A Simple Game Editor in C# - Game Coding Complete - page 781

Saving a level requires creating and writing an XML file like this:

private void saveLevelToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{

XmlDocument levelXml = new XmlDocument();
XmlElement world = levelXml.CreateElement( “ World ” );

levelXml.AppendChild(world);
XmlElement staticActors = levelXml.CreateElement( “ StaticActors ” );

world.AppendChild(staticActors);

int[] actorList = GetActorList();

for (int i = 0; i < actorList.GetLength(0); i++)
{

uint actorId = Convert.ToUInt32(actorList[i]);
XmlElement actorXml = GetActorXml(actorId);
if (actorXml != null)
{

staticActors.AppendChild(
staticActors.OwnerDocument.ImportNode(actorXml, true));

}

}

// Save the document to a file and auto-indent the output.
XmlTextWriter writer = new XmlTextWriter(m_CurrentLevelFile, null);
writer.Formatting = Formatting.Indented;
levelXml.Save(writer);

}

The level file format is basically a list of actors and their components.

<World>
<StaticActors>
<Actor type= “ Grid ” >

component XML definitions go here
</Actor>
<Actor type=

…

“ Light ” >

component XML definitions go here
</Actor>
</StaticActors>
</World>
The root level element, World , contains the actor list defined by the StaticActors
element. A good extension for this format might add level specific information, such
as a definition for background music or where the level chains to after it is com-
pleted. In this simple example, just the actor list is shown.

…