geode-docs/developing/data_serialization/autoserialization_with_class_pattern_strings.html.md.erb

---
title:  Customizing Serialization with Class Pattern Strings
---

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Use class pattern strings to name the classes that you want to serialize using <%=vars.product_name%>'s reflection-based autoserializer and to specify object identity fields and to specify fields to exclude from serialization.

The class pattern strings used to configured the `ReflectionBasedAutoSerializer` are standard regular expressions. For example, this expression would select all classes defined in the `com.company.domain` package and its subpackages:

``` pre
com\.company\.domain\..*
```

You can augment the pattern strings with a special notation to define fields to exclude from serialization and to define fields to mark as PDX identity fields. The full syntax of the pattern string is:

``` pre
<class pattern> [# (identity|exclude) = <field pattern>]... [, <class pattern>...]
```

The following example pattern string sets these PDX serialization criteria:

-   Classes with names matching the pattern `com.company.DomainObject.*` are serialized. In those classes, fields beginning with `id` are marked as identity fields and fields named `creationDate` are not serialized.
-   The class `com.company.special.Patient` is serialized. In the class, the field, `ssn` is marked as an identity field

``` pre
com.company.DomainObject.*#identity=id.*#exclude=creationDate, 
com.company.special.Patient#identity=ssn
```

**Note:**
There is no association between the `identity` and `exclude` options, so the pattern above could also be expressed as:

``` pre
com.company.DomainObject.*#identity=id.*, com.company.DomainObject.*#exclude=creationDate, 
com.company.special.Patient#identity=ssn
            
```

**Note:**
The order of the patterns is not relevant. All defined class patterns are used when determining whether a field should be considered as an identity field or should be excluded.

Examples:

-   This XML uses the example pattern shown above:

    ``` pre
    <parameter name="classes">
      <string>com.company.DomainObject.*#identity=id.*#exclude=creationDate, 
    com.company.special.Patient#identity=ssn</string>
    </parameter>
    ```

-   This application code sets the same pattern:

    ``` pre
    classPatterns.add("com.company.DomainObject.*#identity=id.*#exclude=creationDate,
       com.company.special.Patient#identity=ssn");
    ```

-   This application code has the same effect:

    ``` pre
     Cache c = new CacheFactory().set("cache-xml-file", cacheXmlFileName)
         .setPdxSerializer(new ReflectionBasedAutoSerializer("com.foo.DomainObject*#identity=id.*",
             "com.company.DomainObject.*#exclude=creationDate","com.company.special.Patient#identity=ssn"))
         .create();
    ```