XmlDocument.CreateEntityReference creates an XmlEntityReference with the specified name.
Option Explicit Option Strict Imports System Imports System.IO Imports System.Xml Public Class Sample Public Shared Sub Main() Dim doc As New XmlDocument() doc.LoadXml("<!DOCTYPE book [<!ENTITY h 'hardcover'>]>" & _ "<book genre='Computer' ISBN='1-111111-57-5'>" & _ "<title>C#</title>" & _ "<misc/>" & _ "</book>") Dim entityref As XmlEntityReference = doc.CreateEntityReference("h") Console.WriteLine(entityref.ChildNodes.Count) doc.DocumentElement.LastChild.AppendChild(entityref) Console.WriteLine(entityref.FirstChild.InnerText) End Sub 'Main End Class 'Sample