I am a bit frustrated at the moment. I have a complicated xml schema (.xsd) and I need a practical way to code against that schema in C# .NET. In the past, I have used tools like XSD.exe or it's Visual Studio add-in counterpart, XSDObjectGen. These generate C# classes from the schema, which is nice, but I've come across several posts about the promise of Linq to Xsd and how you can program to the XSD in a LINQ fashion without generating class files. Sounds pretty cool, but where do we start?
A Confusing Web Search
The LINQ to XSD Preview Alpha 0.2 Refresh...
There are some articles and posts out there that will mention the LINQ to XSD Preview Alpha 0.2 Refresh. As of the date of this post, that link says the download was published on February 2, 2008. Check the date of blogs/articles mentioning this download. It seems many I have found were written in '07 or '08, and may be out of date.
Others will mention that the place to get LINQ to XSD is actually from CodePlex... LINQ to XSD on CodePlex, and this apparently does have a recent date (currently Sep 22, 2010).
Your initial attempt at the codeplex site might be to click the Download button on the home page, BUT DON'T! This just has a few DLL's and a command line utility. What you REALLY want is the Source Code Download. There you will find a full package, complete with README.txt and a Docs folder!
More about LINQ to XSD on CodePlex
Having the source code on CodePlex means the project has moved to an open source model, which means Microsoft has lost interest in getting this project to a full release state. Or, maybe they just figured if they open source it, they don't have to support it...?
The release to CodePlex was mentioned in this blog post on the Microsoft XML Team Blog. There is talk on the web about the project being dead, but it looks like there is a talented developer named Sergey Shandar who has been making a lot of changes to the source.
Summary
Basically, I wrote this post to help prevent confusion in your hunt for Linq To XSD. It comes down to... DO NOT download the old preview! I don't even know why it is still available, but you are asking for trouble if you start there! DO use the CodePlex site, but DON'T use the download from the download page! Instead, download the source code and follow the instructions in the /trunk/README.txt file.
Future post... how to actually use LINQ to XSD!
