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private static readonly Dictionary<Type, XmlSerializer> _serializers = new Dictionary<Type, XmlSerializer>();

/// <summary>Serializes an object of type T in to an xml string</summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">Any class type</typeparam>
/// <param name="objectToSerialize">Object to serialize</param>
/// <returns>A string that represents Xml, empty otherwise</returns>
public static string XmlSerialize<T>(this T objectToSerialize) where T : class, new()
{
    if (objectToSerialize == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("objectToSerialize");

    Type type = typeof(T);
    XmlSerializer serializer;

    if (!_serializers.TryGetValue(type, out serializer))
    {
        serializer = new XmlSerializer(type);
        _serializers.Add(type, serializer);
    }

    using (var writer = new StringWriter())
    {
        serializer.Serialize(writer, objectToSerialize);
        return writer.ToString();
    }
}

/// <summary>Deserializes an xml string in to an object of Type T</summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">Any class type</typeparam>
/// <param name="xml">Xml as string to deserialize from</param>
/// <returns>A new object of type T is successful, null if failed</returns>
public static T XmlDeserialize<T>(this string xml) where T : class, new()
{
    if (xml == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("xml");

    Type type = typeof(T);
    XmlSerializer serializer;

    if (!_serializers.TryGetValue(type, out serializer))
    {
        serializer = new XmlSerializer(type);
        _serializers.Add(type, serializer);
    }

    using (var reader = new StringReader(xml))
    {
        try { return (T)serializer.Deserialize(reader); }
        catch { return null; } // Could not be deserialized to this type.
    }
}

Note that this code is not threadsafe. To make it threadsafe

• Add locks around the calls to the _serializers dictionary, or
• Add the [ThreadStatic] attribute to the _serializers field, and check if _serializers needs to be instantiated before calling TryGetValue(), or
• Get rid of the dictionary all together and instantiate a new instance of XmlSerializer on each call.

/// <summary>Serializes an object of type T in to an xml string</summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">Any class type</typeparam>
/// <param name="obj">Object to serialize</param>
/// <returns>A string that represents Xml, empty otherwise</returns>
public static string XmlSerialize<T>(this T obj) where T : class, new()
{
    if (obj == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("obj");

    var serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(T));
    using (var writer = new StringWriter())
    {
        serializer.Serialize(writer, obj);
        return writer.ToString();
    }
}

/// <summary>Deserializes an xml string in to an object of Type T</summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">Any class type</typeparam>
/// <param name="xml">Xml as string to deserialize from</param>
/// <returns>A new object of type T is successful, null if failed</returns>
public static T XmlDeserialize<T>(this string xml) where T : class, new()
{
    if (xml == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("xml");

    var serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(T));
    using (var reader = new StringReader(xml))
    {
        try { return (T)serializer.Deserialize(reader); }
        catch { return null; } // Could not be deserialized to this type.
    }
}

Serialising / Deserialising objects to Xml:

private static readonly Dictionary<Type, XmlSerializer> serialisers = new Dictionary<Type, XmlSerializer>();

/// <summary>Serialises an object of type T in to an xml string</summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">Any class type</typeparam>
/// <param name="objectToSerialise">Object to serialise</param>
/// <returns>A string that represents Xml, empty oterwise</returns>
public static string XmlSerialise<T>(this T objectToSerialise) where T : class, new()
{
  XmlSerializer serialiser;

  var type = typeof(T);
  if (!serialisers.ContainsKey(type))
  {
    serialiser = new XmlSerializer(type);
    serialisers.Add(type, serialiser);
  }
  else
  {
    serialiser = serialisers[type];
  }

  string xml;
  using (var writer = new StringWriter())
  {
    serialiser.Serialize(writer, objectToSerialise);
    xml = writer.ToString();
  }

  return xml;
}

/// <summary>Deserialises an xml string in to an object of Type T</summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">Any class type</typeparam>
/// <param name="xml">Xml as string to deserialise from</param>
/// <returns>A new object of type T is successful, null if failed</returns>
public static T XmlDeserialise<T>(this string xml) where T : class, new()
{
  XmlSerializer serialiser;

  var type = typeof(T);
  if (!serialisers.ContainsKey(type))
  {
    serialiser = new XmlSerializer(type);
    serialisers.Add(type, serialiser);
  }
  else
  {
    serialiser = serialisers[type];
  }

  T newObject;

  using (var reader = new StringReader(xml))
  {
    try { newObject = (T)serialiser.Deserialize(reader); }
    catch { return null; } // Could not be deserialized to this type.
  }

  return newObject;
}

When building the serialisation I had a help from an online example - but cannot remeber where it is...

Serializing / Deserializing objects to XML:

private static readonly Dictionary<Type, XmlSerializer> _serializers = new Dictionary<Type, XmlSerializer>();

/// <summary>Serializes an object of type T in to an xml string</summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">Any class type</typeparam>
/// <param name="objectToSerialize">Object to serialize</param>
/// <returns>A string that represents Xml, empty otherwise</returns>
public static string XmlSerialize<T>(this T objectToSerialize) where T : class, new()
{
    if (objectToSerialize == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("objectToSerialize");

    Type type = typeof(T);
    XmlSerializer serializer;

    if (!_serializers.TryGetValue(type, out serializer))
    {
        serializer = new XmlSerializer(type);
        _serializers.Add(type, serializer);
    }

    using (var writer = new StringWriter())
    {
        serializer.Serialize(writer, objectToSerialize);
        return writer.ToString();
    }
}

/// <summary>Deserializes an xml string in to an object of Type T</summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">Any class type</typeparam>
/// <param name="xml">Xml as string to deserialize from</param>
/// <returns>A new object of type T is successful, null if failed</returns>
public static T XmlDeserialize<T>(this string xml) where T : class, new()
{
    if (xml == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("xml");

    Type type = typeof(T);
    XmlSerializer serializer;

    if (!_serializers.TryGetValue(type, out serializer))
    {
        serializer = new XmlSerializer(type);
        _serializers.Add(type, serializer);
    }

    using (var reader = new StringReader(xml))
    {
        try { return (T)serializer.Deserialize(reader); }
        catch { return null; } // Could not be deserialized to this type.
    }
}

Note that this code is not threadsafe. To make it threadsafe

• Add locks around the calls to the _serializers dictionary, or
• Add the [ThreadStatic] attribute to the _serializers field, and check if _serializers needs to be instantiated before calling TryGetValue(), or
• Get rid of the dictionary all together and instantiate a new instance of XmlSerializer on each call.

By all means put this in the codeplex project.

Serialising / Deserialising objects to Xml:

private static readonly Dictionary<Type, XmlSerializer> serialisers = new Dictionary<Type, XmlSerializer>();

/// <summary>Serialises an object of type T in to an xml string</summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">Any class type</typeparam>
/// <param name="objectToSerialise">Object to serialise</param>
/// <returns>A string that represents Xml, empty oterwise</returns>
public static string XmlSerialise<T>(this T objectToSerialise) where T : class, new()
{
  XmlSerializer serialiser;

  var type = typeof(T);
  if (!serialisers.ContainsKey(type))
  {
    serialiser = new XmlSerializer(type);
    serialisers.Add(type, serialiser);
  }
  else
  {
    serialiser = serialisers[type];
  }

  string xml;
  using (var writer = new StringWriter())
  {
    serialiser.Serialize(writer, objectToSerialise);
    xml = writer.ToString();
  }

  return xml;
}

/// <summary>Deserialises an xml string in to an object of Type T</summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">Any class type</typeparam>
/// <param name="xml">Xml as string to deserialise from</param>
/// <returns>A new object of type T is successful, null if failed</returns>
public static T XmlDeserialise<T>(this string xml) where T : class, new()
{
  XmlSerializer serialiser;

  var type = typeof(T);
  if (!serialisers.ContainsKey(type))
  {
    serialiser = new XmlSerializer(type);
    serialisers.Add(type, serialiser);
  }
  else
  {
    serialiser = serialisers[type];
  }

  T newObject;

  using (var reader = new StringReader(xml))
  {
    try { newObject = (T)serialiser.Deserialize(reader); }
    catch { return null; } // Could not be deserialized to this type.
  }

  return newObject;
}

When building the serialisation I had a help from an online example - but cannot remeber where it is...

By all means put this in the codeplex project.

Serialising / Deserialising objects to Xml:

private static readonly Dictionary<Type, XmlSerializer> serialisers = new Dictionary<Type, XmlSerializer>();

/// <summary>Serialises an object of type T in to an xml string</summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">Any class type</typeparam>
/// <param name="objectToSerialise">Object to serialise</param>
/// <returns>A string that represents Xml, empty oterwise</returns>
public static string XmlSerialise<T>(this T objectToSerialise) where T : class, new()
{
  XmlSerializer serialiser;

  var type = typeof(T);
  if (!serialisers.ContainsKey(type))
  {
    serialiser = new XmlSerializer(type);
    serialisers.Add(type, serialiser);
  }
  else
  {
    serialiser = serialisers[type];
  }

  string xml;
  using (var writer = new StringWriter())
  {
    serialiser.Serialize(writer, objectToSerialise);
    xml = writer.ToString();
  }

  return xml;
}

/// <summary>Deserialises an xml string in to an object of Type T</summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">Any class type</typeparam>
/// <param name="xml">Xml as string to deserialise from</param>
/// <returns>A new object of type T is successful, null if failed</returns>
public static T XmlDeserialise<T>(this string xml) where T : class, new()
{
  XmlSerializer serialiser;

  var type = typeof(T);
  if (!serialisers.ContainsKey(type))
  {
    serialiser = new XmlSerializer(type);
    serialisers.Add(type, serialiser);
  }
  else
  {
    serialiser = serialisers[type];
  }

  T newObject;

  using (var reader = new StringReader(xml))
  {
    try { newObject = (T)serialiser.Deserialize(reader); }
    catch { return null; } // Could not be deserialized to this type.
  }

  return newObject;
}

When building the serialisation I had a help from an online example - but cannot remeber where it is...