XmlSerializer ignores [XmlAttribute] in WebApi

Question

I have a WebApi that returns a simple object, but when I\'m forcing it to return as XML (Accept: application/xml) it ignores the [XmlAttribute] att

Answer 1

This worked for me... no need to change global configuration.

var configuration = new HttpConfiguration();
configuration.Formatters.XmlFormatter.UseXmlSerializer = true;
return Request.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.OK, myObjectToSerialize, configuration);

Answer 2

Try setting this global configuration value in your WebApi to true

GlobalConfiguration.Configuration.Formatters.XmlFormatter.UseXmlSerializer = true;

By default Web API uses DataContractSerializer in XmlMediaTypeFormatter.