Interface ISerializationContext

Provides stateful context information threaded through a single serialization or deserialization operation. Each top-level call to ScyllaSerialization creates a fresh context that is passed down to every ITypeSerializer and ITypeSerializer<T> involved in the operation.

Namespace: Scylla.Core.Util.Serialization
Assembly: ScyllaCore.dll
Syntax
public interface ISerializationContext
Remarks

The context serves three distinct purposes during an operation:

  • Depth tracking - PushDepth() and PopDepth() bracket each nested object or collection so that the engine can detect and abort pathologically deep or infinite object graphs before a stack overflow occurs.
  • Reference tracking - the shared ReferenceTracker detects cyclic references and, depending on the active ReferenceHandling policy, either preserves them, ignores them, or raises an error.
  • Serializer resolution - GetSerializer(Type) and GetSerializer<T>() locate the most specific ITypeSerializer for a given type, first consulting the per-settings custom serializer registry before falling back to the global engine registry.

Context instances are not reused across operations. The concrete implementation SerializationContext is constructed internally by ScyllaSerialization and should not need to be instantiated directly by application code.

Properties

CurrentDepth

Gets the zero-based nesting depth at which the engine is currently operating. The depth starts at 0 for the root object and increments by one for each nested object or collection encountered.

Declaration
int CurrentDepth { get; }
Property Value
Type Description
int

An integer in the range [0, MaxDepth]. Never negative.
See Also

IsMaxDepthReached

Gets a value indicating whether the operation has reached the maximum allowed nesting depth as defined by MaxDepth. When true, the next call to PushDepth() will throw a SerializationException.

Declaration
bool IsMaxDepthReached { get; }
Property Value
Type Description
bool

true when CurrentDepth is greater than or equal to MaxDepth; otherwise, false.

ReferenceTracker

Gets the reference tracker that monitors object identity across the entire operation, enabling cycle detection and, when Preserve is active, reference ID assignment and resolution.

Declaration
ReferenceTracker ReferenceTracker { get; }
Property Value
Type Description
ReferenceTracker

The ReferenceTracker instance shared for the duration of this operation. Never null.
See Also

Settings

Gets the settings that govern the current serialization or deserialization operation, including the chosen output format, null/default-value handling policies, maximum recursion depth, and any per-operation custom type serializers.

Declaration
SerializationSettings Settings { get; }
Property Value
Type Description
SerializationSettings

The SerializationSettings instance provided when the operation started. Never null.

Methods

GetSerializer(Type)

Returns the most specific ITypeSerializer registered for the specified runtime type, or null if no serializer is registered for that type.

Declaration
ITypeSerializer GetSerializer(Type type)
Parameters
Type Name Description
Type type

The exact Type for which a serializer is required. Must not be null. Typically the declared or runtime type of the value being processed.
Returns
Type Description
ITypeSerializer

An ITypeSerializer capable of handling type, or null if no custom serializer has been registered. The lookup first checks CustomSerializers (per-operation overrides), then falls back to the global serializer registry maintained by SerializationEngine.
See Also

GetSerializer<T>()

Returns a strongly-typed ITypeSerializer<T> for the type parameter T, or null if no typed serializer has been registered for that type.

Declaration
ITypeSerializer<T> GetSerializer<T>()
Returns
Type Description
ITypeSerializer<T>

An ITypeSerializer<T> for T, or null. In the default SerializationContext implementation this method always returns null because type serializers are stored and retrieved via the non-generic GetSerializer(Type) path through TypeSerializerAdapter<T>. Prefer GetSerializer(Type) for runtime type resolution.
Type Parameters
Name Description
T

The compile-time type for which a serializer is required.
See Also

PopDepth()

Decrements the current nesting depth by one level to signal that the engine has finished serializing or deserializing a nested object or collection. Safe to call when depth is already 0 - it is a no-op in that case.

Declaration
void PopDepth()
See Also

PushDepth()

Increments the current nesting depth by one level to signal that the engine is entering a nested object or collection. Must be paired with a subsequent call to PopDepth().

Declaration
void PushDepth()
Exceptions
Type Condition
SerializationException

Thrown when the incremented depth would exceed MaxDepth, which typically indicates either a circular reference that bypassed ReferenceTracker or a legitimate but unusually deep object graph.
See Also

Extension Methods

See Also