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Code Beginner Guide's: Serialization and Deserialization
- Author JBob
- Creation date
Q: Can I skip serialization for some fields?
A: Only if the field is meant to reset on every server reboot (like temporary runtime-only values). Otherwise, leave it out at your own risk.
Q: Do I need to serialize fields like Name, Hue, or Weight?
A: No, because the base Item class already saves those. You only need to serialize your own custom fields.
Q: Can I use
A: Not with ServUO’s save system. You must use GenericWriter and GenericReader, or it won't be saved properly.
Q: What happens if I change the order of fields in Serialize/Deserialize?
A: Don’t. Seriously. The read and write order must match exactly — otherwise, the server will load garbage data or crash.
Q: Can I safely remove fields later?
A: Yes, but only if you're using versioning and you handle it carefully. Keep the older reads behind a version check even if you no longer use the field.
Q: How do I make my own serializable object (like a helper class)?
A: Create a class that implements
Q: Is there a limit to what I can serialize?
A: Practically, yes. Avoid saving overly large lists, massive objects, or recursive structures. Keep save/load operations lightweight and quick.
Q: How do I handle backwards compatibility with older save files?
A: Always use versioning, and never remove the
A: Only if the field is meant to reset on every server reboot (like temporary runtime-only values). Otherwise, leave it out at your own risk.
Q: Do I need to serialize fields like Name, Hue, or Weight?
A: No, because the base Item class already saves those. You only need to serialize your own custom fields.
Q: Can I use
BinaryWriter or C#'s built-in serialization?A: Not with ServUO’s save system. You must use GenericWriter and GenericReader, or it won't be saved properly.
Q: What happens if I change the order of fields in Serialize/Deserialize?
A: Don’t. Seriously. The read and write order must match exactly — otherwise, the server will load garbage data or crash.
Q: Can I safely remove fields later?
A: Yes, but only if you're using versioning and you handle it carefully. Keep the older reads behind a version check even if you no longer use the field.
Q: How do I make my own serializable object (like a helper class)?
A: Create a class that implements
ISerializable and add a public void Serialize(GenericWriter writer) and public void Deserialize(GenericReader reader) method to it.Q: Is there a limit to what I can serialize?
A: Practically, yes. Avoid saving overly large lists, massive objects, or recursive structures. Keep save/load operations lightweight and quick.
Q: How do I handle backwards compatibility with older save files?
A: Always use versioning, and never remove the
reader.ReadX() calls for fields that were saved in older versions, even if the field is no longer used.