Generating XML in .Net

Question

I am trying to generate XML in the following format:

<ImportSession>
  <Batches>
    <Batch>
      <BatchFields>
        <BatchField Name="Field1" Value="1" />
        <BatchField Name="Field2" Value="2" />
        <BatchField Name="Field3" Value="3" />
      </BatchFields>
    <Batch>
  <Batches>
</ImportSession>

I have the following code:

XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
XmlElement importSession = doc.CreateElement("ImportSession");
XmlElement batches = doc.CreateElement("Batches");
XmlElement batch = doc.CreateElement("Batch");
XmlElement batchFields = doc.CreateElement("BatchField");
doc.AppendChild(importSession);

XmlNode importSessionNode = doc.FirstChild;
importSessionNode.AppendChild(batches);

XmlNode batchesNode = importSessionNode.FirstChild;
batchesNode.AppendChild(batch);
XmlNode batchNode = batchesNode.FirstChild;

int numBatchFields = 9;
for (int j = 0; j < numBatchFields; j++)
{
    batchNode.AppendChild(batchFields);

    XmlElement batchfields = (XmlElement)batchNode.FirstChild;
    batchfields.SetAttribute("Name", "BatchPrevSplit");
    batchfields.SetAttribute("Value", j.ToString());
}

My problem is that It doesnt add the batchfield tags. It adds one so I get:

<ImportSession>
  <Batches>
    <Batch>
      <BatchField Name="BatchPrevSplit" Value="8" />
    </Batch>
  </Batches>
</ImportSession>

It seems because I am trying to add the same Child element to the batchNode Node that it just overwrites the data in the existing tag. I tried putting in

XmlElement batchfields = (XmlElement)batchNode.ChildNodes.Item(j);

instead of

XmlElement batchfields = (XmlElement)batchNode.FirstChild; 

but it doesnt append another Child to the batchNode if i use the same element so there is only 1 child. So can anyone tell me how I can achieve this?

Answer 1

Rewrite your for loop like this:

for (int j = 0; j < numBatchFields; j++)
{
    XmlElement batchFields = doc.CreateElement("BatchField");
    batchFields.SetAttribute("Name", "BatchPrevSplit");
    batchFields.SetAttribute("Value", j.ToString());

    batchNode.AppendChild(batchFields);
}

Answer 2

LINQ to XML will save you pain...

var xml = new XElement("ImportSession",
    new XElement("Batches",
            new XElement("Batch",
                new XElement("BatchFields",
                    from j in Enumerable.Range(0,9)
                    select new XElement("BatchField",
                        new XAttribute("Name", string.Format("Field{0}", j)),
                        new XAttribute("Value", j)
                        )
                    )
                )
        )
    );