---
title: "How to read and write XML in C#"  
description: "XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a flexible way to create common information formats and share both the format and the data on the World Wide Web,"  
author: "Sachindra Singh"  
published: 2011-01-27  
updated: 2019-09-07  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/articles/436/how-to-read-and-write-xml-in-c-sharp  
category: "xml"  
tags: ["xml"]  
reading_time: 4 minutes  

---

# How to read and write XML in C#

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a flexible way to create common information formats and share both the format and the data on the World Wide Web, intranets, and elsewhere. XML is a set of rules, published by the World Wide WebConsortium, for building new languages. The languages in question are not written or spoken primarily for human consumption.

This demonstration showing how can we save color setting of textboxes and get color setting of textboxes from xml file, we change backcolor and foreColor of textbox and when we want when our application will be run on the system BackColor and foreColor of textboxes should be previously color setting, it means previous color setting of textbox should display, this demonstration will help to save color setting of textbox in XML format and also get color from XML file.

##### \
Code

```
   public partial class Form1 :  Form    {         publicForm1()         {            InitializeComponent();         }         ColorDialog cd= new ColorDialog();//creating the instance of ColorDialog          intflag=0;//creating int variable          private voidForm1_Load(objectsender,  EventArgse)         {                        XmlReaderSettings setting= new XmlReaderSettings();//creating object of xmlReaderSetting class it will read xml file            setting.IgnoreWhitespace= true;//ignoring whit space in xml file             using (XmlReader reader=XmlReader.Create("D:\\Sachindra\\ColorChange\\ColorChange\\bin\\Debug\\ColorChange.xml", setting))//providing path where xml file is save            {                 while (reader.Read())//loop executing                {                     if (reader.NodeType==XmlNodeType.Element&& reader.Name=="txtBox1BackColor")//checking condition                    {                          string strCmb1= reader.ReadElementString();//storing value of txtBox1BackColor element(backcolor) in string variable                         txtBox1.BackColor=System.Drawing.ColorTranslator.FromHtml(strCmb1);//converting string value  into color and changing backcolor of textbox                    }                     if (reader.NodeType==XmlNodeType.Element&& reader.Name=="txtBox1ForeColor")//checking condition                    {                          string strCmb1= reader.ReadElementString();//storing value of txtBox1BackColor element (backcolor) in string variable                         txtBox1.ForeColor=System.Drawing.ColorTranslator.FromHtml(strCmb1);//converting string value  into color and changing forecolor of textbox                                           }                     if (reader.NodeType==XmlNodeType.Element&& reader.Name=="txtBox2BackColor")//checking condition                    {                          string strCmb1= reader.ReadElementString();//storing value of txtBox2BackColor element(backcolor) in string variable                         txtBox2.BackColor=System.Drawing.ColorTranslator.FromHtml(strCmb1);//converting string value  into color and changing backcolor of textbox                                          }                     if (reader.NodeType==XmlNodeType.Element&& reader.Name=="txtBox2ForeColor")//checking condition                    {                          string strCmb1= reader.ReadElementString();//storing value of txtBox2ForeColor element in string variable                         txtBox2.ForeColor=System.Drawing.ColorTranslator.FromHtml(strCmb1);//converting string value  into color and changing backcolor of textbox                                      }                     if (reader.NodeType==XmlNodeType.Element&& reader.Name=="txtBox3BackColor")//checking condition                    {                          string strCmb1= reader.ReadElementString();//storing value of txtBox3BackColor element in string variable                         txtBox3.BackColor=System.Drawing.ColorTranslator.FromHtml(strCmb1);//converting string value  into color and changing backcolor of textbox                                         }                     if (reader.NodeType==XmlNodeType.Element&& reader.Name=="txtBox3ForeColor")//checking condition                    {                          string strCmb1= reader.ReadElementString();//storing value of txtBox3ForeColor element in string variable                         txtBox3.ForeColor=System.Drawing.ColorTranslator.FromHtml(strCmb1);//converting string value  into color and changing backcolor of textbox                                      }                }            }         }          private void btnColorDialog1_Click(object sender, EventArgse)         {             if (flag==0)//checking condition            {                 cd.ShowDialog();//it will show color dialog                 txtBox1.BackColor=cd.Color;//setting backcolor of textbox            }             if (flag==1)//checking condtion             {                 cd.ShowDialog();//it will show color dialog                 txtBox1.ForeColor=cd.Color;//setting forecolor of textbox                flag =0;//initializing flag from 0            }         }          private void txtBox1_MouseCaptureChanged(object sender, EventArgse)         {            flag=1;//initializing flag from 1 when txtBox1 get   MouseCapture event will raise         }          private void btnColorDailog2_Click(object sender, EventArgse)         {             if (flag==0)//checking condition            {                 cd.ShowDialog();//it will show color dialog                 txtBox2.BackColor=cd.Color;//setting backcolor of textbox            }             if (flag==1)//checking condtion            {                 cd.ShowDialog();//it will show color dialog                 txtBox2.ForeColor=cd.Color;//setting forecolor of textbox                flag =0;//initializing flag from 0            }         }          private void txtBox2_MouseCaptureChanged(object sender, EventArgse)         {            flag=1;//initializing flag from 1 when txtBox2 get MouseCapture event will raise         }          private void btnColorDialog3_Click(object sender, EventArgse)         {             if (flag==0)//checking condition            {                 cd.ShowDialog();//it will show color dialog                 txtBox3.BackColor=cd.Color;//setting backcolor of textbox            }             if (flag==1)//checking condtion            {                 cd.ShowDialog();//it will show color dialog                 txtBox3.ForeColor=cd.Color;//setting forecolor of textbox                flag =0;//initializing flag from 0            }         }          private void txtBox3_MouseCaptureChanged(object sender, EventArgse)         {            flag=1;//initializing flag from 1 when txtBox3 get MouseCapture event will raise         }          private voidbtn_Click(objectsender,  EventArgse)         {             XmlWriterSettings setting= new XmlWriterSettings();//creating object of XmlWriterSettings that write data in xml format            setting.Indent=true;            setting.IndentChars= " ";            setting.NewLineOnAttributes= true;             using (XmlWriter write=XmlWriter.Create("D:\\Sachindra\\ColorChange\\ColorChange\\bin\\Debug\\ColorChange.xml", setting))//passing path and  write storing path where file will be write            {                 write.WriteStartElement("Color");//root element                 write.WriteStartElement("ChangeColor");//element                  write.WriteElementString(txtBox1.Name+ "BackColor", System.Drawing.ColorTranslator.ToHtml(txtBox1.BackColor));//writing textbox name and backcolor in xml format                 write.WriteElementString(txtBox1.Name+ "ForeColor", System.Drawing.ColorTranslator.ToHtml(txtBox1.ForeColor));//writing textbox name and forecolor in xml format                write.WriteElementString(txtBox2.Name+ "BackColor", System.Drawing.ColorTranslator.ToHtml(txtBox2.BackColor));//writing textbox name and backcolor in xml format                 write.WriteElementString(txtBox2.Name+ "ForeColor", System.Drawing.ColorTranslator.ToHtml(txtBox2.ForeColor));//writing textbox name and forecolor in xml format                 write.WriteElementString(txtBox3.Name+ "BackColor", System.Drawing.ColorTranslator.ToHtml(txtBox3.BackColor));//writing textbox name and backcolor in xml format                 write.WriteElementString(txtBox3.Name+ "ForeColor", System.Drawing.ColorTranslator.ToHtml(txtBox3.ForeColor));//writing textbox name and forecolor in xml format                 write.WriteEndElement();//closing element                write.Flush();//flush method use for forcefully to write data            }         }          private voidbutton1_Click(objectsender,  EventArgse)         {             this.Close();//apllication will be close         }    } 
```

This demonstration showing backcolor and forecolor of texboxes has changed and when we click on save button it will save in XML format.

![how to read and write xml in c#.net](https://www.mindstick.com/mindstickarticle/d10f55c9-539d-4f63-bc80-0314f4ca029f/images/8076cbc1-ce88-4e74-8cc1-989943c5e5e6.png)

After color changes of textboxes XML file will save setting of backcolor and forecolor of textboxes in XML format as shown below:

![how to read and write xml in c#.net](https://www.mindstick.com/mindstickarticle/d10f55c9-539d-4f63-bc80-0314f4ca029f/images/34c183f1-2e33-4252-b300-6748815fe36c.png)

This is the simple demonstration on "how to read xml and write xml in c#.net".

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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/articles/436/how-to-read-and-write-xml-in-c-sharp

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