Trouble with namespaces using Linq to XML to create response xml

Question

I'm new to L2XML and not altogether an expert at XML so it isn't surprising I'm having a little trouble. In my first step I'm declaring a relatively simple XDocument object to create a XML method result.

Here is a sample of the expected XML.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:wsse="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd" xmlns:wsa="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/03/addressing" xmlns:wsu="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-utility-1.0.xsd">
 <soap:Body>
    <TXLife xmlns="http://ACORD.org/Standards/Life/2" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://ACORD.org/Standards/Life/2 TXLife2.28enum.XSD">
      <UserAuthResponse>
        <TransResult>
          <ResultCode tc="1">Success</ResultCode>
        </TransResult>
        <SvrDate>2010-12-02</SvrDate>
        <SvrTime>14:40:50-06:00</SvrTime>
      </UserAuthResponse>
      <TXLifeResponse>
        <TransRefGUID>V7504892456123812</TransRefGUID>
        <TransType tc="121">General Requirement Order Request</TransType>
        <TransExeDate>2010-12-02</TransExeDate>
        <TransExeTime>14:40:50-06:00</TransExeTime>
        <TransMode tc="2">Original</TransMode>
        <TestIndicator tc="1">Yes</TestIndicator>
        <TransResult>
          <ResultCode tc="1">Success</ResultCode>
        </TransResult>
        <OLifE>
          <SourceInfo>
            <CreationDate>2010-12-02</CreationDate>
            <CreationTime>14:40:50-06:00</CreationTime>
            <SourceInfoName>External Vendor Name</SourceInfoName>
          </SourceInfo>
        </OLifE>
      </TXLifeResponse>
    </TXLife>
  </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

Here is the code I'm using to try to create something matching the above:

public string SubmitOrder121(string xmlIn)
{
    string resultText = "SUCCESS"; //Hard coded for now.  Needs to be set based on result of call to CrossBow.
    string resultCode = "1"; //Same comment as above.
    string date = DateTime.Today.ToShortDateString();
    string time = DateTime.Now.ToShortTimeString();
    string transRefGUID = "V7504892456123812"; //Hard coded for now. Get from xmlIn;
    string transModeText = "Original"; //Don't know what this is for or where to get it if there are other possibilities
    string transModeCode = "2"; //Same as above comment
    string testIndicatorText = "True";  //Get from config file
    string testIndicatorCode = "1"; //Get from config file
    string companyName = "External Vendor Name"; //Get from config file

    XNamespace xsi = "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance";
    XNamespace soap = "http://www.w3.org/2001/12/soap-envelope";
    XNamespace xmlns = "http://ACORD.org/Standards/Life/2";

    XDocument xdoc = new XDocument(
        new XDeclaration("1.0", "utf-8", ""),
        new XElement(soap + "Envelope",
            new XAttribute(XNamespace.Xmlns + "wsu", "http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-utility-1.0.xsd"),
            new XAttribute(XNamespace.Xmlns + "wsa", "http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/03/addressing"),
            new XAttribute(XNamespace.Xmlns + "wsse", "http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd"),
            new XAttribute(XNamespace.Xmlns + "soap", "http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"),
            new XElement(soap + "Body",
                new XElement(xmlns + "TXLife",
                    new XAttribute(xsi + "schemaLocation", "http://ACORD.org/Standards"),
                    new XAttribute(XNamespace.Xmlns + "xsi", "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"),
                    new XElement("UserAuthResponse",
                        new XElement("TransResult",
                            new XElement("ResultCode", resultText,
                                new XAttribute("tc", resultCode)
                            )
                        ),
                        new XElement("SvrDate", date),
                        new XElement("SvrTime", time)
                    ),
                    new XElement("TXLifeResponse",
                        new XElement("TransRefGUID", transRefGUID),
                        new XElement("TransType", "General Requiremeent Order Request",
                            new XAttribute("tc", "121")
                        ),
                        new XElement("TransExeDate", date), //Get from crossbow result
                        new XElement("TransExeTime", time), //Get from crossbow result
                        new XElement("TransMode", transModeText,
                            new XAttribute("tc", transModeCode)
                        ),
                        new XElement("TestIndicator", testIndicatorText,
                            new XAttribute("tc", testIndicatorCode)
                        ),
                        new XElement("TransResult",
                            new XElement("ResultCode", resultText,
                                new XAttribute("tc", resultCode)
                            )
                        ),
                        new XElement("OLife",
                            new XElement("SourceInfo",
                                new XElement("CreationDate", date),
                                new XElement("CreationTime", time),
                                new XElement("SourceInfoName", companyName)
                            )
                        )
                    )
                )
            )
        )
    );
    return xdoc.ToString();
}

Now, given the little I've been able to understand so far, the above should give me what I want but it doesn't - exactly. It gives me this:

<Envelope xmlns:wsu="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-utility-1.0.xsd" xmlns:wsa="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/03/addressing" xmlns:wsse="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd" xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/12/soap-envelope">
  <Body>
    <TXLife xsi:schemaLocation="http://ACORD.org/Standards" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://ACORD.org/Standards/Life/2">
      <UserAuthResponse xmlns="">
        <TransResult>
          <ResultCode tc="1">SUCCESS</ResultCode>
        </TransResult>
        <SvrDate>6/14/2013</SvrDate>
        <SvrTime>1:57 PM</SvrTime>
      </UserAuthResponse>
      <TXLifeResponse xmlns="">
        <TransRefGUID>V7504892456123812</TransRefGUID>
        <TransType tc="121">General Requiremeent Order Request</TransType>
        <TransExeDate>6/14/2013</TransExeDate>
        <TransExeTime>1:57 PM</TransExeTime>
        <TransMode tc="2">Original</TransMode>
        <TestIndicator tc="1">True</TestIndicator>
        <TransResult>
          <ResultCode tc="1">SUCCESS</ResultCode>
        </TransResult>
        <OLife>
          <SourceInfo>
            <CreationDate>6/14/2013</CreationDate>
            <CreationTime>1:57 PM</CreationTime>
            <SourceInfoName>The Company Name</SourceInfoName>
          </SourceInfo>
        </OLife>
      </TXLifeResponse>
    </TXLife>
  </Body>
</Envelope>

Ignore the date and time formats. I know they don't match but that is something I will concern myself with later, just as I will the hardcoded values. I'm more concerned with the XML format, particularly with the following:

1. Why isn't the XDeclaration appearing in the XML result?
2. On the Soap envelope and body, why isn't the soap prefix appearing?
3. How do I suppress the xmlns attribute on the and TXLifeResponse> tags?

I've already seen references in answers to other similar questions referring to this link: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb387042.aspx but that wasn't much help to me.

Answer 1

1. The ToString() method never emits an XML declaration. The reason why is a different story, but check with xdoc.Save("sample.xml"); that writes the declaration.

2. At the line XNamespace soap = "http://www.w3.org/2001/12/soap-envelope"; you probably have a typo, change it to http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/

3. You have to specify default namespace for all the children of the TXLife element, like this:

   new XElement(xmlns + "UserAuthResponse",
       new XElement(xmlns + "TransResult",
           new XElement(xmlns + "ResultCode", resultText,
               new XAttribute("tc", resultCode)
   

Hope this helps