Question

I was wondering how I could select multiple object initializers in 1 select statement using an XML document. I would like to avoid multiple iterations on the same file.

The XML structure looks like this:

<root>
  <doc name="test.doc">
    <version lang="nl">
    </version>
    <version lang="fr">
    </version>
  </doc>
  <doc name="test2.doc">
    <version lang="nl">
      <title>Document over ons</title>
    </version>
    <version lang="fr">
      <title>Document de nous</title>
    </version>
  </doc>
</root>

The LINQ statement for 1 element would look like this:

var docs = select e from xmlDoc.Descendants("doc")
           select new docEntry()
           {
             Name = (string)e.Attribute("name"),
             Title = (string)element.Elements("version").Where(d => (string)d.Attribute("language_code") == "nl").First().Element("title")
           }

Now I would like to select the french version in 1 go as well, pseudo code something like this:

var docs = select e from xmlDoc.Descendants("doc")
           select new docEntry()
           {
             Name = (string)e.Attribute("name"),
             Title = (string)element.Elements("version").Where(d => (string)d.Attribute("language_code") == "nl").First().Element("title")
           },
           select new docEntry()
           {
             Name = (string)e.Attribute("name"),
             Title = (string)element.Elements("version").Where(d => (string)d.Attribute("language_code") == "fr").First().Element("title")
           }

Any ideas on how I can accomplish this in 1 go? I know I could do this in 2 round trips through the XML but that would be stupid, no?

Answer 1

var docs = from e in xmlDoc.Descendants("doc")
           select new
           {
               NL = new docEntry
               {
                 Name = e.Attribute("name").Value,
                 Title = e.Elements("version").Where(d => d.Attribute("language_code").Value == "nl").First().Element("title").Value
               },
               FR = new docEntry
               {
                 Name = e.Attribute("name").Value,
                 Title = e.Elements("version").Where(d => d.Attribute("language_code").Value == "fr").First().Element("title").Value
               }
           };

Another, slightly different option :

var docs = from e in from xmlDoc.Descendants("doc")
           select new[]
           {
               new docEntry
               {
                 Name = e.Attribute("name").Value,
                 Title = e.Elements("version").Where(d => d.Attribute("language_code").Value == "nl").First().Element("title").Value
               },
               new docEntry
               {
                 Name = e.Attribute("name").Value,
                 Title = e.Elements("version").Where(d => d.Attribute("language_code").Value == "fr").First().Element("title").Value
               }
           };