XmlReader.Read Method

Microsoft Silverlight will reach end of support after October 2021. Learn more.

When overridden in a derived class, reads the next node from the stream.

Namespace:  System.Xml
Assembly:  System.Xml (in System.Xml.dll)

Syntax

'Declaration
Public MustOverride Function Read As Boolean
public abstract bool Read()

Return Value

Type: System.Boolean
true if the next node was read successfully; false if there are no more nodes to read.

Exceptions

Exception Condition
XmlException

An error occurred while parsing the XML.

Remarks

When an XmlReader is first created and initialized, there is no information available. You must call Read to read the first node.

This method requires at least four bytes from the data stream in order to begin parsing. If fewer than four bytes are returned and there is no more data in the stream, the method will fail. If there is more data in the stream, the method will block parsing until receipt of the fourth byte.

Examples

The following example navigates through the stream to determine the current node type, and then uses XmlWriter to output the XmlReader content.

Dim output As StringBuilder = New StringBuilder()

Dim xmlString As String = "<?xml version='1.0'?>" & _
                "<!-- This is a sample XML document -->" & _
                "<Items>" & _
                  "<Item>test with a child element <more/> stuff</Item>" & _
                "</Items>"
' Create an XmlReader
Using reader As XmlReader = XmlReader.Create(New StringReader(xmlString))
    Dim ws As XmlWriterSettings = New XmlWriterSettings()
    ws.Indent = True
    Using writer As XmlWriter = XmlWriter.Create(output, ws)

        ' Parse the file and display each of the nodes.
        While reader.Read()
            Select Case reader.NodeType
                Case XmlNodeType.Element
                    writer.WriteStartElement(reader.Name)
                Case XmlNodeType.Text
                    writer.WriteString(reader.Value)
                Case XmlNodeType.XmlDeclaration
                Case XmlNodeType.ProcessingInstruction
                    writer.WriteProcessingInstruction(reader.Name, reader.Value)
                Case XmlNodeType.Comment
                    writer.WriteComment(reader.Value)
                Case XmlNodeType.EndElement
                    writer.WriteFullEndElement()
            End Select
        End While
    End Using
End Using
OutputTextBlock.Text = output.ToString()
StringBuilder output = new StringBuilder();

String xmlString =
        @"<?xml version='1.0'?>
        <!-- This is a sample XML document -->
        <Items>
          <Item>test with a child element <more/> stuff</Item>
        </Items>";
// Create an XmlReader
using (XmlReader reader = XmlReader.Create(new StringReader(xmlString)))
{
    XmlWriterSettings ws = new XmlWriterSettings();
    ws.Indent = true;
    using (XmlWriter writer = XmlWriter.Create(output, ws))
    {

        // Parse the file and display each of the nodes.
        while (reader.Read())
        {
            switch (reader.NodeType)
            {
                case XmlNodeType.Element:
                    writer.WriteStartElement(reader.Name);
                    break;
                case XmlNodeType.Text:
                    writer.WriteString(reader.Value);
                    break;
                case XmlNodeType.XmlDeclaration:
                case XmlNodeType.ProcessingInstruction:
                    writer.WriteProcessingInstruction(reader.Name, reader.Value);
                    break;
                case XmlNodeType.Comment:
                    writer.WriteComment(reader.Value);
                    break;
                case XmlNodeType.EndElement:
                    writer.WriteFullEndElement();
                    break;
            }
        }

    }
}
OutputTextBlock.Text = output.ToString();

Version Information

Silverlight

Supported in: 5, 4, 3

Silverlight for Windows Phone

Supported in: Windows Phone OS 7.1, Windows Phone OS 7.0

XNA Framework

Supported in: Xbox 360, Windows Phone OS 7.0

Platforms

For a list of the operating systems and browsers that are supported by Silverlight, see Supported Operating Systems and Browsers.