XmlSchemaClassGenerator

A console program and library to generate XmlSerializer compatible C# classes from XML Schema files.

Features

• Map XML namespaces to C# namespaces, either explicitly or through a (configurable) function
• Generate C# XML comments from schema annotations
• Generate DataAnnotations attributes from schema restrictions
• Use Collection<T> properties (initialized in constructor and with private setter)
• Map xs:integer and derived types to the closest possible .NET type, if not possible - fall back to string. Can be overriden by explicitly defined type (int, long, or decimal)
• Automatic properties
• Pascal case for classes and properties
• Generate nullable adapter properties for optional elements and attributes without default values (see below)
• Optional support for PCL
• Optional support for INotifyPropertyChanged
• Optional support for Entity Framework Code First (automatically generate key properties)
• Optionally generate interfaces for groups and attribute groups
• Optionally generate one file per class

Unsupported:

• Some restriction types
• Recursive choices and choices whose elements have minOccurs > 0 or nillable="true" (see below)
• Possible name clashes and invalid identifiers when names contain non-alphanumeric characters
• Groups with maxOccurs > 0

Usage

For command line use, choose your preferred installation:

• Binary zips included in the releases on GitHub
• Binaries in the tools folder in the console application NuGet package
• .NET Core CLI tool available in the dotnet-xscgen NuGet package
• CI Builds are available at the NuGet feed https://ci.appveyor.com/nuget/xmlschemaclassgenerator-0f1t3r6ti475

Usage: dotnet xscgen [OPTIONS]+ xsdFile...
Generate C# classes from XML Schema files.
Version 2.0.252.0
xsdFiles may contain globs, e.g. "content\{schema,xsd}\**\*.xsd", and URLs.
Append - to option to disable it, e.g. --interface-.

Options:
  -h, --help                 show this message and exit
  -n, --namespace=VALUE      map an XML namespace to a C# namespace
                               Separate XML namespace and C# namespace by '='.
                               One option must be given for each namespace to
                               be mapped.
                               A file name may be given by appending a pipe
                               sign (|) followed by a file name (like schema.
                               xsd) to the XML namespace.
                               If no mapping is found for an XML namespace, a
                               name is generated automatically (may fail).
  -o, --output=FOLDER        the FOLDER to write the resulting .cs files to
  -i, --integer=TYPE         map xs:integer and derived types to TYPE instead
                               of automatic approximation
                               TYPE can be i[nt], l[ong], or d[ecimal]
      --fb, --fallback, --use-integer-type-as-fallback
                             use integer type specified via -i only if no type
                               can be deduced
  -e, --edb, --enable-data-binding
                             enable INotifyPropertyChanged data binding
  -r, --order                emit order for all class members stored as XML
                               element
  -c, --pcl                  PCL compatible output
  -p, --prefix=PREFIX        the PREFIX to prepend to auto-generated namespace
                               names
  -v, --verbose              print generated file names on stdout
  -0, --nullable             generate nullable adapter properties for optional
                               elements/attributes w/o default values
  -f, --ef                   generate Entity Framework Code First compatible
                               classes
  -t, --interface            generate interfaces for groups and attribute
                               groups (default is enabled)
  -a, --pascal               use Pascal case for class and property names (
                               default is enabled)
      --av, --assemblyVisible
                             use the internal visibility modifier (default is
                               false)
  -u, --enableUpaCheck       should XmlSchemaSet check for Unique Particle
                               Attribution (UPA) (default is enabled)
      --ct, --collectionType=VALUE
                             collection type to use (default is System.
                               Collections.ObjectModel.Collection`1)
      --cit, --collectionImplementationType=VALUE
                             the default collection type implementation to use (
                               default is null)
      --csm, --collectionSettersMode=Private, Public, PublicWithoutConstructorInitialization
                             generate a private, public or public setters
                               without backing field initialization for
                               collections
                               (default is Private; can be: Private, Public,
                               PublicWithoutConstructorInitialization)
      --ctro, --codeTypeReferenceOptions=GlobalReference, GenericTypeParameter
                             the default CodeTypeReferenceOptions Flags to use (
                               default is unset; can be: GlobalReference,
                               GenericTypeParameter)
      --tvpn, --textValuePropertyName=VALUE
                             the name of the property that holds the text value
                               of an element (default is Value)
      --dst, --debuggerStepThrough
                             generate DebuggerStepThroughAttribute (default is
                               enabled)
      --dc, --disableComments
                             do not include comments from xsd
      --nu, --noUnderscore   do not generate underscore in private member name (
                               default is false)
      --da, --description    generate DescriptionAttribute (default is true)
      --cc, --complexTypesForCollections
                             generate complex types for collections (default is
                               true)
  -s, --useShouldSerialize   use ShouldSerialize pattern instead of Specified
                               pattern (default is false)
      --sf, --separateFiles  generate a separate file for each class (default
                               is false)
      --sg, --separateSubstitutes
                             generate a separate property for each element of a
                               substitution group (default is false)
      --dnfin, --doNotForceIsNullable
                             do not force generator to emit IsNullable = true
                               in XmlElement annotation for nillable elements
                               when element is nullable (minOccurs < 1 or
                               parent element is choice) (default is false)
      --cn, --compactTypeNames
                             use type names without namespace qualifier for
                               types in the using list (default is false)
      --cl, --commentLanguages=VALUE
                             comment languages to use (default is en; supported
                               are en, de)
      --un, --uniqueTypeNames
                             generate type names that are unique across
                               namespaces (default is false)
      --gc, --generatedCodeAttribute
                             add version information to GeneratedCodeAttribute
                               (default is true)

For use from code use the library NuGet package:

var generator = new Generator
{
    OutputFolder = outputFolder,
    Log = s => Console.Out.WriteLine(s),
    GenerateNullables = true,
    NamespaceProvider = new Dictionary<NamespaceKey, string> 
    { 
        { new NamespaceKey("http://wadl.dev.java.net/2009/02"), "Wadl" } 
    }
    .ToNamespaceProvider(new GeneratorConfiguration { NamespacePrefix = "Wadl" }.NamespaceProvider.GenerateNamespace)
};

generator.Generate(files);

Specifying the NamespaceProvider is optional. If you don't provide one, C# namespaces will be generated automatically. The example above shows how to create a custom NamespaceProvider that has a dictionary for a number of specific namespaces as well as a generator function for XML namespaces that are not in the dictionary. In the example the generator function is the default function but with a custom namespace prefix. You can also use a custom generator function, e.g.

var generator = new Generator
{
    NamespaceProvider = new NamespaceProvider
    { 
        GenerateNamespace = key => ...
    }
};

Mapping xsd files to C# namespaces

Using the optional | syntax of the -n command line option you can map individual xsd files to C# namespaces. If you have several input files using the same XML namespace you can still generate an individual C# namespace for the types defined within a single xsd file. For example, if you have two input files a.xsd and b.xsd both of which have the same targetNamespace of http://example.com/namespace you can generate the C# namespaces Example.NamespaceA and Example.NamespaceB:

dotnet-xscgen.exe -n "|a.xsd=Example.NamespaceA" -n "|b.xsd=Example.NamespaceB" a.xsd b.xsd

Mapping empty XML namespaces

In order to provide a C# namespace name for an empty XML namespace you can specify it on the command line like this:

XmlSchemaClassGenerator.Console.exe -n =Example example.xsd

Note the space between -n and =Example.

Nullables

XmlSerializer has been present in the .NET Framework since version 1.1 and has never been updated to provide support for nullables which are a natural fit for the problem of signaling the absence or presence of a value type but have only been present since .NET Framework 2.0.

Instead XmlSerializer has support for a pattern where you provide an additional bool property with "Specified" appended to the name to signal if the original property should be serialized. For example:

<xs:attribute name="id" type="xs:int" use="optional">...</xs:attribute>

[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlAttributeAttribute("id", Form=System.Xml.Schema.XmlSchemaForm.Unqualified, DataType="int")]
public int Id { get; set; }

[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlIgnoreAttribute()]
public bool IdSpecified { get; set; }

XmlSchemaClassGenerator can optionally generate an additional nullable property that works as an adapter to both properties:

[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlAttributeAttribute("id", Form=System.Xml.Schema.XmlSchemaForm.Unqualified, DataType="int")]
public int IdValue { get; set; }
        
[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlIgnoreAttribute()]
public bool IdValueSpecified { get; set; }

[System.Xml.Serialization.XmlIgnoreAttribute()]
public System.Nullable<int> Id
{
    get
    {
        if (this.IdValueSpecified)
        {
            return this.IdValue;
        }
        else
        {
            return null;
        }
    }
    set
    {
        this.IdValue = value.GetValueOrDefault();
        this.IdValueSpecified = value.HasValue;
    }
}

Choice Elements

The support for choice elements differs from that provided by xsd.exe. Xsd.exe generates a property called Item of type object and, if not all choices have a distinct type, another enum property that selects the chosen element. Besides being non-typesafe and non-intuitive, this approach breaks apart if the choices have a more complicated structure (e.g. sequences), resulting in possibly schema-invalid XML.

XmlSchemaClassGenerator currently simply pretends choices are sequences. This means you'll have to take care only to set a schema-valid combination of these properties to non-null values.

Interfaces

Groups and attribute groups in XML Schema are reusable components that can be included in multiple type definitions. XmlSchemaClassGenerator can optionally generate interfaces from these groups to make it easier to access common properties on otherwise unrelated classes. So

<xs:attributeGroup name="Common">
  <xs:attribute name="name" type="xs:string"></xs:attribute>
</xs:attributeGroup>

<xs:complexType name="A">
  <xs:attributeGroup ref="Common"/>
</xs:complexType>

<xs:complexType name="B">
  <xs:attributeGroup ref="Common"/>
</xs:complexType>

becomes

public partial interface ICommon
{
  string Name { get; set; }
}

public partial class A: ICommon
{
  public string Name { get; set; }
}

public partial class B: ICommon
{
  public string Name { get; set; }
}

Collection types

Values for the --collectionType and --collectionImplementationType options have to be given in the format accepted by the Type.GetType() method. For the System.Collections.Generic.List<T> class this means System.Collections.Generic.List`1.

Integer and derived types

Not all numeric types defined by XML Schema can be safely and accurately mapped to .NET numeric data types, however, it's possible to approximate the mapping based on the integer bounds and restrictions such as totalDigits.
If an explicit integer type mapping is specified via --integer=TYPE, that type will be used, otherwise an approximation will be made based on the table below. If you additionally specify --fallback, the type specified via --integer=TYPE will be used only if no type can be deduced by applying the rules below.

If the restrictions minInclusive and maxInclusive are present on the integer element, then the smallest CLR type that fully encompasses the specified range will be used. Unsigned types are given precedence over signed types. The following table shows the possible ranges and their corresponding CLR type, in the order they will be applied.

If the range specified by minInclusive and maxInclusive does not fit in any CLR type, or if those restrictions are not present, then the totalDigits restriction will be used, as shown in the following table.

Contributing

Contrbutions are welcome. Here are some guidelines:

• If it's not a trivial fix, please submit an issue first
• Try and blend new code with the existing code's style
• Add unit tests