Hi,

I have VB.NET form that reads and updates a simple XML file (people.xml), but I'm not sure how to modify it read a more complex XML file (people2.xml). I want the form to show a varying number of family members and be able to add families that may have from one to five members.

Thanks for any assistance,
kyma

people2.xml --- more complex XML in which a lastname is only used one for all members of a family and each firstname, age, gender is part of a member.

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<FamilyList xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"

xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<Families>
   <Family>
       <LastName>Flanders</LastName>
    <Member>
          <FirstName>Ned</FirstName>
          <Age>60</Age>
          <Gender>Male</Gender>
    </Member>
    <Member>
          <FirstName>Maude</FirstName>
          <Age>34</Age>
          <Gender>Female</Gender>
    </Member>
    <Member>
          <FirstName>Rod</FirstName>
          <Age>10</Age>
          <Gender>Male</Gender>
    </Member>
    <Member>
          <FirstName>Todd</FirstName>
          <Age>8</Age>
          <Gender>Male</Gender>
    </Member>
   </Family>
   <Family>
       <LastName>Lovejoy</LastName>
    <Member>
          <FirstName>Timothy</FirstName>
          <Age>37</Age>
          <Gender>Male</Gender>
    </Member>
    <Member>
          <FirstName>Helen</FirstName>
          <Age>36</Age>
          <Gender>Female</Gender>
    </Member>
    <Member>
          <FirstName>Jessica</FirstName>
          <Age>10</Age>
          <Gender>Female</Gender>
    </Member>
   </Family>
</Families>
</FamilyList>





people.xml --- simple XML file

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<FamilyList xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
  <Families>
    <Family>
      <LastName>Flanders</LastName>
      <FirstName>Ned</FirstName>
      <Age>60</Age>
      <Gender>Male</Gender>
    </Family>
    <Family>
      <LastName>Flanders</LastName>
      <FirstName>Maude</FirstName>
      <Age>34</Age>
      <Gender>Female</Gender>
    </Family>
    <Family>
      <LastName>Flanders</LastName>
      <FirstName>Rod</FirstName>
      <Age>10</Age>
      <Gender>Male</Gender>
    </Family>
    <Family>
      <LastName>Flanders</LastName>
      <FirstName>Todd</FirstName>
      <Age>8</Age>
      <Gender>Male</Gender>
    </Family>
    <Family>
      <LastName>Lovejoy</LastName>
      <FirstName>Timothy</FirstName>
      <Age>37</Age>
      <Gender>Male</Gender>
    </Family>
    <Family>
      <LastName>Lovejoy</LastName>
      <FirstName>Helen</FirstName>
      <Age>36</Age>
      <Gender>Female</Gender>
    </Family>
    <Family>
      <LastName>Lovejoy</LastName>
      <FirstName>Jessica</FirstName>
      <Age>10</Age>
      <Gender>Female</Gender>
    </Family>
  </Families>
</FamilyList>






frmFamilyList.vb --- form itself

Public Class frmFamilyList
    Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form

...

    'Members
    Public FamilyList As FamilyList
    Private _currentFamilyIndex As Integer

    'Current Family
    ReadOnly Property CurrentFamily() As Family
        Get
            Return FamilyList.Items(CurrentFamilyIndex - 1)
        End Get
    End Property


    'Current Address Index
    Property CurrentFamilyIndex() As Integer
        Get
            Return _currentFamilyIndex
        End Get
        Set(ByVal Value As Integer)
            'Set family
            _currentFamilyIndex = Value

            'Update display
            PopulateFormFromFamily(CurrentFamily)

            'Record number information
            lblRecordNumber.Text = _currentFamilyIndex & " of " & FamilyList.Items.Count

        End Set
    End Property

    'Data location
    Public ReadOnly Property DataFilename() As String
        Get
            'Working folder
            Dim folder As String
            folder = Environment.CurrentDirectory

            'Return folder with name of file
            Return folder & "\people.xml"

        End Get
    End Property

    'Populate Family from form fields
    Public Sub PopulateFamilyFromForm(ByVal family As Family)
        'Copy values
        family.LastName = txtLastName.text
        family.FirstName = txtFirstName.text
        family.Age = txtAge.text
        family.Gender = txtGender.text

    End Sub

    'Populate form from Family
    Public Sub PopulateFormFromFamily(ByVal family As Family)
        'Copy values
        txtLastName.Text = family.LastName
        txtFirstName.Text = family.FirstName
        txtAge.Text = family.Age
        txtGender.Text = family.Gender

    End Sub


    Private Sub frmFamilyList_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        'load family list
        FamilyList = SerializableData.load(DataFilename, GetType(FamilyList))

        'Make sure family list contains items
        If FamilyList.Items.Count = 0 Then FamilyList.AddFamily()

        'Select first item
        CurrentFamilyIndex = 1

    End Sub


    Private Sub frmFamilyList_Closing(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.ComponentModel.CancelEventArgs) Handles MyBase.Closing
        'Save changes as form closes
        UpdateCurrentFamily()
        SaveChanges()

    End Sub

    'Save to XML file
    Public Sub SaveChanges()
        FamilyList.Save(DataFilename)
    End Sub

    'Ensure file has current values entered into form
    Private Sub UpdateCurrentFamily()
        PopulateFamilyFromForm(CurrentFamily)

    End Sub


    Private Sub btnAdd_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnAdd.Click
        AddNewFamily()
    End Sub


    Public Function AddNewFamily() As Family

        'Save current family
        UpdateCurrentFamily()

        'Create new family
        Dim newFamily As Family = FamilyList.AddFamily

        'Update display
        CurrentFamilyIndex = FamilyList.Items.Count

        'Return
        Return newFamily

End Class





FamilyList.vb ---

Imports System.Xml.Serialization

Public Class FamilyList
    Inherits SerializableData

    'Members
    <XmlIgnore()> Public Items As New ArrayList

    'Add new family
    Public Function AddFamily() As Family

        'Declare
        Dim newFamily As New Family

        'Add
        Items.Add(newFamily)

        'Return
        Return newFamily

    End Function


    'Works with items collection as an array
    Public Property Families() As Family()
        Get
            'New Array
            Dim familyArray(Items.Count - 1) As Family
            Items.CopyTo(familyArray)
            Return familyArray
        End Get
        Set(ByVal Value As Family())
            'Reset array list
            Items.Clear()
            'Any values?
            If Not Value Is Nothing Then
                'process array and populate items
                Dim family As Family
                For Each family In Value
                    Items.Add(family)
                Next
            End If
        End Set
    End Property
End Class




SerializableData.vb ---

Imports System.IO
Imports System.Xml.Serialization

Public Class SerializableData

    'Save object to file
    Public Function Save(ByVal filename As String)

        'Temporary
        Dim tempFilename As String
        tempFilename = filename & ".tmp"

        'Verify file exists
        Dim tempFileInfo As New FileInfo(tempFilename)
        If tempFileInfo.Exists = True Then tempFileInfo.Delete()

        'Open file
        Dim stream As New FileStream(tempFilename, FileMode.Create)

        'Save object
        Save(stream)

        'Close file
        stream.Close()

        'Remove existing file and rename temp file
        tempFileInfo.CopyTo(filename, True)
        tempFileInfo.Delete()

    End Function

    'Perform save
    Public Function Save(ByVal stream As Stream)

        'Create serializer
        Dim serializer As New XmlSerializer(Me.GetType)

        'Save file
        serializer.Serialize(stream, Me)

    End Function

    'Load from file
    Public Shared Function load(ByVal filename As String, ByVal newType As Type) As Object

        'Verify file exists
        Dim fileInfo As New FileInfo(filename)
        If fileInfo.Exists = False Then

            'Create and return blank version of object
            Return System.Activator.CreateInstance(newType)

        End If

        'Open file
        Dim stream As New FileStream(filename, FileMode.Open)

        'Load object from stream
        Dim newObject As Object = load(stream, newType)

        'Close stream
        stream.Close()

        'Return
        Return newObject

    End Function


    Public Shared Function Load(ByVal stream As Stream, ByVal newType As Type) As Object

        'Create serializer and load object
        Dim serializer As New XmlSerializer(newType)
        Dim newObject As Object = serializer.Deserialize(stream)

        'Return
        Return newObject

    End Function


End Class




Family.vb --- Family class

Public Class Family
    Inherits SerializableData

    'Members
    Public LastName As String
    Public FirstName As String
    Public Age As String
    Public Gender As String

End Class