My simple way of XML serialization and deserialization in VB.net

 

         XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a language that designed to transport and store data. It is an universal language that can be used in many programming languages to store data. XML serialization is the method to import data into XML file while XML deserialization is the method to export data from XML file. I had created a method of serialization and deserialization of XML which might be used by most of the people but still, there are some people that don’t know how these works in VB.net.

        Here I included a sample test for my method. I put 11 checkboxes , 5 radiobuttons and 1 combobox in a form shown in the picture below.

Then insert the coding as following into this form source code.

Public Class Form1
    Public str_filesavepath As String
    Dim obj As New XML
    Private Sub Form1_FormClosing(ByVal sender As Object, _
                                  ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.FormClosingEventArgs) _
                                  Handles Me.FormClosing
        obj.submit()
    End Sub
    Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, _
                           ByVal e As System.EventArgs) _
                           Handles MyBase.Load
        str_filesavepath = Environment.CurrentDirectory & "\Setting.xml"
        If Not IO.File.Exists(str_filesavepath) Then
            obj.submit()
        End If
        obj.getsetting()
    End Sub
End Class

Create a class from Project>Add Class. Insert the following coding into the class.

Imports System.IO
Imports System.Xml.Serialization

Public Class XML

    Public Sub submit()
        Dim setting As New Properties()
        setting.RadioButton1 = Form1.RadioButton1.Checked.ToString
        setting.RadioButton2 = Form1.RadioButton2.Checked.ToString
        setting.RadioButton3 = Form1.RadioButton3.Checked.ToString
        setting.RadioButton4 = Form1.RadioButton4.Checked.ToString
        setting.RadioButton5 = Form1.RadioButton5.Checked.ToString
        setting.checkbox1 = Form1.CheckBox1.CheckState
        setting.checkbox2 = Form1.CheckBox2.CheckState
        setting.checkbox3 = Form1.CheckBox3.CheckState
        setting.checkbox4 = Form1.CheckBox4.CheckState
        setting.checkbox5 = Form1.CheckBox5.CheckState
        setting.checkbox6 = Form1.CheckBox6.CheckState
        setting.checkbox7 = Form1.CheckBox7.CheckState
        setting.checkbox8 = Form1.CheckBox8.CheckState
        setting.checkbox9 = Form1.CheckBox9.CheckState
        setting.checkbox10 = Form1.CheckBox10.CheckState
        setting.checkbox11 = Form1.CheckBox11.CheckState
        setting.combobox1 = Form1.ComboBox1.Text
        setting.Savefilepath = Form1.str_filesavepath
        SerializeToXML(setting)
    End Sub
    Public Sub SerializeToXML(ByVal setting As Properties)
        Dim serializer As New XmlSerializer(GetType(Properties))
        Dim textWriter As TextWriter = New StreamWriter(Environment.CurrentDirectory _
                                                        & "\Setting.xml")
        serializer.Serialize(textWriter, setting)
        textWriter.Close()
    End Sub


    Public Sub getsetting()
        Dim deserializer As New XmlSerializer(GetType(Properties))
        Dim textReader As TextReader = New StreamReader(Environment.CurrentDirectory _
                                                        & "\Setting.xml")
        Dim setting As Properties
        setting = DirectCast(deserializer.Deserialize(textReader), Properties)
        textReader.Close()
        getData(setting)
    End Sub

    Public Sub getData(ByVal setting As Properties)
        Form1.RadioButton1.Checked = setting.RadioButton1.ToString
        Form1.RadioButton2.Checked = setting.RadioButton2.ToString
        Form1.RadioButton3.Checked = setting.RadioButton3.ToString
        Form1.RadioButton4.Checked = setting.RadioButton4.ToString
        Form1.RadioButton5.Checked = setting.RadioButton5.ToString
        Form1.CheckBox1.Checked = setting.checkbox1
        Form1.CheckBox2.Checked = setting.checkbox2
        Form1.CheckBox3.Checked = setting.checkbox3
        Form1.CheckBox4.Checked = setting.checkbox4
        Form1.CheckBox5.Checked = setting.checkbox5
        Form1.CheckBox6.Checked = setting.checkbox6
        Form1.CheckBox7.Checked = setting.checkbox7
        Form1.CheckBox8.Checked = setting.checkbox8
        Form1.CheckBox9.Checked = setting.checkbox9
        Form1.CheckBox10.Checked = setting.checkbox10
        Form1.CheckBox11.Checked = setting.checkbox11
        Form1.ComboBox1.Text = setting.combobox1
        Form1.str_filesavepath = setting.Savefilepath
    End Sub

End Class

And add another class with the following coding.

Public Class Properties
    Private Radiobutton(4) As String
    Private Checkbox(10) As String
    Private combobox(0) As String
    Private filepath(1) As String
    Public Property RadioButton1()
        Get
            Return Radiobutton(0)
        End Get

        Set(ByVal Value)
            Radiobutton(0) = Value
        End Set
    End Property
    Public Property RadioButton2()
        Get
            Return Radiobutton(1)
        End Get

        Set(ByVal Value)
            Radiobutton(1) = Value
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property RadioButton3()
        Get
            Return Radiobutton(2)
        End Get

        Set(ByVal Value)
            Radiobutton(2) = Value
        End Set
    End Property
    Public Property RadioButton4()
        Get
            Return Radiobutton(3)
        End Get

        Set(ByVal Value)
            Radiobutton(3) = Value
        End Set
    End Property
    Public Property RadioButton5()
        Get
            Return Radiobutton(4)
        End Get

        Set(ByVal Value)
            Radiobutton(4) = Value
        End Set
    End Property
    Public Property checkbox1()
        Get
            Return Checkbox(0)
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value)
            Checkbox(0) = value
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property checkbox2()
        Get
            Return Checkbox(1)
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value)
            Checkbox(1) = value
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property checkbox3()
        Get
            Return Checkbox(2)
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value)
            Checkbox(2) = value
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property checkbox4()
        Get
            Return Checkbox(3)
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value)
            Checkbox(3) = value
        End Set
    End Property
    Public Property checkbox5()
        Get
            Return Checkbox(4)
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value)
            Checkbox(4) = value
        End Set
    End Property
    Public Property checkbox6()
        Get
            Return Checkbox(5)
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value)
            Checkbox(5) = value
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property checkbox7()
        Get
            Return Checkbox(6)
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value)
            Checkbox(6) = value
        End Set
    End Property
    Public Property checkbox8()
        Get
            Return Checkbox(7)
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value)
            Checkbox(7) = value
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property checkbox9()
        Get
            Return Checkbox(8)
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value)
            Checkbox(8) = value
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property checkbox10()
        Get
            Return Checkbox(9)
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value)
            Checkbox(9) = value
        End Set
    End Property
    Public Property checkbox11()
        Get
            Return Checkbox(10)
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value)
            Checkbox(10) = value
        End Set
    End Property
    Public Property combobox1()
        Get
            If combobox(0) = Nothing Then
                Return "F5"
            Else
                Return combobox(0)
            End If

        End Get
        Set(ByVal value)
            combobox(0) = value
        End Set
    End Property
    Public Property Savefilepath()
        Get
            Return filepath(1)
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value)
            filepath(1) = value
        End Set
    End Property

End Class

With this, the XML serialization and deserialization will works. You might be thinking how to test whether it is working or not….

   To the the coding, just simply run the program and check or uncheck any checkbox and radiobutton. Beside that, you can also change the text in combobox. The default text in combobox is “F5” which is hard-coded in the coding. When you close the program, a Setting.xml file will be created in the directory where the .exe file is. You can open it with notepad or other text editor and you will see that any changes you makes will save inside the file. When you rerun the program, you can see that all changes had been saved.

    This is how xml file works nowadays. It used to stored data and then restores it back when you need it.