If you create a static Dictionary in code, every time you need to change the dictionary, you have change code, recompile, and redeploy. Wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to change code. What if you could create your dictionary in an Xml file and deserialize it. You can now make the change outside of code.

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Xml.Serialization;

namespace Rhyous.EasyXml
{
    [XmlRoot("Dictionary")]
    public class SerializableDictionary<TKey, TValue>
        : Dictionary<TKey, TValue>, IXmlSerializable
    {
        public string KeyName = "key";
        public string ValueName = "value";

        #region constructors
        public SerializableDictionary()
        {
        }

        public SerializableDictionary(IEqualityComparer<TKey> comparer)
            : base(comparer)
        {
        }
        #endregion



        #region IXmlSerializable Members
        public System.Xml.Schema.XmlSchema GetSchema()
        {
            return null;
        }

        public void ReadXml(System.Xml.XmlReader reader)
        {
            var keySerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(TKey), null, null, new XmlRootAttribute(KeyName), null);
            var valueSerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(TValue), null, null, new XmlRootAttribute(ValueName), null);

            var wasEmpty = reader.IsEmptyElement;
            reader.Read();

            if (wasEmpty)
                return;

            while (reader.NodeType != System.Xml.XmlNodeType.EndElement)
            {
                var key = (TKey)keySerializer.Deserialize(reader);
                var value = (TValue)valueSerializer.Deserialize(reader);
                Add(key, value);
                reader.MoveToContent();
            }
            reader.ReadEndElement();
        }

        public void WriteXml(System.Xml.XmlWriter writer)
        {
            var keySerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(TKey));
            var valueSerializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(TValue));

            foreach (TKey key in Keys)
            {
                keySerializer.Serialize(writer, key);
                valueSerializer.Serialize(writer, this[key]);
            }
        }
        #endregion
    }
}