How to serialize an object to XML without getting xmlns

Question

Is there a way for me to serialize an object in  NET without the XML Namespaces automatically serializing also   It seems that by default  NET believes the XSI and XSD namespaces should be included  but I don t want them there

User · Answer

If you are unable to get rid of extra xmlns attributes for each element, when serializing to xml from generated classes (e.g.: when xsd.exe was used), so you have something like:

<manyElementWith xmlns="urn:names:specification:schema:xsd:one" />

then i would share with you what worked for me (a mix of previous answers and what i found here)

explicitly set all your different xmlns as follows:

Dim xmlns = New XmlSerializerNamespaces()
xmlns.Add("one", "urn:names:specification:schema:xsd:one")
xmlns.Add("two",  "urn:names:specification:schema:xsd:two")
xmlns.Add("three",  "urn:names:specification:schema:xsd:three")

then pass it to the serialize

serializer.Serialize(writer, object, xmlns);

you will have the three namespaces declared in the root element and no more needed to be generated in the other elements which will be prefixed accordingly

<root xmlns:one="urn:names:specification:schema:xsd:one" ... />
   <one:Element />
   <two:ElementFromAnotherNameSpace /> ...

User · Answer

If you want to remove the namespace you may also want to remove the version  to save you searching I ve added that functionality so the below code will do both   I ve also wrapped it in a generic method as I m creating very large xml files which are too large to serialize in memory so I ve broken my output file down and serialize it in smaller  chunks        public static string XmlSerialize lt T gt  T entity  where T   class                  removes version         XmlWriterSettings settings   new XmlWriterSettings            settings OmitXmlDeclaration   true           XmlSerializer xsSubmit   new XmlSerializer typeof T            using  StringWriter sw   new StringWriter            using  XmlWriter writer   XmlWriter Create sw  settings                            removes namespace             var xmlns   new XmlSerializerNamespaces                xmlns Add string Empty  string Empty                xsSubmit Serialize writer  entity  xmlns               return sw ToString       Your XML

User · Answer

I Suggest this helper class   public static class Xml        region Fields      private static readonly XmlWriterSettings WriterSettings   new XmlWriterSettings  OmitXmlDeclaration   true  Indent   true       private static readonly XmlSerializerNamespaces Namespaces   new XmlSerializerNamespaces new    new XmlQualifiedName                  endregion       region Methods      public static string Serialize object obj                if  obj    null                        return null                     return DoSerialize obj              private static string DoSerialize object obj                using  var ms   new MemoryStream            using  var writer   XmlWriter Create ms  WriterSettings                         var serializer   new XmlSerializer obj GetType                 serializer Serialize writer  obj  Namespaces               return Encoding UTF8 GetString ms ToArray                          public static T Deserialize lt T gt  string data          where T   class               if  string IsNullOrEmpty data                         return null                     return DoDeserialize lt T gt  data              private static T DoDeserialize lt T gt  string data  where T   class               using  var ms   new MemoryStream Encoding UTF8 GetBytes data                          var serializer   new XmlSerializer typeof  T                return  T  serializer Deserialize ms                         endregion

User · Answer

I Suggest this helper class   public static class Xml        region Fields      private static readonly XmlWriterSettings WriterSettings   new XmlWriterSettings  OmitXmlDeclaration   true  Indent   true       private static readonly XmlSerializerNamespaces Namespaces   new XmlSerializerNamespaces new    new XmlQualifiedName                  endregion       region Methods      public static string Serialize object obj                if  obj    null                        return null                     return DoSerialize obj              private static string DoSerialize object obj                using  var ms   new MemoryStream            using  var writer   XmlWriter Create ms  WriterSettings                         var serializer   new XmlSerializer obj GetType                 serializer Serialize writer  obj  Namespaces               return Encoding UTF8 GetString ms ToArray                          public static T Deserialize lt T gt  string data          where T   class               if  string IsNullOrEmpty data                         return null                     return DoDeserialize lt T gt  data              private static T DoDeserialize lt T gt  string data  where T   class               using  var ms   new MemoryStream Encoding UTF8 GetBytes data                          var serializer   new XmlSerializer typeof  T                return  T  serializer Deserialize ms                         endregion

User · Answer

XmlWriterSettings settings   new XmlWriterSettings                       OmitXmlDeclaration   true                     XmlSerializerNamespaces ns   new XmlSerializerNamespaces            ns Add                   StringBuilder sb   new StringBuilder             XmlSerializer xs   new XmlSerializer typeof BankingDetails             using  XmlWriter xw   XmlWriter Create sb  settings                         xs Serialize xw  model  ns               xw Flush                return sb ToString

User · Answer

Ahh    nevermind   It s always the search after the question is posed that yields the answer   My object that is being serialized is obj and has already been defined   Adding an XMLSerializerNamespace with a single empty namespace to the collection does the trick   In VB like this   Dim xs As New XmlSerializer GetType cEmploymentDetail   Dim ns As New XmlSerializerNamespaces   ns Add          Dim settings As New XmlWriterSettings   settings OmitXmlDeclaration   True  Using ms As New MemoryStream          sw As XmlWriter   XmlWriter Create ms  settings         sr As New StreamReader ms  xs Serialize sw  obj  ns  ms Position   0 Console WriteLine sr ReadToEnd    End Using   in C  like this     Create our own namespaces for the output XmlSerializerNamespaces ns   new XmlSerializerNamespaces       Add an empty namespace and empty value ns Add             Create the serializer XmlSerializer slz   new XmlSerializer someType      Serialize the object with our own namespaces  notice the overload  slz Serialize myXmlTextWriter  someObject  ns

User · Answer

Ahh    nevermind   It s always the search after the question is posed that yields the answer   My object that is being serialized is obj and has already been defined   Adding an XMLSerializerNamespace with a single empty namespace to the collection does the trick   In VB like this   Dim xs As New XmlSerializer GetType cEmploymentDetail   Dim ns As New XmlSerializerNamespaces   ns Add          Dim settings As New XmlWriterSettings   settings OmitXmlDeclaration   True  Using ms As New MemoryStream          sw As XmlWriter   XmlWriter Create ms  settings         sr As New StreamReader ms  xs Serialize sw  obj  ns  ms Position   0 Console WriteLine sr ReadToEnd    End Using   in C  like this     Create our own namespaces for the output XmlSerializerNamespaces ns   new XmlSerializerNamespaces       Add an empty namespace and empty value ns Add             Create the serializer XmlSerializer slz   new XmlSerializer someType      Serialize the object with our own namespaces  notice the overload  slz Serialize myXmlTextWriter  someObject  ns

User · Answer

If you want to remove the namespace you may also want to remove the version  to save you searching I ve added that functionality so the below code will do both   I ve also wrapped it in a generic method as I m creating very large xml files which are too large to serialize in memory so I ve broken my output file down and serialize it in smaller  chunks        public static string XmlSerialize lt T gt  T entity  where T   class                  removes version         XmlWriterSettings settings   new XmlWriterSettings            settings OmitXmlDeclaration   true           XmlSerializer xsSubmit   new XmlSerializer typeof T            using  StringWriter sw   new StringWriter            using  XmlWriter writer   XmlWriter Create sw  settings                            removes namespace             var xmlns   new XmlSerializerNamespaces                xmlns Add string Empty  string Empty                xsSubmit Serialize writer  entity  xmlns               return sw ToString       Your XML

User · Answer

If you want to get rid of the extra xmlns xsi  http   www w3 org 2001 XMLSchema-instance  and xmlns xsd  http   www w3 org 2001 XMLSchema   but still keep your own namespace xmlns  http   schemas YourCompany com YourSchema    you use the same code as above except for this simple change       Add lib namespace with empty prefix   ns Add      http   schemas YourCompany com YourSchema

User · Answer

If you want to get rid of the extra xmlns xsi  http   www w3 org 2001 XMLSchema-instance  and xmlns xsd  http   www w3 org 2001 XMLSchema   but still keep your own namespace xmlns  http   schemas YourCompany com YourSchema    you use the same code as above except for this simple change       Add lib namespace with empty prefix   ns Add      http   schemas YourCompany com YourSchema

User · Answer

XmlWriterSettings settings   new XmlWriterSettings                       OmitXmlDeclaration   true                     XmlSerializerNamespaces ns   new XmlSerializerNamespaces            ns Add                   StringBuilder sb   new StringBuilder             XmlSerializer xs   new XmlSerializer typeof BankingDetails             using  XmlWriter xw   XmlWriter Create sb  settings                         xs Serialize xw  model  ns               xw Flush                return sb ToString

User · Answer

If you are unable to get rid of extra xmlns attributes for each element, when serializing to xml from generated classes (e.g.: when xsd.exe was used), so you have something like:

<manyElementWith xmlns="urn:names:specification:schema:xsd:one" />

then i would share with you what worked for me (a mix of previous answers and what i found here)

explicitly set all your different xmlns as follows:

Dim xmlns = New XmlSerializerNamespaces()
xmlns.Add("one", "urn:names:specification:schema:xsd:one")
xmlns.Add("two",  "urn:names:specification:schema:xsd:two")
xmlns.Add("three",  "urn:names:specification:schema:xsd:three")

then pass it to the serialize

serializer.Serialize(writer, object, xmlns);

you will have the three namespaces declared in the root element and no more needed to be generated in the other elements which will be prefixed accordingly

<root xmlns:one="urn:names:specification:schema:xsd:one" ... />
   <one:Element />
   <two:ElementFromAnotherNameSpace /> ...

User · Answer

Ahh    nevermind   It s always the search after the question is posed that yields the answer   My object that is being serialized is obj and has already been defined   Adding an XMLSerializerNamespace with a single empty namespace to the collection does the trick   In VB like this   Dim xs As New XmlSerializer GetType cEmploymentDetail   Dim ns As New XmlSerializerNamespaces   ns Add          Dim settings As New XmlWriterSettings   settings OmitXmlDeclaration   True  Using ms As New MemoryStream          sw As XmlWriter   XmlWriter Create ms  settings         sr As New StreamReader ms  xs Serialize sw  obj  ns  ms Position   0 Console WriteLine sr ReadToEnd    End Using   in C  like this     Create our own namespaces for the output XmlSerializerNamespaces ns   new XmlSerializerNamespaces       Add an empty namespace and empty value ns Add             Create the serializer XmlSerializer slz   new XmlSerializer someType      Serialize the object with our own namespaces  notice the overload  slz Serialize myXmlTextWriter  someObject  ns

User · Answer

Ahh    nevermind   It s always the search after the question is posed that yields the answer   My object that is being serialized is obj and has already been defined   Adding an XMLSerializerNamespace with a single empty namespace to the collection does the trick   In VB like this   Dim xs As New XmlSerializer GetType cEmploymentDetail   Dim ns As New XmlSerializerNamespaces   ns Add          Dim settings As New XmlWriterSettings   settings OmitXmlDeclaration   True  Using ms As New MemoryStream          sw As XmlWriter   XmlWriter Create ms  settings         sr As New StreamReader ms  xs Serialize sw  obj  ns  ms Position   0 Console WriteLine sr ReadToEnd    End Using   in C  like this     Create our own namespaces for the output XmlSerializerNamespaces ns   new XmlSerializerNamespaces       Add an empty namespace and empty value ns Add             Create the serializer XmlSerializer slz   new XmlSerializer someType      Serialize the object with our own namespaces  notice the overload  slz Serialize myXmlTextWriter  someObject  ns

[.net] How to serialize an object to XML without getting xmlns="..."?

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