Can't load XML through content pipeline "An error occured parsing." No details

Content
#1

Hi, thanks for reading! I’m trying to load an xml file through the content pipeline, but it throws the following comletely useless error when I try to build the content project:

[FilePath]/TestLevel.xml(7,6): An error occured parsing.

There’s no detail about what is failing. Is the 7,6 a line and character number? Is there any way I can get more info about what failed?

I have the XnaContent node and the Asset node with the type. I’ve got a reference to my class library in the content project references. The xml file passes validation. I already fixed some issues with multi-dimensional rays in my class. What else can I look for?

Thanks for your help!

#2

Hi @12StringSamurai,

Welcome to the community! It looks like a line/column combination. Can you share line 7? Something you can look at is strings where numbers are expected.

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#3

Hi @ Synammon, thanks for replying! I made new classes with much less going on in them to see if that would be easier to deserialize. I now have an array of objects that’s just integers and a string. I still get the same “An error occured parsing” but now on (5,6).

Here’s the XML:

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <XnaContent xmlns:ns="Microsoft.Xna.Framework">
    <Asset Type="JPPGameFramework.LevelXML">
    <LevelObjects>
        <SpriteCharacterXML>
          <MapX>0</MapX>
          <MapY>980</MapY>
          <OriginX>0</OriginX>
          <OriginY>0</OriginY>      	  
          <Height>100</Height>
          <Width>500</Width>
          <NumCols>1</NumCols>
          <NumRows>1</NumRows>
          <IsInOrNearCamera>true</IsInOrNearCamera>
          <IsPlatform>true</IsPlatform>
          <SpriteSheetName>floor1</SpriteSheetName>      
        </SpriteCharacterXML>   
    </LevelObjects>
    </Asset>
    </XnaContent>

Level XML is just an array of SpriteCharacterXML objects:
public class SpriteCharacterXML
{
public int MapX {get; set;}
public int MapY { get; set; }
public int OriginX { get; set; }
public int OriginY { get; set; }
public int Height { get; set; }
public int Weight { get; set; }
public int NumRows { get; set; }
public int NumCols { get; set; }
public bool IsPlatform { get; set; }

public string SpriteSheetName { get; set; }

}

There’s not really anything exciting going on here. I wonder what the heck it could be. Thanks again for your help!

#4

I don’t see IsInOrNearCamera in your class. Is that just a copy/paste issue? Other than that I’m not seeing anything obvious wrong with the XML or the class. Are you using a single dimensional array or a two dimensional array?

#5

Oops, I did forget to remove IsInOrNearCamera from the xml. Good observation! So there was a property in the xml that was not in the class. Unfortunately, removing it still leaves me with the same “An error occured parsing (5,6)” message.

I am using a single dimension array. Hrm.

#6

Can you share your serialization code?

#7

Sorry, I didn’t see this until today.

I wrote the xml by hand, I didn’t serialize it, I used the Add -> New Item -> Xml Content option in the MGCB editor. That gave me an xml file with the correct XML version and XNAContent and Asset nodes. I filled the rest out by hand.

After I saw your post just now, I tried to use the techniques described on these two pages to serialize xml from an instantiated object in my code:
When I try this method:
http://www.shawnhargreaves.com/blog/teaching-a-man-to-fish.html

When I try to use this:
Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content.Pipeline.Serialization.Intermediate.IntermediateSerializer.Serialize

It can’t find the Pipeline class.

How do you serialize xml in monogame, @Synammon? Thanks for your helpful suggestions!

#8

You need to add the NuGet package for MonoGame.Framework.Content to your solution. I’m on my phone so it might be MonoGame.Framework.Content.Pipeline. If you’re using 3.7.1 you need to reference a DLL. I can’t recall the path off the top of my head.

EDIT
The location of the MonoGame.Framework.Content.Pipeline.dll for 3.7.1 is below.
C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\MonoGame\v3.0\Tools\

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#9

I GOT IT TO WORK! Thanks so much for your suggestion, @Synammon. Neither of the articles I found mentioned the need to add a Nuget package to serialize XML. Also, the XML file that the Add -> New Item -> Xml Content option in the MGCB editor generated had the XnaContent and Asset notes setup incorrectly.

XML serialized by the IntermediateSerializer looks like this:

< XnaContent xmlns:JPPGameFramework=“JPPGameFramework”>
< Asset Type=“JPPGameFramework:LevelXML”>

XML from the MGCB editor looks like this:

< XnaContent xmlns:ns=“Microsoft.Xna.Framework”>
< Asset Type=“JPPGameFramework.LevelXML”>

When I import the serialized XML I can actually read it in using Content.Load.

I couldn’t have done it without you!

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#10

??

#11

Sorry @MrValentine, there was a typo and the text editor here didn’t display my XML. I’ve fixed the post.

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