.NET Serializers
(UPDATED)
As of version 3.5 SP1, .NET comes along with the following serializers:
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System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary.BinaryFormatter: binary serializer used in .NET Remoting, type information is included, understands System.Runtime.Serialization.ISerializable;
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System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Soap.SoapFormatter: SOAP (XML) serializer used in .NET Remoting, includes type information, understands System.Runtime.Serialization.ISerializable;
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System.Runtime.Serialization.DataContractSerializer: XML serializer used in WCF, does not include type information;
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System.Runtime.Serialization.Json.DataContractJsonSerializer: JSON serializer used in WCF, does not include type information;
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System.Runtime.Serialization.NetDataContractSerializer: binary serializer used in WCF, includes type information;
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System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer: XML serializer used in ASP.NET Web Services (ASMX), type information is not included, understands System.Xml.Serialization.IXmlSerializable;
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System.Web.UI.LosFormatter: uses ObjectStateFormatter internally, does not account by itself;
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System.Web.UI.ObjectStateFormatter: binary or text (base 64 encoded) serializer used in ASP.NET for storing items in view state, control state and session, type information is included, understands System.Runtime.Serialization.ISerializable.
There isn't, however, a common interface for all of these serializers, and, in fact, they have quite different requirements.
The base interfaces are:
- System.Runtime.Serialization.IFormatter: for BinaryFormatter, SoapFormatter, NetDataContractSerializer and ObjectStateFormatter;
- System.Runtime.Serialization.XmlObjectSerializer: for DataContractSerializer, DataContractJsonSerializer and NetDataContractSerializer;
- XmlSerializer doesn't have any interface that specifies its behavior.
The interfaces that can be used to control the serialization process are:
- System.Runtime.Serialization.ISerializable: for all the IFormatter serializers;
- System.Xml.Serialization.IXmlSerializable: for XmlSerializer.
Also, there are a couple of attribute classes that can be used to control the serialization process:
- System.Runtime.Serialization.OptionalFieldAttribute (IFormatter): field may be missing from the serialized content
- System.Runtime.Serialization.NonSerializedAttribute (IFormatter): field is not serialized
- System.Xml.Serialization.SoapAttributeAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.SoapElementAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.SoapEnumAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.SoapIgnoreAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.SoapIncludeAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.SoapTypeAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.SoapDocumentServiceAttribute (XmlSerializer): default format is Document
- System.Xml.Serialization.SoapRpcServiceAttribute (XmlSerializer): default format is RPC
- System.Xml.Serialization.SoapRpcMethodAttribute (XmlSerializer): method uses SOAP RPC format
- System.Xml.Serialization.SoapDocumentMethodAttribute (XmlSerializer): method uses SOAP Document format
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlAnyAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlAnyElementAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlArrayAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlArrayItemAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlAttributeAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlChoiceIdentifierAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlElementAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlEnumAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlIgnoreAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlIncludeAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlRootAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlTextAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlTypeAttribute (XmlSerializer)
- System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSchemaProviderAttribute (XmlSerializer): applied on a method that returns the XML schema
- System.Runtime.Serialization.CollectionDataContractAttribute (XmlObjectSerializer)
- System.Runtime.Serialization.DataContractAttribute (XmlObjectSerializer)
- System.Runtime.Serialization.DataMemberAttribute (XmlObjectSerializer)
- System.Runtime.Serialization.EnumMemberAttribute (XmlObjectSerializer)
- System.Runtime.Serialization.IgnoreDataMemberAttribute (XmlObjectSerializer)
- System.Runtime.Serialization.XmlSerializerFormatAttribute (XmlObjectSerializer): choose XmlSerializer instead of DataContractSerializer
Note that the Soap* attributes are only considered if the SoapBindingUse.Encoded is set for the Use property of the binding, in ASP.NET Web Services, otherwise, its the Xml* attributes.
It would be good to see a common interface (perhaps IFormatter, since it's the most common) for all of these serializers.
