WCF DataContract Attribute

Question

I have a question about the [DataContract] attribute.

I have written my code like below: here I am not using [DataContract] attribute for my test class.

    class test
    {
      [Datamember]
       public string Strproperty
        {
          get;
          set;
        }
       [Datamemer]
       public string Strproperty2
        {
          get;
          set;
        }
    }


 class checktotal:Iservice
    {
    public string testmethod(test obj)
       {
           return obj.Strproperty+Strproperty2;
       }
    }

For that I am sending data from client I am getting the values correctly.

Here is it necessary to use [DataContract] attribute for that test class?

If I removed [Datamember] for test class property is getting error while sending from client. But I am not getting any errors even if I am not using the [DataContract] attribute.

Please give me a brief explanation with example so that I can understand when to give that attribute and when do not give that attribute.

Thanks, Satya Pratap.

Answer 1

The DataContractSerializer can deal with classes that do not have the DataContract attribute if they provide a default constructor. See the MSDN documentation for more details.

Answer 2

As of .NET 3.5 Service Pack 1, you can omit (not use) the [DataContract] and [DataMember] attributes. If you do that, then the DataContractSerializer in WCF will behave just like the XML serializer - it will serialize all public properties only.

I prefer to use [DataContract] and [DataMember] explicitly anyway - it gives me the opportunity to specify options (like the data contract's XML namespace, the order of the [DataMember]) and it lets me e.g. also exclude certain properties from serialization.

As soon as you start using [DataMember] on one property, then only those properties decorated with a [DataMember] will be looked at for the WCF serialization.