How can I transform XML into a List or String[]?

Question

How can I transform the following XML into a List or String[]:

  1
  2<         


        

Answer 1

Here's a way to get typed array from xml by using DataSets. (in this example array of doubles)

DataSet dataSet = new DataSet()
DoubleArray doubles = new DoubleArray(dataSet,0);

dataSet.ReadXml("my.xml");
double a = doubles[0];



public class DoubleArray
{
  DataSet dataSet;
  int tableIndex;
  public DoubleArray(DataSet dataSet,int tableIndex)
  {
    this.dataSet=dataSet;
    this.tableIndex=tableIndex;
  }

  public double this[int index]
  {
    get
    { 
      object ret = dataSet.Tables[tableIndex].Rows[index];
      if(ret is double?) 
        return (ret as double?).Value;
      else
        return double.Parse(ret as string);
    }
    set
    {
      object out = dataSet.Tables[tableIndex].Rows[index];
      if(out is double?)
        dataSet.Tables[tableIndex].Rows[index] = (double?)value;
      else
        dataSet.Tables[tableIndex].Rows[index] = value.ToString();
    }
  }
}

Of course parsing doubles and converting them back to strings all the time might be considered as blasphemy by some programmers... Even for me it was hard not to think about such waste of resources... but I guess sometimes it's better to just turn another away.. don't stress it :)

Answer 2

Here is a way using XmlDocument :

// A string containing the XML data
string xml = "<Ids><id>1</id><id>2</id></Ids>";
// The list you want to fill
ArrayList list = new ArrayList();

XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
// Loading from a XML string (use Load() for file)
doc.LoadXml(xml); 
// Selecting node using XPath syntax
XmlNodeList idNodes = doc.SelectNodes("Ids/id");
// Filling the list
foreach (XmlNode node in idNodes)
    list.Add(node.InnerText);