Years ago, there appeared to be only XmlSerializer.  Then came the DataContractSerializer particular for use with WCF.  Now, it appears there are a couple JsonSerializers – who knows what will be next?

Recently, I had to implement a Serializer.  I tried a few of them and want to note some of the more useful pages on the subject:

  • Diederik Krols – Example implementations on all Serializers along withe benchmarks.
  • Microsoft – Troubleshooting pointers and examples.
  • Stack Overflow – Example implementation on the XmlSerializer.

On a related note, classes like StorageFile and Type do not work with any of these Serializers – I have tried.  Each time, I eventually was able to find an error that suggested it was because the class(es) in question did not have a public parameterless constructor available.