MapODataRoute and ODataQueryOptions - asp.net-web-api

Im building a WebAPI OData solution that handles untyped entity objects, as described in this excellent post. Like that post, I define my EdmModel upfront, and use the MapODataRoute method and pass in the model to use:
config.Routes.MapODataRoute("odata", "odata", ModelBuilder.GetEdmModel());
However, this does not seem to work with ODataQueryOptions parameter in my methods:
Get(ODataQueryOptions query)
{
}
It gives the following error: The given model does not contain the type 'System.Web.Http.OData.IEdmEntityObject'. Parameter name: elementClrType
Is there any way to get ODataQueryOptions to work with MapODataRoute?

You should build the ODataQueryOptions manually in your controller action in untyped mode. Sample code follows,
ODataPath path = Request.GetODataPath();
IEdmType edmType = path.EdmType;
IEdmType elementType = edmType.TypeKind == EdmTypeKind.Collection
? (edmType as IEdmCollectionType).ElementType.Definition
: edmType;
// build the typeless query options using the element type.
ODataQueryContext queryContext = new ODataQueryContext(Request.GetEdmModel(), elementType);
ODataQueryOptions queryOptions = new ODataQueryOptions(queryContext, Request);

Ive managed to do it as follows:
ODataPath path = Request.GetODataPath();
IEdmType edmType = path.EdmType;
private ODataQueryOptions GetODataQueryOptions(IEdmType edmType)
{
IEdmModel model = Models.ModelBuilder.GetEdmModel();
ODataQueryContext queryContext = new ODataQueryContext(model, edmType);
ODataQueryOptions queryOptions = new ODataQueryOptions(queryContext, this.Request);
return queryOptions;
}
This works for most query options, but crashes with $select and $expand: The type 'Collection([Org.Microsoft.Product Nullable=False])' is not an entity type. Only entity types support $select and $expand. Is there a way to avoid this exception gracefully when a client tries to filter with $select and $expand, or should i just write something like
if (Request.RequestUri.Query.Contains("select")) { return errormessage }
Also, and more importantly, how would one apply these query options to an EdmEntityObjectCollection which gets returned in the first method?
queryOptions.ApplyTo(collectionProduct.AsQueryable()); // wont work...
(perhaps it is better practice to dynamically build your collection in regards to the query options anyway)

Related

OData Get method returns Complex Type

I'm just getting started with OData using Asp.Net Web API.
I declare in WebApiConfig.cs
ODataModelBuilder builder = new ODataConventionModelBuilder();
builder.EntitySet<Staff>("staffs");
return builder.GetEdmModel();
In StaffsController.cs
public class StaffsController : ODataController
{
UnitOfWork unitOfWork;
public StaffsController()
{
this.unitOfWork = new UnitOfWork();
}
[EnableQuery]
public IHttpActionResult Get()
{
var q = this.unitOfWork.StaffRepository.Data.Select(p => new { p.Name, p.Id, p.Ext });
// Or Grouping here to return a Complex Type
return Ok(q);
}
}
It return 406 error, but if I change
var q = this.unitOfWork.StaffRepository.Data.Select(p => new { p.Name, p.Id, p.Ext });
// Or Grouping here to return a Complex Type
to
var q = this.unitOfWork.StaffRepository.Data;
It works.
I've search on Google for a while but still found nothing. Could you help me out if we can do that or we have other ways to reach that?
The type that you pass into the generic parameter for builder.EntitySet - in your case Staff - needs to match the object that you return from the Get method. Because you used Staff, the variable q needs to be of type IQueryable<Staff>.
The Data property is of this type so it works, but the anonymous type for the version that isn't working obviously isn't so it doesn't work.
Following on from your comment
I want get Staff information list with some statistic data
In order to add different properties to the response, you need to create a new object type that you pass into the builder.EntitySet generic parameter and then create it in Select statement in the controller.
However, what you are doing in the example, seems to be just returning properties that are already on the Staff object. You could use an OData $select statement to do this. For example:
http://yoururl/staffs?$select=Name,Id,Ext

Web API parameter filtering

This must be simple and I'm being incredibly dense but I can't find an example to help me figure it out. I want to filter my list of tblAsset items by their assessmentId which is passed in through a parameter. I'm able to get the parameter value ok, but I'm not sure how to write the query.
My model is built from an existing Database using the Model creation wizard.
Thanks for any help!
public IEnumerable<tblAsset> GettblAssets()
{
NameValueCollection nvc = HttpUtility.ParseQueryString(Request.RequestUri.Query);
var assessmentId = nvc["aid"];
//limit the assets by assessmentId somehow and return
}
You could use the .Where extension method on the IQueryable<tblAsset> instance returned by your database:
public IEnumerable<tblAsset> GettblAssets()
{
NameValueCollection nvc = HttpUtility.ParseQueryString(Request.RequestUri.Query);
var assessmentId = nvc["aid"];
// TODO: you might need to adjust the property names of your model accordingly
// Also if the assessmentId property is an integer on your model type
// you will need to parse the value you read from the request to an integer
// using the int.Parse method
return db.tblAsset.Where(a => a.assessmentId == assessmentId);
}

Why am I getting a MissingMethodException with querying the TableServiceContext?

I am trying to query a Azure Table Storage. For that I use the following two methods:
TableServiceContext:
public IQueryable<T> QueryEntities<T>(string tableName) where T : TableServiceEntity
{
this.ResolveType = (unused) => typeof(T);
return this.CreateQuery<T>(tableName);
}
Code that uses the method above:
CloudStorageAccount account = AzureConnector.GetCloudStorageAccount(AppSettingsVariables.TableStorageConnection);
AzureTableStorageContext context = new AzureTableStorageContext(account.TableEndpoint.ToString(), account.Credentials);
// Checks if the setting already exists in the Azure table storage. Returns null if not exists.
var existsQuery = from e in context.QueryEntities<ServiceSettingEntity>(TableName)
where e.ServiceName.Equals(this.ServiceName) && e.SettingName.Equals(settingName)
select e;
ServiceSettingEntity existingSettginEntity = existsQuery.FirstOrDefault();
The LINQ query above generates the following request url:
http://127.0.0.1:10002/devstoreaccount1/PublicSpaceNotificationSettingsTable()?$filter=(ServiceName eq 'PublicSpaceNotification') and (SettingName eq 'expectiss')
The code in the class generates the following MissingMethodException:
I have looked at the supported LINQ Queries for the Table API;
Looked at several working stackoverflow solutions;
Tried IgnoreResourceNotFoundException on the TableServiceContext (usercomments of QueryOperators);
Tried to convert the linq query with ToList() before calling first or default (usercomments of QueryOperators).
but I can't get this to work.
Make sure you have parameterless constructor for the class "ServerSettingEntity". The ‘DTO’ that inherits TableServiceEntity needs a constructor with no parameters.

Reflection + Linq + DbSet

I use EF code-first 4.1. in my application. Now I want to get entities through WCF services using generic types.
I'm trying to reflect generic type and invoke the method ToList of DbSet Object.
Here is my code:
public string GetAllEntries(string objectType)
{
try
{
var mdc =
Globals.DbConnection.Create(#"some_db_connection", true);
// Getting assembly for types
var asob = Assembly.GetAssembly(typeof(CrmObject));
// getting requested object type from assembly
var genericType = asob.GetType(objectType, true, true);
if (genericType.BaseType == typeof(CrmObject))
{
// Getting Set<T> method
var method = mdc.GetType().GetMember("Set").Cast<MethodInfo>().Where(x => x.IsGenericMethodDefinition).FirstOrDefault();
// Making Set<SomeRealCrmObject>() method
var genericMethod = method.MakeGenericMethod(genericType);
// invoking Setmethod into invokeSet
var invokeSet = genericMethod.Invoke(mdc, null);
// invoking ToList method from Set<> invokeSet
var invokeToList = invokeSet.GetType().GetMember("ToList").Cast<MethodInfo>().FirstOrDefault();
//this return not referenced object as result
return invokeToList.ToString();
}
return null;
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
return ex.Message + Environment.NewLine + ex.StackTrace;
}
}
In fact then I write the code like return mdc.Set<SomeRealCrmObject>().ToList() - works fine for me! But then I use the generic types I cannot find the method ToList in object DbSet<SomeRealCrmObject>().
Eranga is correct, but this is an easier usage:
dynamic invokeSet = genericMethod.Invoke(mdc, null);
var list = Enumerable.ToList(invokeSet);
C# 4's dynamic takes care of the cumbersome generic reflection for you.
ToLIst() is not a member of DbSet/ObjectSet but is an extension method.
You can try this instead
var method = typeof(Enumerable).GetMethod("ToList");
var generic = method.MakeGenericMethod(genericType);
generic.Invoke(invokeSet, null);
I had a similar situation where I needed a way to dynamically load values for dropdown lists used for search criteria on a page allowing users to run adhoc queries against a given table. I wanted to do this dynamically so there would be no code change on the front or backend when new fields were added. So using a dynamic type and some basic reflection, it solved my problem.
What I needed to do was invoke a DbSet property on a DbContext based on the generic type for the DbSet. So for instance the type might be called County and the DbSet property is called Counties. The load method below would load objects of type T (the County) and return an array of T objects (list of County objects) by invoking the DbSet property called Counties. EntityList is just a decorator object that takes a list of lookup items and adds additional properties needed for the grid on the front-end.
public T[] Load<T>() where T : class
{
var dbProperty = typeof(Data.BmpDB).GetProperties().FirstOrDefault(
x => x.GetMethod.ReturnType.GenericTypeArguments[0].FullName == typeof(T).FullName);
if (dbProperty == null)
return null;
dynamic data = dbProperty.GetMethod.Invoke(BmpDb, null);
var list = Enumerable.ToList(data) as List<T>;
var entityList = new Data.EntityList<T>(list);
return entityList.Results;
}

IEqualityComparer exception

I am using Entity Framework 4.0 and trying to use the "Contains" function of one the object sets in my context object. to do so i coded a Comparer class:
public class RatingInfoComparer : IEqualityComparer<RatingInfo>
{
public bool Equals(RatingInfo x, RatingInfo y)
{
var a = new {x.PlugInID,x.RatingInfoUserIP};
var b = new {y.PlugInID,y.RatingInfoUserIP};
if(a.PlugInID == b.PlugInID && a.RatingInfoUserIP.Equals(b.RatingInfoUserIP))
return true;
else
return false;
}
public int GetHashCode(RatingInfo obj)
{
var a = new { obj.PlugInID, obj.RatingInfoUserIP };
if (Object.ReferenceEquals(obj, null))
return 0;
return a.GetHashCode();
}
}
when i try to use the comparer with this code:
public void SaveRatingInfo2(int plugInId, string userInfo)
{
RatingInfo ri = new RatingInfo()
{
PlugInID = plugInId,
RatingInfoUser = userInfo,
RatingInfoUserIP = "192.168.1.100"
};
//This is where i get the execption
if (!context.RatingInfoes.Contains<RatingInfo>(ri, new RatingInfoComparer()))
{
//my Entity Framework context object
context.RatingInfoes.AddObject(ri);
context.SaveChanges();
}
}
i get an execption:
"LINQ to Entities does not recognize the method 'Boolean Contains[RatingInfo](System.Linq.IQueryable1[OlafCMSLibrary.Models.RatingInfo], OlafCMSLibrary.Models.RatingInfo,
System.Collections.Generic.IEqualityComparer1[OlafCMSLibrary.Models.RatingInfo])' method, and his method cannot be translated into a store expression."
Since i am not proficient with linQ and Entity Framework i might be making a mistake with my use of the "var" either in the "GetHashCode" function or in general.
If my mistake is clear to you do tell me :) it does not stop my project! but it is essential for me to understand why a simple comparer doesnt work.
Thanks
Aaron
LINQ to Entities works by converting an expression tree into queries against an object model through the IQueryable interface. This means than you can only put things into the expression tree which LINQ to Entities understands.
It doesn't understand the Contains method you are using, so it throws the exception you see. Here is a list of methods which it understands.
Under the Set Methods section header, it lists Contains using an item as supported, but it lists Contains with an IEqualityComparer as not supported. This is presumably because it would have to be able to work out how to convert your IEqualityComparer into a query against the object model, which would be difficult. You might be able to do what you want using multiple Where clauses, see which ones are supported further up the document.

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