The Person.xsd schema shown graphically using Liquid XML Studio

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?>
<!--Created with Liquid XML Studio -->
<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
 <xs:element name="Person">
  <xs:complexType>
   <xs:sequence>
    <xs:element name="Name" type="xs:string" />
    <xs:element name="DateOfBirth" type="xs:date" />
    <xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Address">
     <xs:complexType>
      <xs:sequence>
       <xs:element name="HouseNo" type="xs:int" />
       <xs:element name="PostCode" type="xs:string" />
      </xs:sequence>
     </xs:complexType>
    </xs:element>
    <xs:element minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" name="Car">
     <xs:complexType>
      <xs:sequence>
       <xs:element name="Make" type="xs:string" />
       <xs:element name="Model" type="xs:string" />
      </xs:sequence>
     </xs:complexType>
    </xs:element>
   </xs:sequence>
  </xs:complexType>
 </xs:element>
</xs:schema>
        

This XML file conforms to the Person.xsd shown above.

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<Person>
  <Name>Fred</Name>
  <DateOfBirth>1978-06-26</DateOfBirth>
  <Address>
    <HouseNo>7</HouseNo>
    <PostCode>WV6 6JY</PostCode>
  </Address>
  <Car>
    <Make>Escort</Make>
    <Model>Ford</Model>
  </Car>
  <Car>
    <Make>Elise</Make>
    <Model>Lotus</Model>
  </Car>
</Person> 

With Liquid XML Data Binder

The code needed to create the PersonSample.xml document using Xml Data Binding.

Person p = new Person();
p.Name = "Fred";
p.DateOfBirth = new XmlDateTime(1978, 6, 26);

Address a = new Address();
p.Address = a;
p.Address.HouseNo = 7;
p.Address.PostCode = "WV6 6JY";

Car runAroundCar = new Car();
p.Cars.Add(runAroundCar);
runAroundCar.Model = "Ford";
runAroundCar.Make = "Escort";

Car toyCar = new Car();
p.Cars.Add(toyCar);
toyCar.Model = "Lotus";
toyCar.Make = "Elise";

Debug.WriteLine(p.ToXml());

p.ToXmlFile("SampleFile.xml");

Without Data Binding

The code needed to create the PersonSample.xml document using MSXML.

XmlDocument xmlDoc = new XmlDocument();
XmlElement xmlElmPerson = xmlDoc.CreateElement("Person");
xmlDoc.AppendChild(xmlElmPerson);

XmlElement xmlElmName = xmlDoc.CreateElement("Name");
xmlElmPerson.AppendChild(xmlElmName);
xmlElmName.InnerText = "Fred";

XmlElement xmlElmDOB = xmlDoc.CreateElement("DateOfBirth");
xmlElmPerson.AppendChild(xmlElmDOB);
xmlElmDOB.InnerText = "1978-06-26";

XmlElement xmlElmAddress = xmlDoc.CreateElement("Address");
xmlElmPerson.AppendChild(xmlElmAddress);

XmlElement xmlElmHouseNo = xmlDoc.CreateElement("HouseNo");
xmlElmAddress.AppendChild(xmlElmHouseNo);
xmlElmHouseNo.InnerText = "7";

XmlElement xmlElmPostCode = xmlDoc.CreateElement("PostCode");
xmlElmAddress.AppendChild(xmlElmPostCode);
xmlElmPostCode.InnerText = "WV6 6JY";

XmlElement xmlElmCarRA = xmlDoc.CreateElement("Car");
xmlElmPerson.AppendChild(xmlElmCarRA);

XmlElement xmlElmRAModel = xmlDoc.CreateElement("Model");
xmlElmCarRA.AppendChild(xmlElmRAModel);
xmlElmRAModel.InnerText = "Ford";

XmlElement xmlElmRAMake = xmlDoc.CreateElement("Make");
xmlElmCarRA.AppendChild(xmlElmRAMake);
xmlElmRAMake.InnerText = "Escort";

XmlElement xmlElmCarToy = xmlDoc.CreateElement("Car");
xmlElmPerson.AppendChild(xmlElmCarToy);

XmlElement xmlElmToyModel = xmlDoc.CreateElement("Model");
xmlElmCarToy.AppendChild(xmlElmToyModel);
xmlElmToyModel.InnerText = "Lotus";

XmlElement xmlElmToyMake = xmlDoc.CreateElement("Make");
xmlElmCarToy.AppendChild(xmlElmToyMake);
xmlElmToyMake.InnerText = "Elise";

using (StringWriter sr = new StringWriter())
{
  XmlWriterSettings xws = new XmlWriterSettings();
  xws.Indent = true;

  using (XmlWriter xtw = XmlTextWriter.Create(sr, xws))
 {
    xmlDoc.WriteTo(xtw);
  }
  Debug.WriteLine(sr.ToString());
}

The XML Data Binding code is much easier to read, more concise and will allow errors to be detected at compile time should the data model change.

The DOM code is verbose, difficult to read, and should the data model change, the errors will only be picked up in testing.

The code needed to read the PersonSample.xml document using Xml Data Binding.

p.FromXmlFile("SampleFile.xml");

Debug.WriteLine(
 String.Format(
  "{0} was born {1}, and lives at {2}, {3}",
  p.Name,
  p.DateOfBirth.ToString(),
  p.Address.HouseNo,
  p.Address.PostCode));

Debug.WriteLine( 
 String.Format(
  "Cars Owned ({0})", p.Cars.Count));
foreach (Car c in p.Cars)
{
 Debug.WriteLine(
  string.Format(" {0}, {1}",
  c.Make,
  c.Model));
}

The code needed to read the PersonSample.xml document using MSXML.

XmlDocument xmlDoc = new XmlDocument();
xmlDoc.Load("SampleFile.xml");

XmlElement xmlElmPerson = GetFirstElement(xmlDoc);
if (xmlElmPerson == null || xmlElmPerson.Name != "Person")
  throw new Exception("Must start with Person");

XmlElement xmlElmName = GetFirstElement(xmlElmPerson);
if (xmlElmName == null || xmlElmName.Name != "Name")
  throw new Exception("Missing Person->Name");

XmlElement xmlElmDOB = GetNextElement(xmlElmName);
if (xmlElmDOB == null || xmlElmDOB.Name != "DateOfBirth")
  throw new Exception("Missing Person->DateOfBirth");

XmlElement xmlElmAddress = GetNextElement(xmlElmDOB);
if (xmlElmAddress == null || xmlElmAddress.Name != "Address")
  throw new Exception("Missing Person->Address");


XmlElement xmlElmHouseNo = GetFirstElement(xmlElmAddress);
if (xmlElmHouseNo == null || xmlElmHouseNo.Name != "HouseNo")
  throw new Exception("Missing Person->Address->HouseNo");

XmlElement xmlElmPostCode = GetNextElement(xmlElmHouseNo);
if (xmlElmPostCode == null || xmlElmPostCode.Name != "PostCode")
  throw new Exception("Missing Person->Address->PostCode");

if (GetNextElement(xmlElmPostCode) != null)
  throw new Exception("Unexpected Element found");

Debug.WriteLine(
  String.Format(
    "{0} was born {1}, and lives at {2}, {3}",
    xmlElmName.InnerText,
    xmlElmDOB.InnerText,
    xmlElmHouseNo.InnerText,
    xmlElmPostCode.InnerText));

XmlElement xmlElmCar = GetNextElement(xmlElmAddress);
while (xmlElmCar != null)
{
  if (xmlElmCar.Name != "Car")
    throw new Exception("Unknown element " + xmlElmCar.Name);

  XmlElement xmlElmMake = GetFirstElement(xmlElmCar);
  if (xmlElmMake == null || xmlElmMake.Name != "Make")
    throw new Exception("Missing Person->Car->Make");

  XmlElement xmlElmModel = GetNextElement(xmlElmMake);
  if (xmlElmModel == null || xmlElmModel.Name != "Model")
    throw new Exception("Missing Person->Car->Model");

  if (GetNextElement(xmlElmModel) != null)
    throw new Exception("Unexpected Element found");

  Debug.WriteLine(
    string.Format(" {0}, {1}",
    xmlElmMake.InnerText,
    xmlElmModel.InnerText));

  xmlElmCar = GetNextElement(xmlElmCar);
} 

private static XmlElement GetFirstElement(XmlNode xmlParent)
{
  if (xmlParent == null)
    return null;
  else if (xmlParent.FirstChild == null)
    return null;
  else if (xmlParent.FirstChild is XmlElement)
    return xmlParent.FirstChild as XmlElement;
  else
    return GetNextElement(xmlParent.FirstChild);
}

private static XmlElement GetNextElement(XmlNode xmlNode)
{
  while (xmlNode != null)
 {
    xmlNode = xmlNode.NextSibling;
    if (xmlNode is XmlElement)
      return xmlNode as XmlElement;
  }
  return null;
}

Because the XML Data Binding code does the bulk of the parsing for you, manipulating the XML objects is just a matter of dealing with collections of objects, no need to continually check the type of an item etc.