[Mono-devel-list] Serializing widgets with C#

[Andreas Nahr]

I don't know what exactly you are trying to do, but it seems you want to use 
it as a kind of "saving something".
The problem with (binary) serialization is that nobody guarantees that 
different .net versions will serialize the same way.

So a serialized file saved in .net 1.0 may not open in 1.1 may not open in 
2.0.
Also a file from MS.Net may not open in Mono may not open in Dotgnu.

If that doesn't matter it should work (like only saving a cache that could 
be simply deleted if it cannot be restored), otherwise other mechanisms are 
more appropriate...

greets
Andreas

> What you're trying to accomplish is impossible. first because gtk
> widgets are not serializable and secondly, it just sounds like a bad
> idea all together :-). In order for you to serialize an array of
> anything the entire object graph needs to be serializable, so if you
> wrap a gtk widget in a class that is ISerializable, it will still fail
>
> since the widget isn't.

Yeap, I can assure you that nor by marking it or implementing
ISerializable it works that was why ask you all :o). However, the answer
impossible it also and end of this pursuit. Thanks for that knowledge.
By the way, why do you think it is a bad idea (if it could have been
done) this solution?