Is serialization possible for a struct

Question

Can I serialize a struct type directly since its a value type.

I have used it inside class but wondering if its possible for a struct alone.

e.g.

struct student
{
   name string; --string is a reference type
   age int;
   designation string; --string is a reference type
   salary double;
};

class foo
{
 foo(){
   student s;
   s.name = "example";

   serialize(s);
  }
}

This link says "I tried having my struct implement ISerializable, but I can't implement the required constructor because this is a struct and not an object."

Answer 1

Yes, you can. I just did so with the following code.

[Serializable]
public struct TestStruct
{
    public int Value1 { get; set; }
    public int Value2 { get; set; }
    public string Value3 { get; set; }
    public double Value4 { get; set; }
}

TestStruct s1 = new TestStruct();
s1.Value1 = 43265;
s1.Value2 = 2346;
s1.Value3 = "SE";

string serialized = jss.Serialize(s1);
s2 = jss.Deserialize<TestStruct>(serialized);
Console.WriteLine(serialized);
Console.WriteLine(s2.Value1 + " " + s2.Value2 + " " + s2.Value3 + " " + s2.Value4);

What did it do? Exactly what it should have, serialized and deserialized the struct.

Output:

{"Value1":43265,"Value2":2346,"Value3":"SE","Value4":5235.3}
43265 2346 SE 5235.3

Funny, that's the TestStruct serialized and deserialized to/from JSON.

What about a default constructor? All struct objects have a default constructor, it's one of the fundamental properties of a struct object, and that default constructor is merely responsible for clearing the memory required for a struct object to the default values. Therefore, the serializer already knows there is a default constructor, and therefore can proceed as if it's a regular object (which it is).

Notes:

This example uses System.Web.Script.Serialization.JavaScriptSerializer.

This example assumes all the variables inside the struct are properties. If they are not, then this answer may not work. It seems to work for me with fields in place of the properties, but that's not a best-practice. You should always make sure that the public variables in all objects are properties.

Answer 2

Ok, I'll make it easier for your, this is how I did it

[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, Pack = 1)]
public class IClockFingerprintTemplate
{
    public ushort Size;
    public ushort PIN;
    public byte FingerID;
    public byte Valid;
    [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.ByValArray)]
    public byte[] Template;
}

    protected static byte[] RawSerialize(object item, Type anyType)
    {
        int structSize;
        byte[] bff;
        IntPtr ptr;

        structSize = ((IClockFingerprintTemplate)item).Size; 
        ptr = Marshal.AllocHGlobal(structSize);
        Marshal.StructureToPtr(item, ptr, true);
        bff = new byte[structSize];
        Marshal.Copy(ptr, bff, 0, 6);
        Array.Copy(((IClockFingerprintTemplate)item).Template, 0, bff, 6, structSize - 6);
        Marshal.FreeHGlobal(ptr);
    }