Difference between XmlNode and XmlNode.ChildNodes in for each loop?

Question

What, if anything, is the difference between these two code fragments?

  XmlNode x = GetNode();
  foreach (var n in x) {}

and

  XmlNode x = GetNode();
  foreach (var n in x.ChildNodes) {}

Does the indexer do anything that the ChildNodes doesn't?

Answer 1

Not much difference. From the source:

public IEnumerator GetEnumerator()
{
    return new XmlChildEnumerator(this);
}

public virtual XmlNodeList ChildNodes
{
    get { return new XmlChildNodes(this); }
}

And in the XmlChildNodes class:

public override IEnumerator GetEnumerator()
{
    if (_container.FirstChild == null)
    {
        return XmlDocument.EmptyEnumerator;
    }
    else
    {
        return new XmlChildEnumerator(_container);
    }
}

So slightly more efficient to use the enumerator on the parent node directly.