Building a query (LINQ) with a sub-query - linq

Question

For simplicity sake lets assume I have the following two classes:
public class ComplexClass
{
public List<SubClass> SubClasses { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
}
public class SubClass
{
public string Name { get; set; }
}
I have a List<ComplexClass> and I need to build a query based on some parameters.
It's an easy task if all I need to do is use the Name property of ComplexClass. Here's an example:
static IQueryable<ComplexClass> GetQuery(string someParameter, string someOtherParameter)
{
var query = list.AsQueryable();
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(someParameter))
query = query.Where(c => c.Name.StartsWith(someParameter));
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(someOtherParameter))
query = query.Where(c => c.Name.EndsWith(someOtherParameter));
return query;
}
Based on the parameters I have I can add more query elements. Of course the above example is simple, but the actual problem contains more parameters, and that number can grow.
Things aren't as simple if I want to find those ComplexClass instances which have SubClass instances which meet criteria based on parameters:
static IQueryable<ComplexClass> GetSubQuery(string someParameter, string someOtherParameter)
{
var query = list.AsQueryable();
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(someParameter))
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(someOtherParameter))
return query.Where(c => c.SubClasses.Where(sc => sc.Name.StartsWith(someParameter) && sc.Name.EndsWith(someOtherParameter)).Any());
else
return query.Where(c => c.SubClasses.Where(sc => sc.Name.StartsWith(someParameter)).Any());
else
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(someOtherParameter))
return query.Where(c => c.SubClasses.Where(sc => sc.Name.EndsWith(someOtherParameter)).Any());
else
return null;
}
I can no longer just add bits of the query based on each parameter, I now need to write the whole query in one go, and this means I need to check every combination of parameters, which is hardly ideal.
I suspect the key is to build an Expression class and create a lambda expression from that, but I'm not sure how to tackle the problem.
Any suggestions? :)
EDIT:
My initial idea was this:
static IQueryable<ComplexClass> GetSubQuery(string someParameter, string someOtherParameter)
{
var query = list.AsQueryable();
query = query.Where(c =>
{
var subQuery = c.SubClasses.AsQueryable();
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(someParameter))
subQuery = subQuery.Where(sc => sc.Name.StartsWith(someParameter));
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(someOtherParameter))
subQuery = subQuery.Where(sc => sc.Name.EndsWith(someOtherParameter));
return subQuery.Any();
});
return query;
}
This works in my small console test application as it's using LINQ to Objects. Unfortunately, I need to use Entity Framework and LINQ to Entities, which causes an implementation similar to the one above to throw a A lambda expression with a statement body cannot be converted to an expression tree error message.

Answer 1

I'm assuming that in you real-life code the SubClasses property is IQueryable<SubClass> rather than List<SubClass>?
If so, then your query building becomes easy:
static IQueryable<ComplexClass> GetSubQuery(
string someParameter, string someOtherParameter)
{
var query = list.AsQueryable();
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(someParameter))
query = query.Where(c => c.SubClasses
.Where(sc => sc.Name.StartsWith(someParameter)).Any());
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(someOtherParameter))
query = query.Where(c => c.SubClasses
.Where(sc => sc.Name.StartsWith(someOtherParameter)).Any());
return query;
}
Mixing IEnumerable<T> and IQueryable<T> using AsQueryable() is never a good idea.

Answer 2

I implemented my solution in a simple Console Project:
internal class Program
{
#region Constants and Fields
private static readonly List<ComplexClass> list = new List<ComplexClass>
{
new ComplexClass
{
Name = "complex",
SubClasses = new List<SubClass>
{
new SubClass
{
SubName = "foobar"
}
}
},
new ComplexClass
{
Name = "complex",
SubClasses = new List<SubClass>
{
new SubClass
{
SubName = "notfoobar"
}
}
}
};
#endregion
#region Public Methods
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
Console.WriteLine("foo / bar :");
GetSubQuery("foo", "bar");
Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine("foo / null :");
GetSubQuery("foo", null);
Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine("string.Empty / bar :");
GetSubQuery(string.Empty, "bar");
Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine("maeh / bar :");
GetSubQuery("maeh", "bar");
Console.ReadKey();
}
#endregion
#region Methods
private static void GetSubQuery(string startsWith,
string endsWith)
{
var query = from item in list
let StartIsNull = string.IsNullOrEmpty(startsWith)
let EndIsNull = string.IsNullOrEmpty(endsWith)
where
(StartIsNull || item.SubClasses.Any(sc => sc.SubName.StartsWith(startsWith)))
&& (EndIsNull || item.SubClasses.Any(sc => sc.SubName.EndsWith(endsWith)))
select item;
foreach (var complexClass in query)
{
Console.WriteLine(complexClass.SubClasses.First().SubName);
}
}
#endregion
public class ComplexClass
{
#region Public Properties
public string Name { get; set; }
public List<SubClass> SubClasses { get; set; }
#endregion
}
public class SubClass
{
#region Public Properties
public string SubName { get; set; }
#endregion
}
}
The Console Output is:
foo / bar :
foobar
foo / null :
foobar
string.Empty / bar :
foobar
notfoobar
maeh / bar :