c# - Design Pattern for Object Modification with Timestamp -

i have colleciton of objects need maintain several time-stamps last time properties within object updated (one time-stamp per property).

i implement time-stamp update in setter except deserialization library being used first creates object, updates of properties (using object's setter). means time-stamps invalidated every time program deserializes them.

i'm thinking need singleton class or update method handles updating properties , controls time-stamp update. there better way implement behavior? design pattern exist behavior?

if separate serialization concerns business layer, should find flexibility hammer out solution. have 99% of api work business object (which updates timestamps when properties update), convert to/from data-transfer-object (dto) serialization purposes only.

for example, given business object this:

public class myobject {     public datetime somevalueupdated { get; private set; }      private double _somevalue;     public double somevalue     {                 {             return _somevalue;         }         set         {             somevalueupdated = datetime.now;             _somevalue = value;         }     }      public myobject()     {      }      //for deserialization purposes     public myobject(double somevalue, datetime somevalueupdated)     {         this.somevalue = somevalue;         this.somevalueupdated = somevalueupdated;     } } 

you have matching dto this:

public class myobjectdto {     public datetime somevalueupdated { get; set; }     public double somevalue { get; set; } } 

your dto can specially adorned various xml schema altering attributes, or can manage timestamps see fit , business layer doesn't know , doesn't care.

when comes time serialize or deserialize objects, run them through converter utility:

public static class myobjectdtoconverter {     public static myobjectdto toserializable(myobject myobj)     {         return new myobjectdto {             somevalue = myobj.somevalue,             somevalueupdated = myobj.somevalueupdated         };     }      public static myobject fromserializable(myobjectdto myobjserialized)     {         return new myobject(             myobjserialized.somevalue,              myobjserialized.somevalueupdated         );     } } 

if wish, can make of properties or constructors of myobject internal conversion utility can access them. (for example, maybe don't want have public myobject(double somevalue, datetime somevalueupdated) constructor publicly accessible)