Question

This might be a little subjective, but I’d like to get your input on my current situation. I have a class that will be used to serialize/deserialize an object.

public class MyClass
{
    public static string ToXmlString( MyClass c ) { /*...*/ }
    public static MyClass FromXmlString( string xml ) { /*...*/ }
}

I only like this approach because it keeps the two functions at the same level. However, my goal is to avoid using static methods (when feasable). It also feels like I might be vilolating SRP, but the main goal of this object is that it can be seriliazed/deserialized from an xml string.

Any thoughts on the use of static methods in this situation? Should I just make the ToXmlString non-static, but leave the FromXmlString static? Should I create a new class that will only handle serilization of MyClass?

EDIT:

The class that I’m discussion here is a simple transfer object. It is used to save/restore values from a thrid party tool.

Thanks!

Answer 1

FWIW I think that serialization is a problematic that should be separated from the rest of your class, above all if your class is a business type.

The general rule when developing a component is to ensure that it only addresses a few concerns and to separate business concerns from technical ones.

What if later you need to manage serialization from a database or a binary format ?

You might end with more and more technical methods (SaveToDB, LoadFromDB, ToBinaryStream, FromBinaryStream…) that would clutter your class and make it more and more difficult to maintain, hiding its primary purposes (business for example).