WCF Serialization Issue

See more:

C#

SQL

WCF

LINQ

Hi All,

I've got a small issue that is annoying me and I don't know how to fix it.

I have a Service Contract setup to return an User object. Below is the definition of User:

public class User
    {
        #region Fields

        private int _UserID;
        private string _Name;
        private string _Surname;
        private int _DesignationID;
        private EntityRef<Designation> _Designation;

        #endregion

        #region Constructor

        public User() 
        {
            this._Designation = default(EntityRef<Designation>);
        }

        #endregion

        #region Properties
        public int UserID
        {
            get { return this._UserID; }
            set { this._UserID = value; }
        }
        public string Name
        {
            get { return this._Name; }
            set { this._Name = value; }
        }
        public string Surname
        {
            get { return this._Surname; }
            set { this._Surname = value; }
        }
        public int DesignationID
        {
            get
            {
                return this._DesignationID;
            }
            set
            {
                if ((this._DesignationID == value))
                    return;

                this._DesignationID = value;
                
            }
        }
        public Designation Designation
        {
            get
            {
                return this._Designation.Entity;
            }
            set
            {
                Designation previousValue = this._Designation.Entity;
                if (previousValue == value)
                    return;
                 
                this._Designation.Entity = value;
            }
        }

        #endregion

        #region Methods

        public override string ToString()
        {
            return _Name + " " + _Surname;
        }

        #endregion

        public void Detach()
        {
            this._Designation = default(EntityRef<Designation>);
        }
    }

As you can see, there is an EntityRef<designation> object. Here is the code for Designation:

public class Designation
    {
        #region Fields

        private int _DesignationID;
        private string _Description;
        private EntitySet<User> _User;

        #endregion // Fields

        #region Constructor

        public Designation()
        {
            this._User = new EntitySet<User>(
                new Action<User>(this.Attach_User),
                new Action<User>(this.Detach_User));
        }

        #endregion //Constructor

        #region Properties

        public int DesignationID
        {
            get { return this._DesignationID; }
            set
            {
                if (this._DesignationID == value)
                    return;

                this._DesignationID = value;

            }
        }

        public string Description
        {
            get { return this._Description; }
            set
            {
                if (this._Description == value)
                    return;

                this._Description = value;

            }
        }

        public EntitySet<User> User
        {
            get { return this._User; }
            set
            {
                this._User.Assign(value);
            }
        }

        #endregion //Properties

        #region  Methods

        private void Attach_User(User entity)
        {
            entity.Designation = this;
        }

        private void Detach_User(User entity)
        {
            entity.Designation = null;
        }

        public override string ToString()
        {
            return _Description;
        }

        #endregion // Methods
    }

I retrieve the user object from a SQL Server Database within my Service Contract's Definition like so:

public Class MyService : IService
{
        public User GetRandomUser()
        {   
            User user;
            
            user = GetFromDB();

            //user.Detach();

            return user;
        }
}

when I uncomment the user.Detach(); line, the user is successfully passed back to my client, BUT obviously User.Designation is null. When I comment out user.Detach(); I get the following error (from the WCF Test Client):

The socket connection was aborted. This could be caused by an error processing your message or a receive timeout being exceeded by the remote host, or an underlying network resource issue. Local socket timeout was '00:00:59.9740000'.

What am I doing wrong? I know this has something to do with the way the objects are serialized. Any help will be appreciated. Below is the Stack Trace:

Server stack trace:
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.StreamConnection.Read(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 size, TimeSpan timeout)
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.SessionConnectionReader.Receive(TimeSpan timeout)
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.SynchronizedMessageSource.Receive(TimeSpan timeout)
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.FramingDuplexSessionChannel.Receive(TimeSpan timeout)
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.FramingDuplexSessionChannel.TryReceive(TimeSpan timeout, Message& message)
at System.ServiceModel.Dispatcher.DuplexChannelBinder.Request(Message message, TimeSpan timeout)
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannel.Call(String action, Boolean oneway, ProxyOperationRuntime operation, Object[] ins, Object[] outs, TimeSpan timeout)
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannelProxy.InvokeService(IMethodCallMessage methodCall, ProxyOperationRuntime operation)
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannelProxy.Invoke(IMessage message)

Exception rethrown at [0]:
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.HandleReturnMessage(IMessage reqMsg, IMessage retMsg)
at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.PrivateInvoke(MessageData& msgData, Int32 type)
at AssessorService.GetRandomUser()
at AssessorServiceClient.GetRandomUser()

Inner Exception:
The read operation failed, see inner exception.
at System.Net.Security.NegotiateStream.ProcessRead(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.NegotiateStream.Read(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 count)
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.StreamConnection.Read(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 size, TimeSpan timeout)

Inner Exception:
The socket connection was aborted. This could be caused by an error processing your message or a receive timeout being exceeded by the remote host, or an underlying network resource issue. Local socket timeout was '00:00:59.9740000'.
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.SocketConnection.ReadCore(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 size, TimeSpan timeout, Boolean closing)
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.SocketConnection.Read(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 size, TimeSpan timeout)
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.DelegatingConnection.Read(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 size, TimeSpan timeout)
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ConnectionStream.Read(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 count)
at System.Net.FixedSizeReader.ReadPacket(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 count)
at System.Net.Security.NegotiateStream.StartFrameHeader(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)
at System.Net.Security.NegotiateStream.ProcessRead(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 count, AsyncProtocolRequest asyncRequest)

Inner Exception:
An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host
at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.Receive(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 size, SocketFlags socketFlags)
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.SocketConnection.ReadCore(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 size, TimeSpan timeout, Boolean closing)