Save (serialize?) some properties

  • Thread starter Thread starter Marco Trapanese
  • Start date Start date
M

Marco Trapanese

Hello,

I'm sorry if my English is not so good.

I created a usercontrol composed of a picturebox and a label. I also
added few properties to configure its behavior.
In the main form there are a dozen of them, the final user can customize
them through those few properties.

The goal is to save in a file such a configuration (that is the values
of 4-5 properties) in order to recall when needed.

I tried to serialize (binary, soap, xml formatters) the whole
usercontrol and also only the properties I need but without chance.
I got different errors even if I followed several guides found on the web.

So I'd ask you if you can provide me a very short example of "how to
serialize a usercontrol".

I did something like this:

<Serializable()> Public Class IOItem
Inherits UserControl

Public Enum Modes
Button
Toggle
Input
End Enum

Dim _Mode As Modes
Dim _LabelColor As Color
Dim _LabelText As String
Dim _LabelFont As Font
Dim _Config As Boolean = False
Dim _Value As Boolean = False

Public Property Mode() As Modes
Get
Return _Mode
End Get
Set(ByVal value As Modes)
_Mode = value
Update()
End Set
End Property

....
other properties and methods
End Class

In the main form I placed some of this user controls and in the load
event I aggregated them into a generic list (for easy manipulation):

Dim IOItemArray As New List(Of IOItem)

IOItemArray.Add(IoItem1)
IOItemArray.Add(IoItem2)
IOItemArray.Add(IoItem3)
..
..
..

The save sub should do this:

Dim fs As FileStream = New FileStream(diaSaveCfg.FileName, FileMode.Create)
Dim xf As New XmlSerializer(IOItemArray.GetType)

Try
xf.Serialize(fs, IOItemArray)
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
Finally
fs.Close()
End Try


In this case I get the following message (copy & paste)

"There was an error reflecting type
'System.Collections.Generic.List`1[IO_Automation.IOItem]'."

Using binary or soap formatters I get other error messages but all of
them tells me I can't serialize my user control.

What's wrong?

Thanks
Marco
 
found this piece of code in a book:

dim xml_serializer as new xmlserializer(gettype(OrderItemClass))
dim file_stream as new filestream(m_xmlfile, filemode.create)
xml_serializer.serialize(file_stream, OrderItemClass)
file_stream.close

check the contents of this file should be an xml file. the Key is setting
the serializer to GetType(OrderItemClass) or whatever your type/class is
called.


in some example they have variables maked like this:
<XmlAttributeAttribute(AttributeName:="ThisName")> public Item as string

looks as though this will save the value for Item with the name "ThisName"
and when read will place the value back into OrderItemClass.Item.
 
Hello, Marco,

Your English is fine. No apologies are needed.

I seem to recall that Controls are non-serializable. There may be ways
around this by doing some form of custom serialization, but I think that
creating an intermediary class that is serializable is probably the easiest
solution.

Here is an example that does this for a TreeView control:

http://www.codeproject.com/KB/vb/TreeViewDataAccess.aspx

I hope that it gives you some ideas.

Cheers,
Randy
 
OmegaSquared ha scritto:
but I think that
creating an intermediary class that is serializable is probably the easiest
solution.
Click to expand...



Thank you for your suggestion. I created a simple structure with the
data I want to save. Serialize and deserialize it is pretty easy as well
as bind its values to the related control.

Marco
 
Hello,
I am having the same error - the only thing we have in common is the use of
the array. I used dictionary(string, myClass). Suspect these structures are
not well reflective.


OmegaSquared said:
Hello, Marco,

Your English is fine. No apologies are needed.

I seem to recall that Controls are non-serializable. There may be ways
around this by doing some form of custom serialization, but I think that
creating an intermediary class that is serializable is probably the
easiest
solution.

Here is an example that does this for a TreeView control:

http://www.codeproject.com/KB/vb/TreeViewDataAccess.aspx

I hope that it gives you some ideas.

Cheers,
Randy


Marco Trapanese said:
Hello,

I'm sorry if my English is not so good.

I created a usercontrol composed of a picturebox and a label. I also
added few properties to configure its behavior.
In the main form there are a dozen of them, the final user can customize
them through those few properties.

The goal is to save in a file such a configuration (that is the values
of 4-5 properties) in order to recall when needed.

I tried to serialize (binary, soap, xml formatters) the whole
usercontrol and also only the properties I need but without chance.
I got different errors even if I followed several guides found on the
web.

So I'd ask you if you can provide me a very short example of "how to
serialize a usercontrol".

I did something like this:

<Serializable()> Public Class IOItem
Inherits UserControl

Public Enum Modes
Button
Toggle
Input
End Enum

Dim _Mode As Modes
Dim _LabelColor As Color
Dim _LabelText As String
Dim _LabelFont As Font
Dim _Config As Boolean = False
Dim _Value As Boolean = False

Public Property Mode() As Modes
Get
Return _Mode
End Get
Set(ByVal value As Modes)
_Mode = value
Update()
End Set
End Property

....
other properties and methods
End Class

In the main form I placed some of this user controls and in the load
event I aggregated them into a generic list (for easy manipulation):

Dim IOItemArray As New List(Of IOItem)

IOItemArray.Add(IoItem1)
IOItemArray.Add(IoItem2)
IOItemArray.Add(IoItem3)
..
..
..

The save sub should do this:

Dim fs As FileStream = New FileStream(diaSaveCfg.FileName,
FileMode.Create)
Dim xf As New XmlSerializer(IOItemArray.GetType)

Try
xf.Serialize(fs, IOItemArray)
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
Finally
fs.Close()
End Try


In this case I get the following message (copy & paste)

"There was an error reflecting type
'System.Collections.Generic.List`1[IO_Automation.IOItem]'."

Using binary or soap formatters I get other error messages but all of
them tells me I can't serialize my user control.

What's wrong?

Thanks
Marco
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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