Xsd2Code (and its modern commercial successor, xsd2code++) is a powerful, highly customizable developer utility and Visual Studio extension used to generate native C# or Visual Basic code from XML Schema (XSD) and JSON Schema files.
It was originally created as an advanced, open-source replacement for Microsoft’s aging built-in command-line utility, xsd.exe. Developers rely on it to seamlessly build strongly-typed object data models used for reading and writing data structures into software applications. Core Purpose & The Problem It Solves
When building applications that interact with XML or JSON configurations, industry-standard web services, or data payloads, manually mapping those data schemas to programming classes is tedious and error-prone.
While Microsoft’s built-in xsd.exe can automate this, it creates rigid code that relies exclusively on low-level arrays, misses validation limits, and requires manual handling for file loading or saving. Xsd2Code solves this by injecting advanced framework logic directly into the generated partial classes. Key Features
Framework Compatibility: The tool natively supports standard legacy frameworks (.NET Framework 2.0 to 4.8) up to modern environments including .NET ⁄9, .NET Standard, and Xamarin.
Collection Customization: Instead of forcing standard arrays, you can generate strongly-typed generic collections such as List, ObservableCollection, or Hashtable.
Built-in Serialization & Methods: It automatically attaches data-handling routines directly onto the classes. Generated types often contain native LoadFromFile() and SaveToFile() methods, reducing complex parsing down to single lines of code. Advanced Data Integrity & Databinding:
Implements INotifyPropertyChanged automatically to cleanly support UI Data Binding.
Enables Lazy Loading for nested elements so applications consume less system memory.
Converts XSD restrictions (like string lengths, ranges, and Regex) into native C# Validation Attributes.
Multi-Format Architecture: Modern versions handle both XSD 1.0 and JSON Schema Draft 7, with cross-conversion support (e.g., converting physical XML to XSD, or JSON to JSON Schema).
Diverse Attributes: Automatically injects XML/JSON serialization decoration and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) DataContract / DataMember metadata tags. Primary Differences: xsd.exe vs. Xsd2Code Microsoft xsd.exe Xsd2Code / xsd2code++ Interface Command Line Only Integrated Visual Studio UI & CLI Collection Types Fixed Arrays Only (T[]) List, ObservableCollection, etc. Input Schema Types XML Schemas (XSD) only Both XSD and JSON Schemas Data Persistence None (requires external helper serialization logic) Injected native LoadFromFile / SaveToFile methods Validation Rules Ignores schema constraints Maps constraints directly into code validation attributes UI Ready Raw property fields only Natively generates INotifyPropertyChanged How Developers Use It Method 1: The Visual Studio Solution Explorer (UI-Based)
Install the appropriate version (like the community-maintained open-source Xsd2Code 2022+ or commercial xsd2code++ V7).
Right-click any .xsd or .json schema file inside the Solution Explorer.
Select “Run Xsd2Code” to open a comprehensive property generation page where parameters like naming conventions, formatting, or target languages are selected. Method 2: Visual Studio Custom Tool Automation
By expanding the schema file’s properties window inside Visual Studio and inputting Xsd2CodeCustomTool into the Custom Tool property line, code files automatically regenerate the exact moment a schema file is saved. Method 3: Command Line (CLI) & Build Events
For Continuous Integration pipelines or automation scripts, developers trigger it during pre-build compilation phases:
Xsd2Code.exe MySchema.xsd MyProject.Namespace MyOutputFile.cs /collection List /ap+ /sc+ Use code with caution.
If you are setting this up for a project, what version of .NET are you targets and are you processing XML/XSD or JSON data schemas? I can give you the optimal settings block or a code example using the generated model. Xsd2Code – The Map Guy(de)
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