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Asked: 2026-05-10T21:03:15+00:00

I am using XmlSerializer to write and read an object to xml in C#.

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I am using XmlSerializer to write and read an object to xml in C#. I currently use the attributes XmlElement and XmlIgnore to manipulate the serialization of the object.

If my xml file is missing an xml element that I require, my object still deserializes (xml -> object) just fine. How do I indicate (preferably via Attributes) that a certain field is ‘required’?

Here is a sample method of what I am using currently:

[XmlElement(ElementName='numberOfWidgets')] public int NumberThatIsRequired {     set ...;     get ...; }

My ideal solution would be to add something like an XmlRequired attribute.

Also, is there a good reference for what Attributes are available to manipulate the behavior of XmlSerializer?

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  1. I’ve got an answer for the second part: ‘Attributes that control XML serialization’.

    Still investigating the first part…

    EDIT: I strongly suspect you can’t do this through XML deserialization itself. I’ve just run xsd.exe on a sample schema which includes a required attribute – and it’s exactly the same if the attribute is marked as being optional. If there were a way of requiring properties to be set, I’d expect it to be implemented in that case.

    I suspect you’ve basically got to just validate your tree of objects after deserializing it. Sorry about that…

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