Use Serializable attribute to mark a generic class : Serialization : File Stream C# Source Code

    
 

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using System.IO;
using System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary;
[Serializable]
public class SampleCollection<T> : List<T> {
    private int _intData;
    private string _stringData;

    public SampleCollection(int intData, string stringData) {
        this._intData = intData;
        this._stringData = stringData;
    }

    public int IntVal {
        get { return this._intData; }
    }

    public string StrVal {
        get { return this._stringData; }
    }
}

public class TypeSafeSerializer {
    private TypeSafeSerializer() { }

    public static void AddValue<T>(String name, T value, SerializationInfo serInfo) {
        serInfo.AddValue(name, value);
    }

    public static T GetValue<T>(String name, SerializationInfo serInfo) {
        T retVal = (T)serInfo.GetValue(name, typeof(T));
        return retVal;
    }
}

public class MainClass {
    public static void Main() {
        SampleCollection<string> strList = new SampleCollection<string>(111, "Value1");
        strList.Add("Val1");
        strList.Add("Val2");

        MemoryStream stream = new MemoryStream();
        BinaryFormatter formatter = new BinaryFormatter();
        formatter.Serialize(stream, strList);
        stream.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin);

        SampleCollection<string> newList = (SampleCollection<string>)formatter.Deserialize(stream);
        Console.Out.WriteLine(newList.IntVal);
        Console.Out.WriteLine(newList.StrVal);

        foreach (string listValue in newList)
            Console.Out.WriteLine(listValue);
    }
}