Convert XML to C# Object

How to deserialize simple as well as complex (nested) XML into C# objects. We need to create C# classes as xml tags inside XML. 

XML Document

This is the whole XML document which we need to deserialize into c# class.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
    <library>
        <name>Level 2</name>
        <levelLabel>A</levelLabel>
        <levelLabel>B</levelLabel>
        <levelLabel>C</levelLabel>
        <levelLabel>D</levelLabel>
        <folder>
            <name>Grade 4 </name>
            <sortOrder>0</sortOrder>
            <comment>
                <name>Canadian Provinces</name>
                <code></code>
                <sortOrder>0</sortOrder>
                <dateCreated>2019-01-28 09:35:34</dateCreated>
                <dateModified>2019-01-28 09:35:34</dateModified>

                <commentLevel>
                    <comment>Explanations.</comment>
                    <level>2</level>
                </commentLevel>
                <commentLevel>
                    <comment>characteristics.</comment>
                    <level>3</level>
                </commentLevel>
            </comment>
            <comment>
                <name>Medieval</name>
                <code></code>
                <sortOrder>0</sortOrder>
                <dateCreated>2019-06-06 09:43:43</dateCreated>
                <dateModified>2019-06-06 09:43:43</dateModified>
                <commentLevel>
                    <comment></comment>
                    <level>0</level>
                </commentLevel>
                <commentLevel>
                    <comment></comment>
                    <level>1</level>
                </commentLevel>
                <commentLevel>
                    <comment>Royalty.</comment>
                    <level>2</level>
                </commentLevel>
                <commentLevel>
                    <comment>With thorough understanding</comment>
                    <level>3</level>
                </commentLevel>
            </comment>
        </folder>
        <folder>
            <name>Term 3</name>
            <sortOrder>0</sortOrder>
            <folder>
                <name>English</name>
                <sortOrder>0</sortOrder>
                <folder>
                    <name>Writing</name>
                    <sortOrder>0</sortOrder>
                    <comment>
                        <name>Writing</name>
                        <code>T3</code>
                        <sortOrder>0</sortOrder>
                        <dateCreated>2007-11-12 14:35:02</dateCreated>
                        <dateModified>2007-11-12 14:35:02</dateModified>
                        <commentLevel>
                            <comment>With assistance.</comment>
                            <level>0</level>
                        </commentLevel>
                        <commentLevel>
                            <comment>With some understanding.</comment>
                            <level>1</level>
                        </commentLevel>
                    </comment>
                </folder>
                <folder>
                    <name>Reading</name>
                    <sortOrder>0</sortOrder>
                    <comment>
                        <name>Reading</name>
                        <code>T3</code>
                        <sortOrder>0</sortOrder>
                        <dateCreated>2007-11-12 14:42:21</dateCreated>
                        <dateModified>2007-11-12 14:42:21</dateModified>
                        <commentLevel>
                            <comment>With prompting</comment>
                            <level>0</level>
                        </commentLevel>
                        <commentLevel>
                            <comment>Beginning to read independently</comment>
                            <level>1</level>
                        </commentLevel>
                        <commentLevel>
                            <comment>Reads independently.</comment>
                            <level>2</level>
                        </commentLevel>
                    </comment>
                </folder>
            </folder>
            <folder>
                <name>French</name>
                <sortOrder>0</sortOrder>
                <comment>
                    <name>French </name>
                    <code>T3</code>
                    <sortOrder>0</sortOrder>
                    <dateCreated>2007-11-12 15:22:24</dateCreated>
                    <dateModified>2007-11-12 15:22:24</dateModified>
                    <commentLevel>
                        <comment>Core French</comment>
                        <level>0</level>
                    </commentLevel>
                    <commentLevel>
                        <comment>Core French.</comment>
                        <level>1</level>
                    </commentLevel>
                </comment>
            </folder>
        </folder>
    </library>

C# Program

This is the main method of console application which will pick the XML document from folder path "C:\temp\document.xml". This XML file is same as above shown

 static void Main(string[] args) {
     const string path = @ "C:\temp\document.xml";
     XmlSerializer ser = new XmlSerializer(typeof(library));
     library request;
     using(XmlReader reader = XmlReader.Create(path)) {
         request = (library) ser.Deserialize(reader);
     }
     foreach(folder folder in request.folder) {
         getFolders(folder);
     }
     Console.ReadLine();
 }

static void getFolders(folder folder) {
    //Get Folder
    Console.WriteLine("foler name: {0}", folder.name);
    if (folder.Folder != null) {
        foreach(folder child in folder.Folder) {
            Console.WriteLine("child foler name: {0}", child.name);

            //Get Comments
            if (folder.comment != null) {
                foreach(comment comment in child.comment) {
                    Console.WriteLine("comment name: {0}", comment.name);
                    foreach(commentLevel commentLevel in comment.commentLevel) {
                        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(commentLevel.comment)) {
                            Console.WriteLine("commentLevel comments comes here"); //, commentLevel.comment);
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
            getFolders(child);
        }
    } else {

        //Get Comments
        if (folder.comment != null) {
            foreach(comment comment in folder.comment) {
                Console.WriteLine("comment name: {0}", comment.name);
                foreach(commentLevel commentLevel in comment.commentLevel) {
                    if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(commentLevel.comment)) {
                        Console.WriteLine("commentLevel comments comes here"); //, commentLevel.comment);
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

We have to write C# class which map the XML document tags and attributes as below

library XML to library C#

<library>
        <name>Level 2</name>
        <levelLabel>A</levelLabel>
        <levelLabel>B</levelLabel>
        <levelLabel>C</levelLabel>
        <levelLabel>D</levelLabel>
        <folder>
           <folder>
 		...
	   </folder>
	   <folder>
 		...
	   </folder>
        </folder>
        <folder>
           <folder>
 		...
	   </folder>
	   <folder>
 		...
	   </folder>
        </folder>
</library>
public class library {
     [XmlElement("name")]
     public string name {
         get;
         set;
     }
     [XmlElement("levelLabel")]
     public string[] levelLabel {
             get;
             set;
         }
         [XmlElement("folder")]
     public folder[] folder {
         get;
         set;
     }
 }

folder XML to folder C#

<folder>
        <name>Grade 4 </name>
        <sortOrder>0</sortOrder>
        <comment>
              ....
        </comment>
        <comment>
              ....
        </comment>
</folder>
 public class folder {
     [XmlElement("name")]
     public string name {
         get;
         set;
     }
     [XmlElement("sortOrder")]
     public int sortOrder {
         get;
         set;
     }
     [XmlElement("comment")]
     public comment[] comment {
             get;
             set;
         }
         [XmlElement("folder")]
     public folder[] Folder {
         get;
         set;
     }
 }

comment XML to comment C#

 <comment>
         <name>Canadian Provinces</name>
         <code></code>
         <sortOrder>0</sortOrder>
         <dateCreated>2019-01-28 09:35:34</dateCreated>
         <dateModified>2019-01-28 09:35:34</dateModified>
	 <commentLevel>
		...
         </commentLevel>
         <commentLevel>
		...
         </commentLevel>
</comment>

 public class comment {
     public string name {
         get;
         set;
     }
     public string code {
         get;
         set;
     }
     public int sortOrder {
         get;
         set;
     }
     [XmlElement("commentLevel")]
     public commentLevel[] commentLevel {
         get;
         set;
     }
 }

commentLevel XML to commentLevel C#

<commentLevel>
         <comment>Explanations.</comment>
         <level>2</level>
</commentLevel>
public class commentLevel {
     public string comment {
         get;
         set;
     }
     public string level {
         get;
         set;
     }
 }