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Built-in Serialization

WinForms charting controls support built-in chart serialization, a feature that enables users to persist a complete chart definition to a single XML string, then reload it in the same or a different .NET application. By leveraging the .NET XmlSerializer, it works seamlessly across all .NET platforms.

Supported Controls:

  • FlexChart

  • FlexPie

  • FlexRadar

  • Sunburst

  • TreeMap

Note: The FinancialChart control does not support serialization.


The feature uses two static methods of C1.Chart.Serialization.Serializer class:

Usage Example

To enable the extension methods, add the namespace at the top of the code file. The following code demonstrates how to persist and restore a FlexChart with its Data.

// add namespace to use extension serialization methods
using C1.Chart.Serialization;
// create charts
...
// Save chart
var xml = flexChart.SerializeToXml();
// Later or elsewhere…
// Restore chart definition in new instance of chart
var newChart = new FlexChart();
newChart.DeserializeFromXml(xml);

The following code demonstrates how to share definition between two FlexPie.

// Save only formatting, omit data
var xml = flexPie.SerializeToXml(false);
// Load layout into another chart without changing its data
anotherFlexPie.DeserializeFromXml(xml);

Note: If serializeData is set to false, the data will not be saved during serialization. Ensure you rebind or supply the data manually before or after deserialization.

See Also

Learn More About the Serialization Library