Weird Code problem - serialisation (I'll spell it the proper way!!"0

[psycik]

So have a weird code problem with c# serialisation.

I have a windows form project using a bunch of classes that deserialise an XML feed. Works perfectly.

If I share. or copy the code files used for the deserialisation (there's a bunch of classes) into a project that is a plugin, then on the very first deseralisation I get a failure in the xml at 0,0 - with the inner exception getting an object reference not found.

The URL location of the xml is the same for both projects. Even saving the XML to disk in the windows form and opening that in the plugin gets the same problem....but saving the XML in the plugin and opening it in the windows form works.

Really stuck. The only possible thing I can think of may be that the Plugin is targeting dotnet 3.5.

Any other suggestions?

[McBainUK]

Any app.config changes in the WinForms app?

[psycik]

No, they both just say supportedversion v2.0xxxx etc (they match). I did add something to the plugin one for keeping the serialisation files, but it hasn't had the affect I wanted.

[psycik]

hmm may be on to something.

I'm using a a typed System.Collections.Generic.List<classname> and just changed it to a straight array of classname[] and it got further. Weirdness.

[psycik]

But why this would work with Windows forms and not as a plugin I have no idea.

[whurlston]

Couple of things to check:

1. All your classes used in deserialization should have a public, empty constructor: public MyClass() {}
2. All lists/dictionaries should be initialized before deserialization. private List<string> myList = new List<string>();

[psycik]

Yeah I had all that. Everything I was reading was saying I should have been able to do it with a List<object>

But just couldn't get it to work. Had to use arrays instead.

[whurlston]

I've never had trouble using Lists. You have a sample of the non working code (and xml file)?

[psycik]

When I say couldn't get it to work, I mean, It worked in windows forms perfectly. But not as a plugin.

Sorry, No I've moved well past this now so couldn't push it back to being a list.

[whurlston]

I figured you had moved past it. I just wanted to satisfy my own curiosity.