization or deserialization, the types found in the collection can be used within the root type to which the attribute is applied.

KnownTypeAttribute(Type)

Source:

KnownTypeAttribute.cs

Initializes a new instance of the KnownTypeAttribute class with the specified type.

C#

public KnownTypeAttribute(Type type);

Parameters

type

Type

The Type that is included as a known type when serializing or deserializing data.

Examples

The following example shows a type named Person and a type named IDInformation that should be included when or deserializing.

C#

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Collections;
using System.Text;
using System.IO;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;

namespace KnownTypeAttributeExample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            try
            {
                Serialize("KnownTypeAttributeExample.xml");
                Deserialize("KnownTypeAttributeExample.xml");
                // Run this twice. The second time, comment out the
                // Serialize call and comment out the
                // KnownTypeAttribute on the Person class. The
                // deserialization will then fail.
            }
            catch (SerializationException exc)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("{0}: {1}", exc.Message,
                    exc.StackTrace);
            }
            finally
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Press Enter to exit...");
                Console.ReadLine();
            }
        }

        public static void Serialize(string path)
        {
            Person p = new Person();
            p.Miscellaneous.Add(DateTime.Now, "Hello");
            p.Miscellaneous.Add(DateTime.Now.AddSeconds(1), "World");
            IDInformation w = new IDInformation();
            w.ID = "1111 00000";
            p.Miscellaneous.Add(DateTime.Now.AddSeconds(2), w);
            DataContractSerializer ser =
                new DataContractSerializer(typeof(Person));
            FileStream fs = new FileStream(path, FileMode.Create);
            using (fs)
            {
                ser.WriteObject(fs, p);
            }
        }

        public static void Deserialize(string path)
        {
            DataContractSerializer ser =
                new DataContractSerializer(typeof(Person));
            FileStream fs = new FileStream(path, FileMode.Open);
            using (fs)
            {
                Person p2 = (Person)ser.ReadObject(fs);
                Console.WriteLine("Count {0}", p2.Miscellaneous.Count);
                foreach (DictionaryEntry de in p2.Miscellaneous)
                {
                    Console.WriteLine("Key {0} Value: {1}", de.Key,
                    de.Value);
                    if (de.Value.GetType() == typeof(IDInformation))
                    {
                        IDInformation www = (IDInformation)de.Value;
                        Console.WriteLine(
                        "\t Found ID Information. ID: {0} \n", www.ID);
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        // Apply the KnownTypeAttribute to the class that
        // includes a member that returns a Hashtable.
        [KnownType(typeof(IDInformation))]
        [DataContract]
        public class Person : IExtensibleDataObject
        {
            private ExtensionDataObject ExtensionDataObjectValue;

            public ExtensionDataObject ExtensionData
            {
                get { return ExtensionDataObjectValue; }
                set { ExtensionDataObjectValue = value; }
            }

            private Hashtable MiscellaneousValue = new Hashtable();
            [DataMember]
            public Hashtable Miscellaneous
            {
                get { return MiscellaneousValue; }
                set { MiscellaneousValue = value; }
            }
        }

        [DataContract]
        public class IDInformation : IExtensibleDataObject
        {
            private ExtensionDataObject ExtensionDataValue;
            public ExtensionDataObject ExtensionData
            {
                get { return ExtensionDataValue; }
                set { ExtensionDataValue = value; }
            }

            [DataMember]
            public string ID;
        }
    }
}