Serialize DataTable

[Mike Hildner]

This just doesn't make sense to me at all. I know you can't return a DataTable from a web service method. I know the work around is to return a DataSet instead.

The DataTable can't be serialized and that's by design, according to MSDN. But the DataSet can, and the DataSet contains DataTables (probably). A DataTable obviously gets serialized when you serialize a DataSet, so why can't you just deal with the DataTable?

[hellswraith]

I haven't tried it, but the DataTable (according to MSDN Library) is serializable:

<Serializable>
Public Class DataTable
Inherits MarshalByValueComponent
Implements IListSource, ISupportInitialize, ISerializable

If you are talking about the .WriteXml() method, then that is a whole different thing since it is an implementation thing.

[Mike Hildner]

Not sure about that, I guess I mean this (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;306134). Like I said it's easy enough to work around, I just don't understand why it's like that.