c# - Deserializing into a List without a container element in XML

Question

In all the examples I've seen of using XmlSerializer any time a list or array happens you have some sort of container element like this:

<MyXml>
  <Things>
    <Thing>One</Thing>  
    <Thing>Two</Thing>  
    <Thing>Three</Thing>  
  </Things>
</MyXml>

However, the XML I have has no container similar to Things above. It just starts repeating elements. (Incidentally, the XML is actually from Google's Geocode API)

So, I have XML that looks like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<GeocodeResponse>
  <status>OK</status>
  <result>
    <type>locality</type>
    <type>political</type>
    <formatted_address>Glasgow, City of Glasgow, UK</formatted_address>
    <address_component>
      <long_name>Glasgow</long_name>
      <short_name>Glasgow</short_name>
      <type>locality</type>
      <type>political</type>
    </address_component>
    <address_component>
      <long_name>East Dunbartonshire</long_name>
      <short_name>East Dunbartonshire</short_name>
      <type>administrative_area_level_3</type>
      <type>political</type>
    </address_component>
    <!-- etc... -->
  </result>
  <result>
    <!-- etc... -->
  </result>
  <result>
    <!-- etc... -->
  </result>
</GeocodeResponse>

As you can see inside result the type element repeats without any types element that XmlSerializer appears to expect (or at least all the documents and examples I've seen). The same goes for the address_component.

The code I currently have looks something like this:

[XmlRoot("GeocodeResponse")]
public class GeocodeResponse
{
    public GeocodeResponse()
    {
        this.Results = new List<Result>();
    }

    [XmlElement("status")]
    public string Status { get; set; }

    [XmlArray("result")]
    [XmlArrayItem("result", typeof(Result))]
    public List<Result> Results { get; set; }
}

Every time I attempt to deserialize the XML I get zero items in my Result List.

Can you suggest how I may get this to work as I'm currently not seeing it?

Answer 1

Use

[XmlElement("result")]
public List<Result> Results { get; set; }