Processing XML in the .NET Framework vs. the .NET Framework for Silverlight

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

The Microsoft .NET Framework for Silverlight consists of a subset of the .NET Framework class library and some additional types and members that are not included in the standard .NET Framework class library. This document describes the differences between the two frameworks.

New Types in the .NET Framework for Silverlight

The following types have been added to the .NET Framework for Silverlight, and do not exist in the .NET Framework.

System.Xml namespace

• DtdProcessing

• XmlXapResolver

• NamespaceHandling

System.Xml.Resolvers namespace

• XmlKnownDtds

• XmlPreloadedResolver

Changed Types in the .NET Framework for Silverlight

The following types were changed for the Silverlight version of the .NET Framework.

System.Xml namespace

Added members:

• XmlResolver's SupportsType

• XmlReaderSettings' DtdProcessing

• XmlWriterSettings' NamespaceHandling

Removed members:

• ProhibitDTD

System.Xml.Linq namespace

Added members:

• SaveOptions' OmitDuplicateNamespaces

• XDocument's Load overloads that take Stream as a parameter.

• XDocument's Save overloads that take Stream as a parameter.

• XElement's Load overloads that take Stream as a parameter.

• XElement's Save overloads that take Stream as a parameter.

• XStreamingElement's Save overloads that take Stream as a parameter.

Removed members:

• XDocument's Save overloads that take String as a parameter.

• XElement's Save overloads that take String as a parameter.

• XStreamingElement's Save overloads that take String as a parameter.

System.Xml Types Not Included in the .NET Framework for Silverlight

The following types exist in the System.Xml namespace in the .NET Framework but not in the .NET Framework for Silverlight:

EntityHandling	XmlNamedNodeMap
Formatting	XmlNodeChangedAction
IHasXmlNode	XmlNodeChangedEventArgs
ValidationType	XmlNodeChangedEventHandler
WhitespaceHandling	XmlNodeList
XmlAttribute	XmlNodeOrder
XmlAttributeCollection	XmlNodeReader
XmlCDataSection	XmlNodeType
XmlCharacterData	XmlNotation
XmlComment	XmlOutputMethod
XmlConvertDateTimeOption	XmlProcessingInstruction
XmlDataDocument	XmlQualifiedNameTable
XmlDeclaration	XmlSecureResolver
XmlDocument	XmlSignificantWhitespace
XmlDocumentFragment	XmlText
XmlDocumentType	XmlTextReader
XmlElement	XmlTextWriter
XmlEntity	XmlTokenizedType
XmlEntityReference	XmlUrlResolver
XmlImplementation	XmlValidatingReader
XmlLinkedNode	XmlWhitespace

Other Changes in the .NET Framework for Silverlight

The following are currently not supported in Silverlight:

• The Extensions bridge classes provided in the Schema and XPath namespaces of the .NET Framework to support the Schema and Xpath features of the System.Xml.

• Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT).

Loading and Saving XML Content in the .NET Framework for Silverlight

In Silverlight you can load files in the following ways:

• By using XmlXapResolver to load files that are in the application's XAP package.

• By using XmlPreloadedResolver to pre-populate a cache.

Other ways to load and save content are:

• Loading and saving stream with

  • Isolated storage classes in the System.IO.IsolatedStorage namespace.

  • System.Net.WebClient class.

  • System.Net.HttpWebRequestSystem.Net.HttpWebResponse classes.

  • Sockets classes in the System.Net.Sockets namespace.

• Implementing custom XmlResolver.

Determining Supported Members in the Silverlight Class Library

You can use the following methods to obtain class library information that is specific to the.NET Framework for Silverlight:

• Use IntelliSense.

• Use the Object Viewer in Visual Studio.

• Use the filters provided in the local Help viewers.

• Refer to the platform and version information included with the documentation for individual types and members.

See Also

Concepts

XML Data

Networking and Web Services

Other Resources

Isolated Storage