Deserializing complicated xml into objects - Problems creating the objects

Question

Ok so I am working on deserializing an xml document into objects. Basically my xml document will look like this:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
    <eConnect CUSTNMBR="22222" DATE1="1900-01-01T00:00:00" TABLENAME="RM00101" DBNAME="BOLT" Requester_DOCTYPE="Customer" ACTION="0">
        <Customer>
            <CUSTNMBR>22222</CUSTNMBR>
            <ADDRESS1>123 ABC St</ADDRESS1>
            <ADDRESS2/>
            <ADDRESS3/>
            <ADRSCODE>PRIMARY</ADRSCODE>
            <CITY>Ann Arbor</CITY>
            <CNTCPRSN/>
            <COUNTRY>USA</COUNTRY>
            <CPRCSTNM/>
            <CURNCYID/>
            <CUSTCLAS/>
            <CUSTDISC>0</CUSTDISC>
            <CUSTNAME>Test Customer 2</CUSTNAME>
            <PHONE1>4165551234</PHONE1>
            <PHONE2/>
            <PHONE3/>
            <FAX/>
            <PYMTRMID/>
            <SALSTERR/>
            <SHIPMTHD/>
            <SLPRSNID/>
            <STATE>Micigan</STATE>
            <TAXSCHID/>
            <TXRGNNUM/>
            <UPSZONE/>
            <ZIP>45612</ZIP>
            <STMTNAME>Test Customer 2</STMTNAME>
            <SHRTNAME>Test Customer 2</SHRTNAME>
            <PRBTADCD>PRIMARY</PRBTADCD>
            <PRSTADCD>PRIMARY</PRSTADCD>
            <STADDRCD>PRIMARY</STADDRCD>
            <CHEKBKID/>
            <CRLMTTYP>0</CRLMTTYP>
            <CRLMTAMT>0.00000</CRLMTAMT>
            <CRLMTPER>0</CRLMTPER>
            <CRLMTPAM>0.00000</CRLMTPAM>
            <RATETPID/>
            <PRCLEVEL/>
            <MINPYTYP>0</MINPYTYP>
            <MINPYDLR>0.00000</MINPYDLR>
            <MINPYPCT>0</MINPYPCT>
            <FNCHATYP>0</FNCHATYP>
            <FNCHPCNT>0</FNCHPCNT>
            <FINCHDLR>0.00000</FINCHDLR>
            <MXWOFTYP>0</MXWOFTYP>
            <MXWROFAM>0.00000</MXWROFAM>
            <COMMENT1>test comment</COMMENT1>
            <COMMENT2>another test</COMMENT2>
            <USERDEF1/>
            <USERDEF2/>
            <TAXEXMT1/>
            <TAXEXMT2/>
            <BALNCTYP>0</BALNCTYP>
            <STMTCYCL>5</STMTCYCL>
            <BANKNAME/>
            <BNKBRNCH/>
            <FRSTINDT>1900-01-01T00:00:00</FRSTINDT>
            <INACTIVE>0</INACTIVE>
            <HOLD>0</HOLD>
            <CRCARDID/>
            <CRCRDNUM/>
            <CCRDXPDT>1900-01-01T00:00:00</CCRDXPDT>
            <KPDSTHST>1</KPDSTHST>
            <KPCALHST>1</KPCALHST>
            <KPERHIST>1</KPERHIST>
            <KPTRXHST>1</KPTRXHST>
            <CREATDDT>2015-11-27T00:00:00</CREATDDT>
            <MODIFDT>2015-11-27T00:00:00</MODIFDT>
            <Revalue_Customer>1</Revalue_Customer>
            <Post_Results_To>0</Post_Results_To>
            <FINCHID/>
            <GOVCRPID/>
            <GOVINDID/>
            <DISGRPER>0</DISGRPER>
            <DUEGRPER>0</DUEGRPER>
            <DOCFMTID/>
            <Send_Email_Statements>0</Send_Email_Statements>
            <GPSFOINTEGRATIONID/>
            <INTEGRATIONSOURCE>0</INTEGRATIONSOURCE>
            <INTEGRATIONID/>
            <Address>
                <CUSTNMBR>22222</CUSTNMBR>
                <ADRSCODE>PRIMARY</ADRSCODE>
                <SLPRSNID/>
                <UPSZONE/>
                <SHIPMTHD/>
                <TAXSCHID/>
                <CNTCPRSN/>
                <ADDRESS1>123 ABC St</ADDRESS1>
                <ADDRESS2/>
                <ADDRESS3/>
                <COUNTRY>USA</COUNTRY>
                <CITY>Ann Arbor</CITY>
                <STATE>Micigan</STATE>
                <ZIP>45612</ZIP>
                <PHONE1>4165551234</PHONE1>
                <PHONE2/>
                <PHONE3/>
                <FAX/>
                <GPSFOINTEGRATIONID/>
                <INTEGRATIONSOURCE>0</INTEGRATIONSOURCE>
                <INTEGRATIONID/>
                <Internet_Address/>
            </Address>
        </Customer>
    </eConnect>
</root>

When I try to deserialize this, I get an "Object reference not set to instance of an object" exception. My classes look like this:

    [XmlRoot("root")]
    public class eConnect
    {
        public Customer customer;
    }

    public class Customer
    {
        public string CUSTNMBR { get; set; }
        public string CUSTNAME { get; set; }

    }

Am I getting the exception because I have to have variables for all the nodes in the xml document? Is there a way to only use the nodes I need?

Also am I creating my classes the right way, because basically the xml will have a root node called root and the root can contain multiple eConnect nodes, but each eConnect node will only contain one customer node.

Answer 1

Try adding the Serializable attribute on your classes and using the XmlElement tag inside your classes to define how the objects are mapped. I would also make a separate class for your root.

[XmlRoot("root")]
[Serializable]
public class Root
{
    public Root() 
    {
        eConnects = new List<eConnect>();
    }

    [XmlElement("eConnect")]
    public List<eConnect> eConnects { get; set; }
}

[XmlRoot("eConnect")]
[Serializable]
public class eConnect
{
    [XmlElement("Customer")]
    public Customer customer { get; set; }
}

[XmlRoot("Customer")]
[Serializable]
public class Customer
{
    [XmlElement("CUSTNMBR")]
    public string CUSTNMBR { get; set; }
    [XmlElement("CUSTNAME")]
    public string CUSTNAME { get; set; }

}

Using the XmlElement tag also gives you the freedom to name your variables friendlier names. For example you could switch

[XmlElement("CUSTNAME")]
public string CUSTNAME { get; set; }

to

[XmlElement("CUSTNAME")]
public string CustomerName { get; set; }