Visual C# .NET Examples: Object Serialization

	Department Store: Object Serialization

Introduction to Serialization

In traditional file processing supported by most compiled languages such as C#, you learn to create values from primitive types (int, double, char, etc) and save them to a medium. Many libraries such as MFC, VCL, and the .NET Framework provide built-in classes you can use to save a variable of your class as if the variable had been created from a primitive data type.

Object serialization consists of saving the state of any object as a whole. Serialization makes it possible to easily create a file-based database since you are able to save and restore the object the same way you would use file processing of primitive types in C++.

Practical Learning: Introducing File-Based Databases

Start a new Windows Forms Application named DepartmentStore3
To add a new form, on the main menu, click Project -> Add Windows Form...
In the Templates list of the Add New Item dialog box, make sure Windows Form is selected.
Set the Name to NewStoreItem and press Enter

Design the form as follows:

Control	Name	Text	Other Properties
Label		Item #:
TextBox	txtItemNumber
Label		Item Name:
TextBox	txtItemName
Label		Size:
TextBox	txtSize
Label		Unit Price:
TextBox	txtUnitPrice		AlignText: Right
Button	btnAddItem	Add Item
Button	btnClose	Close
Form			AcceptButton: btnAddItem MaximizeBox: False StartPosition: CenterScreen

Arrange the Tab Order (View . Tab Order) so the Item # text box is the last in the sequence:

Double-click an unoccupied area of the form and implement its Click event as follows:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Collections;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace DepartmentStore3
{
	/// <summary>
	/// Summary description for NewStoreItem.
	/// </summary>
	public class NewStoreItem : System.Windows.Forms.Form
	{
		. . . No Change 
		
		private System.ComponentModel.Container components = null;
		ArrayList lstStoreItems;

		. . . No Change 
			
		private void InitializeComponent()
		{
			. . . No Change 
			
		}
		#endregion

		private void NewStoreItem_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
		{
			lstStoreItems = new ArrayList();
		}
	}
}

Return to the New Store Item form and double-click its Close button

Implement the event as follows:

private void btnClose_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	Close();
}

Display the first form (Form1.cs [Design])
Add a button to it with the following properties:
Text: New Store Item
Name: btnNewStoreItem

Double-click the New Store Item button and implement its Click event as follows:

private void btnNewStoreItem_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	NewStoreItem frmNewItem = new NewStoreItem();

	frmNewItem.Show();
}

Add a new Windows Form
Set its Name to StoreInventory and press Enter

Design the form as follows:

Control	Name	Text	Other Properties
DataGrid			Auto Format: Colorful 3
Button	bntLoad	Load
Button	btnClose	Close
Form			AcceptButton: bntLoad MaximizeBox: False StartPosition: CenterScreen

Double-click the Close button and implement its Click event as follows:
private void btnClose_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e) { Close(); }
Display the first form (Form1.cs [Design])
Add a button to it with the following properties:
Text: Store Inventory
Name: btnStoreInventory
Double-click the Store Inventory button

Implement its Click event as follows:

private void btnStoreInventory_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	StoreInventory frmInventory = new StoreInventory();

	frmInventory.Show();
}

To add a new form, on the main menu, click Project -> Add Windows Form...
In the Templates list of the Add New Item dialog box, make sure Windows Forms is selected.
Set the Name to CustomerOrder and press Enter

Design the form as follows:

Control	Name	Text	Other Properties
Label		Item #
Label		Description
Label		Size
Label		Unit Price
Label		Qty
Label		Sub-Total
TextBox	txtItemNumber1
TextBox	txtDescription1
TextBox	txtSize1
TextBox	txtUnitPrice1	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtQuantity1	0	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtSubTotal1	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtItemNumber2
TextBox	txtDescription2
TextBox	txtSize2
TextBox	txtUnitPrice2	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtQuantity2	0	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtSubTotal2	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtItemNumber3
TextBox	txtDescription3
TextBox	txtSize3
TextBox	txtUnitPrice3	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtQuantity3	0	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtSubTotal3	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtItemNumber4
TextBox	txtDescription4
TextBox	txtSize4
TextBox	txtUnitPrice4	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtQuantity4	0	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtSubTotal4	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtItemNumber5
TextBox	txtDescription5
TextBox	txtSize5
TextBox	txtUnitPrice5	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtQuantity5	0	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtSubTotal5	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtItemNumber6
TextBox	txtDescription6
TextBox	txtSize6
TextBox	txtUnitPrice6	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtQuantity6	0	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtSubTotal6	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtItemNumber7
TextBox	txtDescription7
TextBox	txtSize7
TextBox	txtUnitPrice7	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtQuantity7	0	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtSubTotal7	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtItemNumber8
TextBox	txtDescription8
TextBox	txtSize8
TextBox	txtUnitPrice8	0.00	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtQuantity8	0	TextAlign: Right
TextBox	txtSubTotal8	0.00	TextAlign: Right
Label		This order will be saved in
DateTimePicker	dtpSaleDate		Format: Custom CustomFormat: ddd dd MMM yyyy
Label		Total Order:
TextBox	txtTotalOrder	0.00	TextAlign: Right
Button	btnSave	Save and Start a New Order
Button	btnClose	Close

Double-click the Close button and implement its Click event as follows:

private void btnClose_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	 Close();
}

Display the first form (Form1.cs [Design])
Add a button to it with the following properties:
Text: New Customer Order
Name: btnNewOrder
Double-click the New Customer Order button

Implement its Click event as follows:

private void btnNewOrder_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	CustomerOrder frmOrder = new CustomerOrder();

	frmOrder .Show();
}

Add a new Windows Form and name it DailySales

Design the form as follows:

Control	Name	Text	Other Properties
Label		View Sales For
DateTimePicker	dtpSaleDate		Format: Custom CustomFormat: ddd dd MMM yyyy
DataGrid			Auto Format: Colorful 3
Button	btnClose	Close
Form			MaximizeBox: False StartPosition: CenterScreen

Double-click the Close button and implement its Click event as follows:
private void btnClose_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e) { Close(); }
Display the first form (Form1.cs [Design])
Add a button to it with the following properties:
Text: View Daily Sales
Name: btnDailySales
Double-click the View Daily Sales button

Implement its Click event as follows:

private void btnDailySales_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	DailySales frmSales = new DailySales;

	 frmSales.Show();
}

Return to the main form. Add a new button to it and set its properties as follows:
Text: Close
Name: btnClose

Double-click the Close button and implement its Click event as follows:

private void btnClose_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	Close();
}

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Binary Serialization

The .NET Framework provides all means of serializing any managed class through a concept referred to as binary serialization. To proceed with object serialization, you must first specify the object you would use. As with any other program, you can either use one of the classes built-in the .NET Framework or you can use your own programmer-created class. If you decide to use your own class, you can specify whether the whole class or just some parts of the class can be saved.

Binary serialization consists of saving an object. This object is usually a class that either you create or is provided through the .NET Framework. For a class to be serializable, it must be marked with the Serializable attribute. This means that, when checking the MSDN documentation, any class you see with this attribute is already configured to be serialized. This is the case for almost all list-oriented classes such as Array, ArrayList, etc, including many of the classes we will use when we start studying ADO .NET and relational databases.

If you create your own class and want to be able to save values from its variables, you can (must) mark the class with the Serializable attribute. To do this, type [Serializable] before starting to create the class.

The Serializable attribute informs the compiler that values from the class can be serialized. When creating a serializable class, you have the ability to specify whether all of the member variables of the class can be serialized or just some of them.

Practical Learning: Creating a Serializable Class

To add a new project, on the main menu, click File -> Add Project -> New Project...
In the Project Types list of the Add New Project dialog box, make sure Visual C# Projects is selected
In the Templates list, click Class Library
Change the Name to StoreItemR2
Click OK

Change the file as follows:

using System;

namespace StoreItemR2
{
	/// <summary>
	/// Summary description for CStoreItem.
	/// </summary>
	[Serializable]
	public class CStoreItem
	{
		private string  nbr;
		private string  nm;
		private string  sz;
		private decimal uprice;

		public CStoreItem()
		{
			nbr = "";
			nm  = "";
			sz  = "";
			uprice = 0.00M;
		}

CStoreItem(string number, string name, string size, decimal price)
		{
			nbr    = number;
			nm     = name;
			sz     = size;
			uprice = price;
		}

		public string ItemNumber
		{
			get { return nbr; }
			set { nbr = value; }
		}
	
		public string ItemName
		{
			get { return nm; }
			set { nm = value; }
		}
		
		public string Size
		{
			get { return sz;}
			set { sz = value; }
		}

		public decimal UnitPrice
		{
			get { return uprice; }
			set { uprice = value; }
		}
	}
}

To create the library, in the Solution Explorer, right-click the StoreItemR2 node and click Build
To get a reference of this library to the department store project, in Solution Explorer, under DepartmentStore3, right-click References and click Add Reference...
In the Add Reference dialog box, click the Projects property page and make sure the StoreItemR2 project is selected:
Click Select and click OK

Change the Load event of the New Store Item form as follows:

private void NewStoreItem_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	lstStoreItems = new ArrayList();

	 DateTime tmeNow = DateTime.Now;

	 // Get ready to create a random item number
	 string strItemNumber = "000000";

	int mls = tmeNow.Millisecond;
 	// Generate two random numbers between 100 and 999
	Random rndNumber = new Random(mls);
	int NewNumber1 = rndNumber.Next(100, 999);
 	int NewNumber2 = rndNumber.Next(100, 999);
 	// Create an item number from the random numbers
 	strItemNumber = NewNumber1.ToString() + "-" + NewNumber2.ToString();

	 // Display the created item number in the Item # text box
	 this.txtItemNumber.Text = strItemNumber;
}

Display the Customer Order form. Right-click it and click View Code
In the top section of the file, under the other using lines, type using StoreItemR2;

Create a method as follows before the closing of the class:

internal CStoreItem LocateStoreItem(string ItemNumber)
{
	StoreItemR2.CStoreItem item = new StoreItemR2.CStoreItem();

	// Get a list of all items in the store
	for(int i = 0; i < this.lstAvailableItems.Count; i++)
	{
		// Get a reference to the current item
		item = (StoreItemR2.CStoreItem)this.lstAvailableItems[i];

		// If the Item Number of the current item matches the argument,
		// then return it
		if( item.ItemNumber == ItemNumber )
			return item;
	}

	// If the item was not found, then return nothing;
	return null;
}
}
}

In the same way, create the following method at the end of the above method:

internal void CalculateTotalOrder()
{
	decimal subTotal1, subTotal2, subTotal3,
		subTotal4, subTotal5, subTotal6,
		subTotal7, subTotal8;
		decimal orderTotal;

	// Retrieve the value of each sub total
	subTotal1 = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal1.Text);
	subTotal2 = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal2.Text);
	subTotal3 = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal3.Text);
	subTotal4 = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal4.Text);
	subTotal5 = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal5.Text);
	subTotal6 = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal6.Text);
	subTotal7 = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal7.Text);
	subTotal8 = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal8.Text);

	// Calculate the total value of the sub totals
	orderTotal = subTotal1 + subTotal2 + subTotal3 + 
		subTotal4 + subTotal5 + subTotal6 +
		subTotal7 + subTotal8;
			
	// Display the total order in the appropriate text box
	this.txtTotalOrder.Text = orderTotal.ToString("F");
}

Return to the Customer Order form and click the first text box under Item #
In the Properties window, click the Events button if necessary and double-click its Leave field
Return to the Customer Order form. Click each of the other text boxes under Item #, then, in the Properties window, double-click the Leave field

Implement the events as follows:

private void txtItemNumber1_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	string strItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber1.Text;
StoreItemR2.CStoreItem item = this.LocateStoreItem(strItemNumber);

	if( item != null )
	{
		this.txtDescription1.Text = item.ItemName;
		this.txtSize1.Text        = item.Size;
	this.txtUnitPrice1.Text   = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");
		this.txtQuantity1.Text    = "1";
	this.txtSubTotal1.Text    = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");

		CalculateTotalOrder();
	}
	else
	{
		this.txtItemNumber1.Text  = "";
		this.txtDescription1.Text = "";
		this.txtSize1.Text        = "";
		this.txtUnitPrice1.Text   = "0.00";
		this.txtQuantity1.Text    = "0";
		this.txtSubTotal1.Text    = "0.00";
	}
}

private void txtItemNumber2_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{	
	string strItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber2.Text;
StoreItemR2.CStoreItem item = this.LocateStoreItem(strItemNumber);

	if( item != null )
	{
		this.txtDescription2.Text = item.ItemName;
		this.txtSize2.Text        = item.Size;
	this.txtUnitPrice2.Text   = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");
		this.txtQuantity2.Text    = "1";
	this.txtSubTotal2.Text    = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");
				
		CalculateTotalOrder();
	}
	else
	{
		this.txtItemNumber2.Text  = "";
		this.txtDescription2.Text = "";
		this.txtSize2.Text        = "";
		this.txtUnitPrice2.Text   = "0.00";
		this.txtQuantity2.Text    = "0";
		this.txtSubTotal2.Text    = "0.00";
	}
}

private void txtItemNumber3_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	string strItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber3.Text;
StoreItemR2.CStoreItem item = this.LocateStoreItem(strItemNumber);

	if( item != null )
	{
		this.txtDescription3.Text = item.ItemName;
		this.txtSize3.Text        = item.Size;
	this.txtUnitPrice3.Text   = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");
		this.txtQuantity3.Text    = "1";
	this.txtSubTotal3.Text    = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");

		CalculateTotalOrder();
	}
	else
	{
		this.txtItemNumber3.Text  = "";
		this.txtDescription3.Text = "";
		this.txtSize3.Text        = "";
		this.txtUnitPrice3.Text   = "0.00";
		this.txtQuantity3.Text    = "0";
		this.txtSubTotal3.Text    = "0.00";
	}
}

private void txtItemNumber4_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	string strItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber4.Text;
StoreItemR2.CStoreItem item = this.LocateStoreItem(strItemNumber);

	if( item != null )
	{
		this.txtDescription4.Text = item.ItemName;
		this.txtSize4.Text        = item.Size;
	this.txtUnitPrice4.Text   = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");
		this.txtQuantity4.Text    = "1";
	this.txtSubTotal4.Text    = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");

		CalculateTotalOrder();
	}
	else
	{
		this.txtItemNumber4.Text  = "";
		this.txtDescription4.Text = "";
		this.txtSize4.Text        = "";
		this.txtUnitPrice4.Text   = "0.00";
		this.txtQuantity4.Text    = "0";
		this.txtSubTotal4.Text    = "0.00";
	}
}

private void txtItemNumber5_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	string strItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber5.Text;
StoreItemR2.CStoreItem item = this.LocateStoreItem(strItemNumber);

	if( item != null )
	{
		this.txtDescription5.Text = item.ItemName;
		this.txtSize5.Text        = item.Size;
	this.txtUnitPrice5.Text   = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");
		this.txtQuantity5.Text    = "1";
	this.txtSubTotal5.Text    = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");

		CalculateTotalOrder();
	}
	else
	{
		this.txtItemNumber5.Text  = "";
		this.txtDescription5.Text = "";
		this.txtSize5.Text        = "";
		this.txtUnitPrice5.Text   = "0.00";
		this.txtQuantity5.Text    = "0";
		this.txtSubTotal5.Text    = "0.00";
	}
}

private void txtItemNumber6_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	string strItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber6.Text;
StoreItemR2.CStoreItem item = this.LocateStoreItem(strItemNumber);

	if( item != null )
	{
		this.txtDescription6.Text = item.ItemName;
		this.txtSize6.Text        = item.Size;
	this.txtUnitPrice6.Text   = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");
		this.txtQuantity6.Text    = "1";
	this.txtSubTotal6.Text    = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");

		CalculateTotalOrder();
	}
	else
	{
		this.txtItemNumber6.Text  = "";
		this.txtDescription6.Text = "";
		this.txtSize6.Text        = "";
		this.txtUnitPrice6.Text   = "0.00";
		this.txtQuantity6.Text    = "0";
		this.txtSubTotal6.Text    = "0.00";
	}
}

private void txtItemNumber7_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	string strItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber7.Text;
StoreItemR2.CStoreItem item = this.LocateStoreItem(strItemNumber);

	if( item != null )
	{
		this.txtDescription7.Text = item.ItemName;
		this.txtSize7.Text        = item.Size;
	this.txtUnitPrice7.Text   = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");
		this.txtQuantity7.Text    = "1";
	this.txtSubTotal7.Text    = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");

		CalculateTotalOrder();
	}
	else
	{
		this.txtItemNumber7.Text  = "";
		this.txtDescription7.Text = "";
		this.txtSize7.Text        = "";
		this.txtUnitPrice7.Text   = "0.00";
		this.txtQuantity7.Text    = "0";
		this.txtSubTotal7.Text    = "0.00";
	}
}

private void txtItemNumber8_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	string strItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber8.Text;
StoreItemR2.CStoreItem item = this.LocateStoreItem(strItemNumber);

	if( item != null )
	{
		this.txtDescription8.Text = item.ItemName;
		this.txtSize8.Text        = item.Size;
	this.txtUnitPrice8.Text   = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");
		this.txtQuantity8.Text    = "1";
	this.txtSubTotal8.Text    = item.UnitPrice.ToString("F");

		CalculateTotalOrder();
	}
	else
	{
		this.txtItemNumber8.Text  = "";
		this.txtDescription8.Text = "";
		this.txtSize8.Text        = "";
		this.txtUnitPrice8.Text   = "0.00";
		this.txtQuantity8.Text    = "0";
		this.txtSubTotal8.Text    = "0.00";
	}
}

At the end of the above methods, create the following method:

internal decimal CalculateSubTotal(string  strPrice, string  strQuantity)
{
	int qty = 0;
	decimal unitPrice = 0.00M, subTotal;
	
	try 
	{
		// Get the quantity of the current item
		qty = int.Parse(strQuantity);
	}
	catch(FormatException)
	{
	MessageBox.Show("The value you provided for the quantity of the item is invalid" +
					"\nPlease try again");
	}
			
	try 
	{
		// Get the unit price of the current item
		unitPrice = decimal.Parse(strPrice);
	}
	catch(FormatException )
	{
	MessageBox.Show("The unit price you provided for item is invalid" +
					"\nPlease try again");
	}
	// Calculate the current sub total
	subTotal = qty * unitPrice;

	return subTotal;
}

Display the Customer Order form again and click the first text box under Qty
In the Properties window and in the Events section, double-click the Leave field
Return to the form, click each of the other Qty text boxes, and in the Properties window, click the Leave field of each Qty

Implement their events as follows:

private void txtQuantity1_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
		{
			string strUnitPrice = this.txtUnitPrice1.Text;
			string strQty = this.txtQuantity1.Text;
			decimal subTotal = this.CalculateSubTotal(strUnitPrice, strQty);
	
			// Display the new sub total in the corresponding text box
			this.txtSubTotal1.Text = subTotal.ToString("F");
			// Update the order
			CalculateTotalOrder();
		}

		private void txtQuantity2_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
		{
			string strUnitPrice = this.txtUnitPrice2.Text;
			string strQty = this.txtQuantity2.Text;
			decimal subTotal = this.CalculateSubTotal(strUnitPrice, strQty);
	
			this.txtSubTotal2.Text = subTotal.ToString("F");
			CalculateTotalOrder();
		}

		private void txtQuantity3_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
		{
			string strUnitPrice = this.txtUnitPrice3.Text;
			string strQty = this.txtQuantity3.Text;
			decimal subTotal = this.CalculateSubTotal(strUnitPrice, strQty);
	
			this.txtSubTotal3.Text = subTotal.ToString("F");
			CalculateTotalOrder();
		}

		private void txtQuantity4_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
		{
			string strUnitPrice = this.txtUnitPrice4.Text;
			string strQty = this.txtQuantity4.Text;
			decimal subTotal = this.CalculateSubTotal(strUnitPrice, strQty);
	
			this.txtSubTotal4.Text = subTotal.ToString("F");
			CalculateTotalOrder();
		}

		private void txtQuantity5_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
		{
			string strUnitPrice = this.txtUnitPrice5.Text;
			string strQty = this.txtQuantity5.Text;
			decimal subTotal = this.CalculateSubTotal(strUnitPrice, strQty);
	
			this.txtSubTotal5.Text = subTotal.ToString("F");
			CalculateTotalOrder();
		}

		private void txtQuantity6_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
		{
			string strUnitPrice = this.txtUnitPrice6.Text;
			string strQty = this.txtQuantity6.Text;
			decimal subTotal = this.CalculateSubTotal(strUnitPrice, strQty);

			this.txtSubTotal6.Text = subTotal.ToString("F");
			CalculateTotalOrder();
		}

		private void txtQuantity7_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
		{
			string strUnitPrice = this.txtUnitPrice7.Text;
			string strQty = this.txtQuantity7.Text;
			decimal subTotal = this.CalculateSubTotal(strUnitPrice, strQty);
	
			this.txtSubTotal7.Text = subTotal.ToString("F");
			CalculateTotalOrder();
		}

		private void txtQuantity8_Leave(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
		{
			string strUnitPrice = this.txtUnitPrice8.Text;
			string strQty = this.txtQuantity8.Text;
			decimal subTotal = this.CalculateSubTotal(strUnitPrice, strQty);
	
			this.txtSubTotal8.Text = subTotal.ToString("F");
			CalculateTotalOrder();
		}

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The Process of Serializing

To support serialization of an object, the .NET Framework provides the BinaryFormatter class from the System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary namespace. This class is derived from Object but implements the IRemotingFormatter and the IFormatter interfaces. One of the methods of this class is called Serialize. This method is overloaded with two versions. The syntax of the first version is:

public virtual void Serialize(Stream serializationStream, object graph);

The first argument of this method is a stream object that will carry the details of the streaming process. It must be a class derived from Stream. The second argument is a variable that carries the value(s) to be saved. It can be an instance of a class you created or a variable declared from a .NET Framework serializable class.

Practical Learning: Serializing an Object

Display the New Store Item form and click an empty area of its body
In the events section of the Properties window, double-click the Deactivate field

Implement the event as follows:

private void NewStoreItem_Deactivate(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	string strFilename = "StoreItems.sti";
	 FileStream fStream = new FileStream(strFilename, FileMode.Create);
	 BinaryFormatter binFormat = new BinaryFormatter();

	 try {
		 binFormat.Serialize(fStream, this.lstStoreItems);
	 }
	 catch(ArgumentNullException )
	 {
		 MessageBox.Show("The inventory could not be accessed");
	 }
	 catch(SerializationException )
	 {
		 MessageBox.Show("The inventory could not be saved");
	 }
	 finally {
		 fStream.Close();
	 }
}

Save all

Object Deserialization

The opposite of serialization is deserialization. Deserialization is the process of retrieving an object that was serialized. When this is done, an exact copy of the object that was saved is created and restored as the origin.

To support deserialization, the BinaryFormatter class provides the Deserialize() method, which is overloaded in two versions. The syntax of the first version:

public virtual object Deserialize(Stream serializationStream);

This method as argument the object that holds the file and the details on how the file will be opened.

Practical Learning: Deserializing an Object

Display the New Item Store form and click an unoccupied area of its body to make sure the form is selected.
In the Properties window, click the Events button if necessary.
In the events list, double-click the Activated field

Implement the event as follows:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Collections;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.IO;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary;

namespace DepartmentStore3
{
	/// <summary>
	/// Summary description for NewStoreItem.
	/// </summary>
	public class NewStoreItem : System.Windows.Forms.Form
	{
		. . . No Change
		
		private System.ComponentModel.Container components = null;
		ArrayList lstStoreItems;

		. . . No Change
		
		private void InitializeComponent()
		{
			. . . No Change

		}
		#endregion

. . . No Change

private void NewStoreItem_Activated(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	// This file holds the items sold in the store
	 string strFilename = "StoreItems.sti";
	 FileStream fStream = null;

	 if( File.Exists(strFilename) )
	 {
		 try {
			 // Create a stream of store items
			 fStream = new FileStream(strFilename, FileMode.Open);
                     
			 BinaryFormatter binFormat = new BinaryFormatter();
			 lstStoreItems = (ArrayList)binFormat.Deserialize(fStream);
		 }
		 catch(ArgumentNullException )
		 {
			 MessageBox.Show("The inventory could not be accessed");
		 }
		 catch(SerializationException )
		 {
			 MessageBox.Show("The application failed to retrieve the inventory");
		 }
		 finally
		 {
			 fStream.Close();
		 }
	 }
	 else
		 return;
}

Return to the New Store Item form.
Double-click its Add Item button and implement its Click event as follows:

private void btnAddItem_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	StoreItemR2.CStoreItem item = new StoreItemR2.CStoreItem();
	 
	// Make sure the record is complete before attempting to add it
	if( this.txtItemNumber.Text == "" )
		return;
	if( this.txtItemName.Text == "" )
		return;
	if( this.txtUnitPrice.Text == "" )
		return;

	// Now the record seems to be ready: build it
	item.ItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber.Text;
	item.ItemName   = this.txtItemName.Text;
	item.Size       = this.txtSize.Text;
	item.UnitPrice  = decimal.Parse(this.txtUnitPrice.Text);
	// Add the record
	this.lstStoreItems.Add(item);
	DateTime tmeNow = DateTime.Now;

	// Get ready to create a unique item number
	bool FoundUniqueNumber = false;
	string strItemNumber = "000000";

	do 
	{
		int mls = tmeNow.Millisecond;
		// Generate two random numbers between 100 and 999
		Random rndNumber = new Random(mls);
		int NewNumber1 = rndNumber.Next(100, 999);
		int NewNumber2 = rndNumber.Next(100, 999);
		// Create an item number from the random numbers
		strItemNumber = NewNumber1.ToString() + "-" + NewNumber2.ToString();

		// Find out if the item number created already exists in the database
		// If it does, then create another
		for(int i = 0; i < this.lstStoreItems.Count; i++)
		{
			item = (StoreItemR2.CStoreItem)this.lstStoreItems[i];

			if( item.ItemNumber == strItemNumber )
				FoundUniqueNumber = true;
		}
	}while(FoundUniqueNumber == false);

	// Reset the form for a new record
	this.txtItemNumber.Text = strItemNumber;
	this.txtItemName.Text = "";
	this.txtSize.Text = "";
	this.txtUnitPrice.Text = "";
	this.txtItemName.Focus();
}

Execute the application and create a few items (let the computer generate the item numbers):

Item Name	Size	Unit Price
Women Cashmere Lined Glove	8	115.95
Men Trendy Jacket	Medium	45.85
Women Stretch Flare Jeans	Petite	27.75
Women Belted Sweater	L	15.95
Girls Classy Handbag	One Size	95.95
Women Casual Dress Shoes	9.5M	45.95
Boys Hooded Sweatshirt	M (7/8)	15.95
Girls Velour Dress	10	12.55
Women Lace Desire Panty	M	7.15
Infant Girls Ballerina Dress	12M	22.85
Men Classic Pinstripe Suit	38	145.95

Close the forms and return to your programming environment
Display the Store Inventory form and double-click its Load button

In the top section of the file, under the other using lines, type:

using System.IO;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary;

Implement its Click event as follows:

private void btnLoad_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	ArrayList lstItems= new ArrayList();
	 string strFilename = "StoreItems.sti";
				 
	 if( File.Exists(strFilename) )
	 {
		 FileStream fStream = new FileStream(strFilename, FileMode.Open);

		 try {
			 BinaryFormatter binFormat = new BinaryFormatter();
			 lstItems = (ArrayList)binFormat.Deserialize(fStream);

			 this.dataGrid1.DataSource = 0;
			 this.dataGrid1.DataSource = lstItems;
		 }	 
		 catch(ArgumentNullException )
		 {
			 MessageBox.Show("The inventory could not be accessed");
		 }
		 catch(SerializationException )
		{
			 MessageBox.Show("The application failed to retrieve the inventory");
		 }
		 finally
		 {
			 fStream.Close();
		 }
	 }
}

Execute the application
Click the Store Inventory button and click the Load button to display the inventory
Close the forms and return to your programming environment
Display the Customer Order form and click an unoccupied area of its body to make sure the form is selected.
In the Properties window, click the Events button.
In the events list, double-click the Activated field

Implement the event as follows:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Collections;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using StoreItemR2;
using System.IO;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary;

namespace DepartmentStore3
{
	/// <summary>
	/// Summary description for CustomerOrder.
	/// </summary>
	public class CustomerOrder : System.Windows.Forms.Form
	{
		

		. . . No Change
			
		
		/// <summary>
		/// Required designer variable.
		/// </summary>
		private System.ComponentModel.Container components = null;
		ArrayList lstAvailableItems;
					


		. . . No Change
			
		

private void CustomerOrder_Activated(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	lstAvailableItems = new ArrayList();
			 
	 // This file holds the items sold in the store
	 string strFilename = "StoreItems.sti";
	 FileStream fStream = null;

	 if( File.Exists(strFilename) )
	 {
		 try {
			 // Create a stream of store items
			 fStream = new FileStream(strFilename, FileMode.Open);
                     
			 BinaryFormatter binFormat = new BinaryFormatter();
			 lstAvailableItems = (ArrayList)binFormat.Deserialize(fStream);
		 }
		 catch(ArgumentNullException )
		 {
			 MessageBox.Show("The inventory could not be accessed");
		 }
		 catch(SerializationException )
		 {
			 MessageBox.Show("The application failed to retrieve the inventory");
		 }
		 finally
		 {
			 fStream.Close();
		 }
	 }
	 else
		 return;
}

To add a new project, in the Solution Explorer, right-click Solution Department3 (2 Projects), position the mouse on Add and click New Project...
In the Project Types list of the Add New Project dialog box, make sure Visual C# Projects is selected
In the Templates list, click Class Library
Change the Name to SalesInventory and click OK

Change the file as follows:

using System;

namespace SalesInventory
{
	/// <summary>
	/// Summary description for Class1.
	/// </summary>
	[Serializable]
	public class CSaleInventory
	{
		private string strNbr;
		private string strName;
		private string strSize;
		private decimal  uPrice;
		private int     iQty;
		private decimal  stotal;

		public CSaleInventory()
		{
			strNbr  = "";
			strName = "";
			strSize = "";
			uPrice  = 0.00M;
			iQty    = 0;
			stotal  = 0.00M;
		}

		CSaleInventory(string number, string name, string size,
			decimal price, int qty, decimal total)
		{
			strNbr  = number;
			strName = name;
			strSize = size;
			uPrice  = price;
			iQty    = qty;
			stotal  = total;
		}
		
		public string ItemNumber
		{
			get { return strNbr; }
			set { strNbr = value; }
		}

		public string ItemName
		{
			get { return strName; }
			set { strName = value; }
		}
		
		public string Size
		{
			get { return strSize; }
			set { strSize = value; }
		}

		public decimal UnitPrice
		{
			get { return uPrice; }
			set { uPrice = value; }
		}

		public int Quantity
		{
			get { return iQty; }
			set { iQty = value; }
		}

		public decimal SubTotal
		{
			get { return stotal; }
			set { stotal = value; }
		}
	}
}

To create the library, in the Solution Explorer, right-click the SalesInventory node and click Build
To get a reference of this library to the department store project, in Solution Explorer, under DepartmentStore3, right-click References and click Add Reference...
In the Projects property page, click SalesInventory and click Select
Click OK
Display the Customer Order form

Double-click the Save And Start New Order button and implement its Click event as follows:

private void btnSaveOrder_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	 DateTime dteCurrent = this.dtpSaleDate.Value;
	 int month = dteCurrent.Month;
	 int day   = dteCurrent.Day;
	 int year  = dteCurrent.Year;
			 
	 string strFilename = month.ToString() + "-" + day.ToString() +
                          "-" + year.ToString() + ".dly";
	 ArrayList lstCurrentSoldItems = new ArrayList();
	 SalesInventory.CSaleInventory curOrder = null;
	 FileStream fStream = null;
	 BinaryFormatter binFormat = new BinaryFormatter();

	// If this is not the first order of this file, then first open the file
	 // and store its orders in a temporary list
	 if( File.Exists(strFilename) )
	 {
		 try {
			 // Create a stream of store items
			 fStream = new FileStream(strFilename, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read, FileShare.Read);

			 lstCurrentSoldItems = (ArrayList)binFormat.Deserialize(fStream);
		 }
		 catch(ArgumentNullException )
		 {
			 MessageBox.Show("The inventory could not be accessed");
		 }
		 catch(SerializationException )
		 {
			 MessageBox.Show("The application failed to retrieve the inventory");
		 }
		 finally
		 {
			 fStream.Close();
		 }
	 }

	 // Whether the file existed already or not, add the current items to the list
	 if( this.txtItemNumber1.Text != "" )
	 {
		 curOrder = new SalesInventory.CSaleInventory();
		 curOrder.ItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber1.Text;
		 curOrder.ItemName   = this.txtDescription1.Text;
		 curOrder.Size       = this.txtSize1.Text;
		 curOrder.UnitPrice  = decimal.Parse(this.txtUnitPrice1.Text);
		 curOrder.Quantity   = int.Parse(this.txtQuantity1.Text);
		 curOrder.SubTotal   = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal1.Text);
		 lstCurrentSoldItems.Add(curOrder);
	 }

	 if( this.txtItemNumber2.Text != "" )
	 {
		 curOrder = new SalesInventory.CSaleInventory();
		 curOrder.ItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber2.Text;
		 curOrder.ItemName   = this.txtDescription2.Text;
		 curOrder.Size       = this.txtSize2.Text;
		 curOrder.UnitPrice  = decimal.Parse(this.txtUnitPrice2.Text);
		 curOrder.Quantity   = int.Parse(this.txtQuantity2.Text);
		 curOrder.SubTotal   = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal2.Text);
		 lstCurrentSoldItems.Add(curOrder);
	 }

	 if( !this.txtItemNumber3.Text.Equals("") )
	 {
		 curOrder = new SalesInventory.CSaleInventory();
		 curOrder.ItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber3.Text;
		 curOrder.ItemName   = this.txtDescription3.Text;
		 curOrder.Size       = this.txtSize3.Text;
		 curOrder.UnitPrice  = decimal.Parse(this.txtUnitPrice3.Text);
		 curOrder.Quantity   = int.Parse(this.txtQuantity3.Text);
		 curOrder.SubTotal   = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal3.Text);
		 lstCurrentSoldItems.Add(curOrder);
	 }

	 if( !this.txtItemNumber4.Text.Equals("") )
	 {
		 curOrder = new SalesInventory.CSaleInventory();
		 curOrder.ItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber4.Text;
		 curOrder.ItemName   = this.txtDescription4.Text;
		 curOrder.Size       = this.txtSize4.Text;
		 curOrder.UnitPrice  = decimal.Parse(this.txtUnitPrice4.Text);
		 curOrder.Quantity   = int.Parse(this.txtQuantity4.Text);
		 curOrder.SubTotal   = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal4.Text);
		 lstCurrentSoldItems.Add(curOrder);
	 }

	 if( !this.txtItemNumber5.Text.Equals("") )
	 {
		 curOrder = new SalesInventory.CSaleInventory();
		 curOrder.ItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber5.Text;
		 curOrder.ItemName   = this.txtDescription5.Text;
		 curOrder.Size       = this.txtSize5.Text;
		 curOrder.UnitPrice  = decimal.Parse(this.txtUnitPrice5.Text);
		 curOrder.Quantity   = int.Parse(this.txtQuantity3.Text);
		 curOrder.SubTotal   = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal5.Text);
		 lstCurrentSoldItems.Add(curOrder);
	 }

	 if( !this.txtItemNumber6.Text.Equals("") )
	 {
		 curOrder = new SalesInventory.CSaleInventory();
		 curOrder.ItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber6.Text;
		 curOrder.ItemName   = this.txtDescription6.Text;
		 curOrder.Size       = this.txtSize6.Text;
		 curOrder.UnitPrice  = decimal.Parse(this.txtUnitPrice6.Text);
		 curOrder.Quantity   = int.Parse(this.txtQuantity6.Text);
		 curOrder.SubTotal   = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal6.Text);
		 lstCurrentSoldItems.Add(curOrder);
	 }

	 if( !this.txtItemNumber7.Text.Equals("") )
	 {
		 curOrder = new SalesInventory.CSaleInventory();
		 curOrder.ItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber7.Text;
		 curOrder.ItemName   = this.txtDescription7.Text;
		 curOrder.Size       = this.txtSize7.Text;
		 curOrder.UnitPrice  = decimal.Parse(this.txtUnitPrice7.Text);
		 curOrder.Quantity   = int.Parse(this.txtQuantity7.Text);
		 curOrder.SubTotal   = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal7.Text);
		 lstCurrentSoldItems.Add(curOrder);
	 }

	 if( !this.txtItemNumber8.Text.Equals("") )
	 {
		 curOrder = new SalesInventory.CSaleInventory();
		 curOrder.ItemNumber = this.txtItemNumber8.Text;
		 curOrder.ItemName   = this.txtDescription8.Text;
		 curOrder.Size       = this.txtSize8.Text;
		 curOrder.UnitPrice  = decimal.Parse(this.txtUnitPrice8.Text);
		 curOrder.Quantity   = int.Parse(this.txtQuantity8.Text);
		 curOrder.SubTotal   = decimal.Parse(this.txtSubTotal8.Text);
		 lstCurrentSoldItems.Add(curOrder);
	 }

	 fStream = new FileStream(strFilename, FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write, FileShare.None);

	 try {
		 binFormat.Serialize(fStream, lstCurrentSoldItems);
	 }
	 catch(ArgumentNullException )
	 {
		 MessageBox.Show("The customer order could not be accessed");
	 }
	 catch(SerializationException )
	 {
		 MessageBox.Show("The customer order could not be saved");
	 }
	 finally
	 {
		 fStream.Close();
	 }

	 // Reset the order
	 this.txtItemNumber1.Text = "";
	 this.txtItemNumber2.Text = "";
	 this.txtItemNumber3.Text = "";
	 this.txtItemNumber4.Text = "";
	 this.txtItemNumber5.Text = "";
	 this.txtItemNumber6.Text = "";
	 this.txtItemNumber7.Text = "";
	 this.txtItemNumber8.Text = "";

	 this.txtItemNumber1_Leave(sender, e);
	 this.txtItemNumber2_Leave(sender, e);
	 this.txtItemNumber3_Leave(sender, e);
	 this.txtItemNumber4_Leave(sender, e);
	 this.txtItemNumber5_Leave(sender, e);
	 this.txtItemNumber6_Leave(sender, e);
	 this.txtItemNumber7_Leave(sender, e);
	 this.txtItemNumber8_Leave(sender, e);

	 this.txtTotalOrder.Text = "0.00";
	 this.dtpSaleDate.Value = DateTime.Today;
	 
	 this.txtItemNumber1.Focus();
}

Execute the application
Click the Store Inventory button and click the Load button to display the inventory
Keep the inventory form opened and from the main form, click the Customer Order button
Process a few orders and save them at different dates. Write on a piece of paper the dates the orders are saved
Close the forms and return to your programming environment
Display the Daily Sales form
Double-click the Date Time Picker control on it

Implement its event as follows:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Collections;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.IO;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary;

namespace DepartmentStore3
{
	. . . No Change

private void dtpSaleDate_ValueChanged(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
	 DateTime dteCurrent = this.dtpSaleDate.Value;
	 int month = dteCurrent.Month;
	 int day   = dteCurrent.Day;
	 int year  = dteCurrent.Year;
			 
	 string strFilename = month.ToString() + "-" + day.ToString() + "-" + year.ToString() + ".dly";

	 ArrayList lstDaySoldItems = new ArrayList();
	 BinaryFormatter binFormat = new BinaryFormatter();

	// Find out if the file exists, that is, if some orders were placed on that day
	 if( File.Exists(strFilename) )
	 {
		 FileStream fStream = new FileStream(strFilename, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read, FileShare.Read);

		 try {
			 binFormat = new BinaryFormatter();
			 lstDaySoldItems = (ArrayList)binFormat.Deserialize(fStream);

			 this.dataGrid1.DataSource = 0;
			 this.dataGrid1.DataSource = lstDaySoldItems;
		 }	 
		 catch(ArgumentNullException )
		 {
			 MessageBox.Show("The inventory could not be accessed");
		 }
		 catch(SerializationException )
		{
			 MessageBox.Show("The application failed to retrieve the inventory");
		 }
		 finally
		 {
			 fStream.Close();
		 }
	 }
	 else
		 this.dataGrid1.DataSource = 0;
}

Execute the application and test all objects


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