XML as a SAML Attribute Value

SAML for ASP.NET
1

Most SAML attribute values are simple string values. For example:

<saml:Attribute Name=“support-email”>
saml:AttributeValuesupport@componentspace.com</saml:AttributeValue>
</saml:Attribute>
<saml:Attribute Name=“sales-email”>
saml:AttributeValuesales@componentspace.com</saml:AttributeValue>
</saml:Attribute>



However, it’s also possible to specify XML as the SAML attribute value. For example:

<saml:Attribute Name=“email-addresses”>
saml:AttributeValue
support@componentspace.com
sales@componentspace.com
</saml:AttributeValue>
</saml:Attribute>



The following code calls the SAML high-level API and includes an attribute whose value is XML.

var attributes = new Dictionary<string, string>();

var xmlDocument = new XmlDocument();
xmlDocument.PreserveWhitespace = true;
xmlDocument.LoadXml(“support@componentspace.comsales@componentspace.com”);

attributes[“email-addresses”] = xmlDocument.DocumentElement.FirstChild.OuterXml;

SAMLIdentityProvider.SendSSO(Response, userName, attributes);



The equivalent code using the SAML low-level API is:


var attributeStatement = new AttributeStatement();
SAMLAttribute.RegisterAttributeValueSerializer(“email-addresses”, null, new XmlAttributeValueSerializer());
var samlAttribute = new SAMLAttribute(“email-addresses”, null, null);

var xmlDocument = new XmlDocument();
xmlDocument.PreserveWhitespace = true;
xmlDocument.LoadXml(“support@componentspace.comsales@componentspace.com”);

samlAttribute.Values.Add(new AttributeValue(xmlDocument.DocumentElement.FirstChild));
attributeStatement.Attributes.Add(samlAttribute);


2
[quote]
ComponentSpace - 9/30/2016
I want to generate saml as below and I tried code for such requirement-I want such list structure to generate as mentioned below in SAMl I want) as mentioned in earlier post from your Forum--https://www.componentspace.com/Forums/5463/XML-as-a-SAML-Attribute-Value


<saml:Assertion Version="2.0" ID="12345" IssueInstant="2018-04-28T17:10:44Z"
xmlns:saml="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:assertion">



Employee1
Department1


Employee2
Department2





1. For this I am generating list in my custom object first from data.
I have class (Custom)as below
public class SAMLModuleAttribute

{
public SAMLModuleAttribute()
{

}
public SAMLModuleAttribute(string attributename, string friendlyname, string attributevalue)
{
this.AttributeName = attributename;
this.FriendlyName = friendlyname;
this.AttributeValue = attributevalue;
}

public string AttributeName { get; set; }

public string FriendlyName { get; set; }

public string AttributeValue { get; set; }

public List AttributeValues { get; set; }
}

Then I am using it to generate below Object structure

var lstAttributes =List();
var samlAttribute = new SAMLModuleAttribute("Employees", "","");
samlAttribute.AttributeValues = new List();

foreach (var employee in employeeList)
{
samlAttribute.AttributeValues.Add(new SAMLModuleAttributeValue
{
Name = "Employee",
Value = "Employee1"
});
samlAttribute.AttributeValues.Add(new SAMLModuleAttributeValue
{
Name = "Department",
Value = "Department1"
});
}
lstAttributes.Add(samlAttribute);

2. Then I am passing it to first fill it in Saml low lecvel api of componenet space using AttributeStatement

AttributeStatement attStatement = new AttributeStatement();
CreateMultiValueSAMLAttributes(lstAttributes,attStatement);

private void CreateMultiValueSAMLAttributes(List lstAttributes, AttributeStatement attStatement)
SAMLAttribute.RegisterAttributeValueSerializer("Employees", null, new XmlAttributeValueSerializer());
foreach (SAMLModuleAttribute attb in lstAttributes)
{

SAMLAttribute attrib = new SAMLAttribute(attb.AttributeName, SAMLIdentifiers.AttributeNameFormats.Basic,
attb.FriendlyName, attb.AttributeValue);

if (attb.AttributeValues != null && attb.AttributeValues.Count > 0)
{
XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
XmlDeclaration xmlDeclaration = doc.CreateXmlDeclaration("1.0", "UTF-8", null);
XmlElement root = doc.DocumentElement;
doc.InsertBefore(xmlDeclaration, root);

XmlElement employeeElement = doc.CreateElement(string.Empty, "Employees", string.Empty);
doc.AppendChild(employeeElement);

foreach (var attrinuteValue in attb.AttributeValues)
{
XmlElement attributeValueNode = doc.CreateElement(string.Empty, attrinuteValue.Name, string.Empty);
XmlText attributeValue = doc.CreateTextNode(attrinuteValue.Value);
attributeValueNode.AppendChild(attributeValue);

accountElement.AppendChild(attributeValueNode);

///The Above code will add Xml Strucure like when loop completes Employee1 Department1 Employee2 Department2
// inside parent node

XmlElement employeeNode = doc.CreateElement(string.Empty, "Employee", string.Empty);
XmlText attributeValue = doc.CreateTextNode("Employee1";
employeeNode.AppendChild(attributeValue);


XmlElement deptNode = doc.CreateElement(string.Empty, "Department", string.Empty);
XmlText attributeValue = doc.CreateTextNode("Department1";
deptNode.AppendChild(attributeValue);
}

var xmlDocument = new XmlDocument();
xmldocument.PreserveWhitespace = true;
xmldocument.LoadXml(doc.DocumentElement.OuterXml);

attrib.Values.Add(new AttributeValue(xmldocument.DocumentElement));

}
attStatement.Attributes.Add(attrib);
}
}

And finally I am using To Xml on SamlAssertion to get Saml string from it
SAMLAssertion samlAssertion = new SAMLAssertion();
--code to fill Saml Assertion

samlAssertion.Statements.Add(attStatement);

string samlString= samlAssertion.ToXml().OuterXml.ToString();

But above line generates saml as below

Actual SAMl I am getting

<saml:Assertion Version="2.0" ID="12345" IssueInstant="2018-04-28T17:10:44Z"
xmlns:saml="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:assertion">



System.Xml.XmlElement




Instead of below which is expected

<saml:Assertion Version="2.0" ID="12345" IssueInstant="2018-04-28T17:10:44Z"
xmlns:saml="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:assertion">



Employee1
Department1


Employee2
Department2






It seems it cannot serlize it properly the InnerXml under parent EMployees node and genartes incorrect xml as System.Xml.XmlElement

Can you please help to resolve this.
3

The following code generates the required XML.
For brevity, it loads the attribute values XML from strings but you can construct these however you wish.


// Employees attribute values are to be serialized as XML.
SAMLAttribute.RegisterAttributeValueSerializer(“Employees”, null, new XmlAttributeValueSerializer());

// Load some test employee records.
var xmlDocument = new XmlDocument()
{
PreserveWhitespace = true
};

xmlDocument.LoadXml(“Employee1Department1”);
var employee1 = xmlDocument.DocumentElement.ChildNodes;

xmlDocument.LoadXml(“Employee2Department2”);
var employee2 = xmlDocument.DocumentElement.ChildNodes;

// Create the example SAML assertion.
var samlAssertion = new SAMLAssertion();
samlAssertion.Statements.Add(new AttributeStatement()
{
Attributes = new ArrayList()
{
new SAMLAttribute()
{
Name = “Employees”,
FriendlyName = “Employees”,
NameFormat = SAMLIdentifiers.AttributeNameFormats.Basic,
Values = new List()
{
new AttributeValue()
{
Data = employee1
},
new AttributeValue()
{
Data = employee2
}
}
}
}
});

// Serialize the SAMl assertion to an XML string.
var xmlText = samlAssertion.ToString();


4
[quote]
ComponentSpace - 4/28/2018
The following code generates the required XML.
For brevity, it loads the attribute values XML from strings but you can construct these however you wish.


// Employees attribute values are to be serialized as XML.
SAMLAttribute.RegisterAttributeValueSerializer("Employees", null, new XmlAttributeValueSerializer());

// Load some test employee records.
var xmlDocument = new XmlDocument()
{
PreserveWhitespace = true
};

xmldocument.LoadXml("Employee1Department1");
var employee1 = xmldocument.DocumentElement.ChildNodes;

xmldocument.LoadXml("Employee2Department2");
var employee2 = xmldocument.DocumentElement.ChildNodes;

// Create the example SAML assertion.
var samlAssertion = new SAMLAssertion();
samlAssertion.Statements.Add(new AttributeStatement()
{
Attributes = new ArrayList()
{
new SAMLAttribute()
{
Name = "Employees",
FriendlyName = "Employees",
NameFormat = SAMLIdentifiers.AttributeNameFormats.Basic,
Values = new List()
{
new AttributeValue()
{
Data = employee1
},
new AttributeValue()
{
Data = employee2
}
}
}
}
});

// Serialize the SAMl assertion to an XML string.
var xmlText = samlAssertion.ToString();


[/quote]

Hi Mitchell ,

I tried it but the last line var xmlText = samlAssertion.ToString(); gives me output ComponentSpace.SAML2.Assertions.SAMLAssertion.
And when I tried samlAssertion.ToXml() or samlAssertion.ToXml().OuterXml it gives below exception during Serlization

"Unable to cast object of type 'System.Xml.XmlChildNodes' to type 'System.Xml.XmlElement'."}System.Exception {System.InvalidCastException
'samlAssertion.ToXml()' threw an exception of type 'ComponentSpace.SAML2.SAMLSerializationException'

It seems it cannot serilize it properly.
If you run the code you shared you will get the above output i.e.
xmlText = samlAssertion.ToString(); gives me output ComponentSpace.SAML2.Assertions.SAMLAssertion.
And
xmlText = samlAssertion.ToXml(); gives exception
"Unable to cast object of type 'System.Xml.XmlChildNodes' to type 'System.Xml.XmlElement'."}System.Exception {System.InvalidCastException

Please help me to resolve this.

Thanks,
Amol




5

What version of the product are you using?
https://www.componentspace.com/Forums/31/Determining-the-Component-Version-and-License

6
[quote]
ComponentSpace - 4/29/2018
[/quote]

I am using 2.1.0.4
7

That version is almost 10 years old.
You should upgrade to pick up the latest functionality.
https://www.componentspace.com/documentation/saml-for-asp-net/ComponentSpace%20SAML%20for%20ASP.NET%20Release%20Notes.pdf