persistence/serializable

I have a two objects - Step and Composite

 

Step has a few string and int properties - nothing too fancy.

Composite has a few string properties and an ArrayList of Step objects.

 

I am looking at XML as an easy way to persist some user configurations
of Step  and Composite instances to files.  So I marked these classes
with [Serializable] and created Serialize() and Deserialize() methods.
The instances were serialized and deserialized - however, this
methodology didn't do exactly what I want.

 

If I call the Serialilze() or Deserialize() methods on the Step object,
I save or restore the Step instance I desire (all the properties are
saved as I desire).

 

If I call the Serialize() or Deserialize() methods on the Composite
object, I save or restore the Composite instance I desire EXCEPT that
the individual Step instances (and all their settings) are also saved
(ie, the ArrayList of Step objects is serialized). 

 

What I'd prefer is to just save and restore the Step 'names' in the
Serialize() and Deserialilze() methods and not all the information that
defines each of the Step instances (the Step instance properties might
change and the Composite object needs to always refer to the current
Step properties - not any that might have existed in the past when the
Serialize() method for the Composite instance was called).

 

I can't come up with a way to mark 'something' with the [NonSerialized]
attribute that does what I need.

 

Any ideas, please?

 

Peter  


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