query a list of dynamic objects - linq

I am using massive to get the config table in the database. I would like to cache the config since the app gets values from it all the time.
once cached is there an easy way to find the object where name = 'something'
here is where the whole table is cached.
protected override dynamic Get()
{
var ret = HttpRuntime.Cache["Config"];
if (ret == null)
{
ret = _table.All();
HttpRuntime.Cache.Add("Config", ret, null, DateTime.Now.AddMinutes(2), Cache.NoSlidingExpiration,CacheItemPriority.Low, null );
}
return ret;
}
here is where I would like to pull one record from that method
protected override dynamic Get(string name)
{
return this.Get().Where(x => x.Name == name ).SingleOrDefault();
}
I know linq or lambda statements are not allowed in dynamic objects. but what is the next best way to pull that one object out of that list?

You could not write the lamda expression directly as the Where argument, but you could assign it to a Func variable.
Also I believe extension methods would not work on dynamic objects, so you have to call the extension method directly.
I think you could use the below code,
Func<dynamic, bool> check = x => x.Name == name;
System.Linq.Enumerable.Where<dynamic>(this.Get(), check);

Related

Scalable Contains method for LINQ against a SQL backend

I'm looking for an elegant way to execute a Contains() statement in a scalable way. Please allow me to give some background before I come to the actual question.
The IN statement
In Entity Framework and LINQ to SQL the Contains statement is translated as a SQL IN statement. For instance, from this statement:
var ids = Enumerable.Range(1,10);
var courses = Courses.Where(c => ids.Contains(c.CourseID)).ToList();
Entity Framework will generate
SELECT
[Extent1].[CourseID] AS [CourseID],
[Extent1].[Title] AS [Title],
[Extent1].[Credits] AS [Credits],
[Extent1].[DepartmentID] AS [DepartmentID]
FROM [dbo].[Course] AS [Extent1]
WHERE [Extent1].[CourseID] IN (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Unfortunately, the In statement is not scalable. As per MSDN:
Including an extremely large number of values (many thousands) in an IN clause can consume resources and return errors 8623 or 8632
which has to do with running out of resources or exceeding expression limits.
But before these errors occur, the IN statement becomes increasingly slow with growing numbers of items. I can't find documentation about its growth rate, but it performs well up to a few thousands of items, but beyond that it gets dramatically slow. (Based on SQL Server experiences).
Scalable
We can't always avoid this statement. A JOIN with the source data in stead would generally perform much better, but that's only possible when the source data is in the same context. Here I'm dealing with data coming from a client in a disconnected scenario. So I have been looking for a scalable solution. A satisfactory approach turned out to be cutting the operation into chunks:
var courses = ids.ToChunks(1000)
.Select(chunk => Courses.Where(c => chunk.Contains(c.CourseID)))
.SelectMany(x => x).ToList();
(where ToChunks is this little extension method).
This executes the query in chunks of 1000 that all perform well enough. With e.g. 5000 items, 5 queries will run that together are likely to be faster than one query with 5000 items.
But not DRY
But of course I don't want to scatter this construct all over my code. I am looking for an extension method by which any IQueryable<T> can be transformed into a chunky executing statement. Ideally something like this:
var courses = Courses.Where(c => ids.Contains(c.CourseID))
.AsChunky(1000)
.ToList();
But maybe this
var courses = Courses.ChunkyContains(c => c.CourseID, ids, 1000)
.ToList();
I've given the latter solution a first shot:
public static IEnumerable<TEntity> ChunkyContains<TEntity, TContains>(
this IQueryable<TEntity> query,
Expression<Func<TEntity,TContains>> match,
IEnumerable<TContains> containList,
int chunkSize = 500)
{
return containList.ToChunks(chunkSize)
.Select (chunk => query.Where(x => chunk.Contains(match)))
.SelectMany(x => x);
}
Obviously, the part x => chunk.Contains(match) doesn't compile. But I don't know how to manipulate the match expression into a Contains expression.
Maybe someone can help me make this solution work. And of course I'm open to other approaches to make this statement scalable.
I’ve solved this problem with a little different approach a view month ago. Maybe it’s a good solution for you too.
I didn’t want my solution to change the query itself. So a ids.ChunkContains(p.Id) or a special WhereContains method was unfeasible. Also should the solution be able to combine a Contains with another filter as well as using the same collection multiple times.
db.TestEntities.Where(p => (ids.Contains(p.Id) || ids.Contains(p.ParentId)) && p.Name.StartsWith("Test"))
So I tried to encapsulate the logic in a special ToList method that could rewrite the Expression for a specified collection to be queried in chunks.
var ids = Enumerable.Range(1, 11);
var result = db.TestEntities.Where(p => Ids.Contains(p.Id) && p.Name.StartsWith ("Test"))
.ToChunkedList(ids,4);
To rewrite the expression tree I discovered all Contains Method calls from local collections in the query with a view helping classes.
private class ContainsExpression
{
public ContainsExpression(MethodCallExpression methodCall)
{
this.MethodCall = methodCall;
}
public MethodCallExpression MethodCall { get; private set; }
public object GetValue()
{
var parent = MethodCall.Object ?? MethodCall.Arguments.FirstOrDefault();
return Expression.Lambda<Func<object>>(parent).Compile()();
}
public bool IsLocalList()
{
Expression parent = MethodCall.Object ?? MethodCall.Arguments.FirstOrDefault();
while (parent != null) {
if (parent is ConstantExpression)
return true;
var member = parent as MemberExpression;
if (member != null) {
parent = member.Expression;
} else {
parent = null;
}
}
return false;
}
}
private class FindExpressionVisitor<T> : ExpressionVisitor where T : Expression
{
public List<T> FoundItems { get; private set; }
public FindExpressionVisitor()
{
this.FoundItems = new List<T>();
}
public override Expression Visit(Expression node)
{
var found = node as T;
if (found != null) {
this.FoundItems.Add(found);
}
return base.Visit(node);
}
}
public static List<T> ToChunkedList<T, TValue>(this IQueryable<T> query, IEnumerable<TValue> list, int chunkSize)
{
var finder = new FindExpressionVisitor<MethodCallExpression>();
finder.Visit(query.Expression);
var methodCalls = finder.FoundItems.Where(p => p.Method.Name == "Contains").Select(p => new ContainsExpression(p)).Where(p => p.IsLocalList()).ToList();
var localLists = methodCalls.Where(p => p.GetValue() == list).ToList();
If the local collection passed in the ToChunkedList method was found in the query expression, I replace the Contains call to the original list with a new call to a temporary list containing the ids for one batch.
if (localLists.Any()) {
var result = new List<T>();
var valueList = new List<TValue>();
var containsMethod = typeof(Enumerable).GetMethods(BindingFlags.Static | BindingFlags.Public)
.Single(p => p.Name == "Contains" && p.GetParameters().Count() == 2)
.MakeGenericMethod(typeof(TValue));
var queryExpression = query.Expression;
foreach (var item in localLists) {
var parameter = new List<Expression>();
parameter.Add(Expression.Constant(valueList));
if (item.MethodCall.Object == null) {
parameter.AddRange(item.MethodCall.Arguments.Skip(1));
} else {
parameter.AddRange(item.MethodCall.Arguments);
}
var call = Expression.Call(containsMethod, parameter.ToArray());
var replacer = new ExpressionReplacer(item.MethodCall,call);
queryExpression = replacer.Visit(queryExpression);
}
var chunkQuery = query.Provider.CreateQuery<T>(queryExpression);
for (int i = 0; i < Math.Ceiling((decimal)list.Count() / chunkSize); i++) {
valueList.Clear();
valueList.AddRange(list.Skip(i * chunkSize).Take(chunkSize));
result.AddRange(chunkQuery.ToList());
}
return result;
}
// if the collection was not found return query.ToList()
return query.ToList();
Expression Replacer:
private class ExpressionReplacer : ExpressionVisitor {
private Expression find, replace;
public ExpressionReplacer(Expression find, Expression replace)
{
this.find = find;
this.replace = replace;
}
public override Expression Visit(Expression node)
{
if (node == this.find)
return this.replace;
return base.Visit(node);
}
}
Please allow me to provide an alternative to the Chunky approach.
The technique involving Contains in your predicate works well for:
A constant list of values (no volatile).
A small list of values.
Contains will do great if your local data has those two characteristics because these small set of values will be hardcoded in the final SQL query.
The problem begins when your list of values has entropy (non-constant). As of this writing, Entity Framework (Classic and Core) do not try to parameterize these values in any way, this forces SQL Server to generate a query plan every time it sees a new combination of values in your query. This operation is expensive and gets aggravated by the overall complexity of your query (e.g. many tables, a lot of values in the list, etc.).
The Chunky approach still suffers from this SQL Server query plan cache pollution problem, because it does not parametrizes the query, it just moves the cost of creating a big execution plan into smaller ones that are more easy to compute (and discard) by SQL Server, furthermore, every chunk adds an additional round-trip to the database, which increases the time needed to resolve the query.
An Efficient Solution for EF Core
🎉 NEW! QueryableValues EF6 Edition has arrived!
For EF Core keep reading below.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a way of composing local data in your query in a way that's SQL Server friendly? Enter QueryableValues.
I designed this library with these two main goals:
It MUST solve the SQL Server's query plan cache pollution problem ✅
It MUST be fast! ⚡
It has a flexible API that allows you to compose local data provided by an IEnumerable<T> and you get back an IQueryable<T>; just use it as if it were another entity of your DbContext (really), e.g.:
// Sample values.
IEnumerable<int> values = Enumerable.Range(1, 1000);
// Using a Join (query syntax).
var query1 =
from e in dbContext.MyEntities
join v in dbContext.AsQueryableValues(values) on e.Id equals v
select new
{
e.Id,
e.Name
};
// Using Contains (method syntax)
var query2 = dbContext.MyEntities
.Where(e => dbContext.AsQueryableValues(values).Contains(e.Id))
.Select(e => new
{
e.Id,
e.Name
});
You can also compose complex types!
It goes without saying that the provided IEnumerable<T> is only enumerated at the time that your query is materialized (not before), preserving the same behavior of EF Core in this regard.
How Does It Works?
Internally QueryableValues creates a parameterized query and provides your values in a serialized format that is natively understood by SQL Server. This allows your query to be resolved with a single round-trip to the database and avoids creating a new query plan on subsequent executions due to the parameterized nature of it.
Useful Links
Nuget Package
GitHub Repository
Benchmarks
SQL Server Cache Pollution Problem
QueryableValues is distributed under the MIT license
Linqkit to the rescue! Might be a better way that does it directly, but this seems to work fine and makes it pretty clear what's being done. The addition being AsExpandable(), which lets you use the Invoke extension.
using LinqKit;
public static IEnumerable<TEntity> ChunkyContains<TEntity, TContains>(
this IQueryable<TEntity> query,
Expression<Func<TEntity,TContains>> match,
IEnumerable<TContains> containList,
int chunkSize = 500)
{
return containList
.ToChunks(chunkSize)
.Select (chunk => query.AsExpandable()
.Where(x => chunk.Contains(match.Invoke(x))))
.SelectMany(x => x);
}
You might also want to do this:
containsList.Distinct()
.ToChunks(chunkSize)
...or something similar so you don't get duplicate results if something this occurs:
query.ChunkyContains(x => x.Id, new List<int> { 1, 1 }, 1);
Another way would be to build the predicate this way (of course, some parts should be improved, just giving the idea).
public static Expression<Func<TEntity, bool>> ContainsPredicate<TEntity, TContains>(this IEnumerable<TContains> chunk, Expression<Func<TEntity, TContains>> match)
{
return Expression.Lambda<Func<TEntity, bool>>(Expression.Call(
typeof (Enumerable),
"Contains",
new[]
{
typeof (TContains)
},
Expression.Constant(chunk, typeof(IEnumerable<TContains>)), match.Body),
match.Parameters);
}
which you could call in your ChunkContains method
return containList.ToChunks(chunkSize)
.Select(chunk => query.Where(ContainsPredicate(chunk, match)))
.SelectMany(x => x);
Using a stored procedure with a table valued parameter could also work well. You in effect write a joint In the stored procedure between your table / view and the table valued parameter.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/data/adonet/sql/table-valued-parameters

Determine the root object of a MemberExpression in a LINQ Expression Tree

I'm currently working in a project that involves the encryption of a few columns in an existing database. There is quite a lot of code already written against the current schema, a lot of which is in the form of custom linq-to-sql queries. The number of queries is in the neighbourhood of a 5 figure number, so modifying and re-testing each and everyone of them would be way too expensive.
An alternative we found is to keep the DB schema the same --only altering the columns length slightly, which mean we don't need to change our current entity class definitions-- and instead, changing the expression trees on-the-fly, before they reach the l2sql IQueryProvider, and apply a decryption function on the columns I need. I do this by wrapping the pertinent Table<TEntity> properties of my DataContext with a custom IQueryable<TEntity> implementation, which allows me to preview every single query in the system.
In my current implementation, say I've got this query:
var mydate = new DateTime(2013, 1, 1);
var context = new DataContextFactory.GetClientsContext();
Expression<Func<string>> foo = context.MyClients.First(
c => c.BirthDay < mydate).EncryptedColumn;
but when I catch the query, I change it to read:
Expression<Func<string>> foo = context.Decrypt(
context.MyClients.First(c => c.BirthDay < mydate).EncryptedColumn);
I do this using the ExpressionVisitor class. In the VisitMember method, I check and see whether the current MemberExpression refers to an encrypted column. If it does, I substitute the expression for a method call:
private const string FuncName = "Decrypt";
protected override Expression VisitMember(MemberExpression ma)
{
if (datactx != null && IsEncryptedColumnReference(ma))
return MakeCallExpression(ma);
}
return base.VisitMember(ma);
}
private static bool IsEncryptedColumnReference(MemberExpression ma)
{
return ma.Member.Name == "EncryptedColumn"
&& ma.Member.DeclaringType == typeof(MyClient);
}
private Expression MakeCallExpression(MemberExpression ma)
{
const BindingFlags flags = BindingFlags.Instance | BindingFlags.Public;
var mi = typeof(MyDataContext).GetMethod(FuncName, flags);
return Expression.Call(datactx, mi, ma);
}
datactx is an instance variable with a reference to the expression pointing at the current datacontext (which I look up in a previous pass).
My problem is that if I have a query such as:
var qbeClient = new MyClient { EncryptedColumn = "FooBar" };
Expression<Func<MyClient>> dbquery = () => context.MyClients.First(
c => c.EncryptedColumn == qbeClient.EncryptedColumn);
I want it to be turned into:
Expression<Func<MyClient>> dbquery = () => context.MyClients.First(c =>
context.Decrypt(c.EncryptedColumn) == qbeClient.EncryptedColumn);
instead, what I'm getting is this:
Expression<Func<MyClient>> dbquery = () => context.MyClients.First(c =>
context.Decrypt(c.EncryptedColumn) == context.Decrypt(qbeClient.EncryptedColumn));
Which I don't want, because when I've got an in-memory object, the data is already unencrypted (besides, I don't want a nasty db function call against my objects!)
So, that's basically my question: Having a MemberExpression instance, how can I determine whether it refers to an in-memory object or a row in the database?
Thanks in advance
Edit:
#Shlomo's code actually solves the case I posted, but now one of my previous tests got broken:
var context = new DataContextFactory.GetClientsContext();
Expression<Func<string>> expr = context.MyClients.First().EncryptedColumn;
Expression<Func<string>> expected = context.Decrypt(
context.MyClients.First().EncryptedColumn);
var actual = MyVisitor.Visit(expr);
Assert.AreEqual(expected.ToString(), actual.ToString());
In this case, the reference to EncryptedColumn isn't a parameter, but it should definitely be taken into account by the visitor!
A MemberExpression representing a DB row will be a descendent of a ParameterExpression. In-Memory objects will not, they'll most likely come from some form of a FieldExpression.
In your case, something like this will work for most cases (adding one method to your code, and revising your VisitMember method:
private bool IsFromParameter(MemberExpression ma)
{
if(ma.Expression.NodeType == ExpressionType.Parameter)
return true;
if(ma.Expression is MemberExpression)
return IsFromParameter(ma.Expression as MemberExpression);
return false;
}
protected override Expression VisitMember(MemberExpression ma)
{
if (datactx != null && IsEncryptedColumnReference(ma) && IsFromParameter(ma))
return MakeCallExpression(ma);
}
return base.VisitMember(ma);
}

How to return the result set with columns with Linq

I have a function inside a class that will run a Linq to Entities query (or any type of Linq query actually), and it's gonna return 2 columns in the resultset. I would like to return an object to whoever is calling my function that will allow Intellisense to know what I have returned.
Let me explain. If I have a function like this:
public static IQueryable GetInfo(MyEntityModel oEntityModel)
{
var query =
(from t in oEntityModel.Table1
from u in t.Table2
where t.Status == true &&
u.Status == true
select new
{
t.Column1,
u.Column2
})
return query;
}
What can (should) I put instead of IQueryable so that whoever calls my GetInfo function, will get Intellisense from the resultset, and show that it has a Column1 and Column2?
var linqresult = ClsLinqTeste.GetInfo(oEntityModel);
if (linqresult.Column1 == 1)
{
foreach (var oItem in linqresult)
{
.. do stuff...
}
}
Tks
You cannot return an anonymous type from a function, they are strictly "inline" classes. When you return it, the foreach loop will only be able to interpret the result as an plain object. I guess you could use reflection to query the property names and values, however it seems much more straight forward to define a data transfer type to hold the results.
See this question, and this blog post.
So you could create a simple struct or class:
public class MyDataResult
{
public object Column1 { get; set; }
public object Column2 { get; set; }
}
Then modify your query in the function:
public static IQueryable<MyDataResult> GetInfo(MyEntityModel oEntityModel)
{
var query =
(from t in oEntityModel.Table1
from u in t.Table2
where t.Status == true &&
u.Status == true
select new MyDataResult
{
Column1 = t.Column1,
Column2 = u.Column2
})
return query;
}
Something like that should work. Note that I used "object" for the properties in MyDataResult. I don't know the types of the columns you are returning, you should use the actual types in order to get full intellisense.
You are returning a collection of anonymous types, they will be casted to objects, so when you try to iterate over them, altough they will be your objects (and they will contain your properties) at compile time they will be casted to objects:
foreach (var x in ClsLinqTeste.GetInfo(oEntityModel))
{
//x is an Object
}
You can read more about it here.
If you want to have intellisense, I suggest you create a custom class they will hold your properties and return not an anonymous type (using new {}) but object of your class (new MyClass(prop1, prop2)). You also need to change signature of your method, so it returns IQueryable<YourClass> and not just plain non-generic IQueryable.
As others have said, creating a new type to hold the two columns is usually the best option.
But if, for some reason, you don't want to do that and you are using .Net 4.0, you can use Tuple:
public static IQueryable<Tuple<Column1Type, Column2Type>>
GetInfo(MyEntityModel oEntityModel)
{
return from …
select Tuple.Create(t.Column1, u.Column2);
}
var linqresult = ClsLinqTeste.GetInfo(oEntityModel);
foreach (var oItem in linqresult)
Console.WriteLIne(oItem.Item1, oItem.Item2);
When you return your resultset AsQueryable, the app is already able to give you intellisense, however in your example, you must specify either .FirstOrDefault if you know your collection will only have a single row, or iterate over your collection to get the items from it, like so:
This is what you're doing:
var linqresult = ClsLinqTeste.GetInfo(oEntityModel);
if (linqresult.Column1 == 1)
{
..do stuff...
}
This is how you should do it:
var linqresult = ClsLinqTeste.GetInfo(oEntityModel);
foreach(var item in linqresult)
{
if (item.Column1 == 1)
{
..do stuff...
}
}
You must iterate over linqresult because when you query with link, it returns a result set, even if it just has one column. As with any collection, your data columns aren't available on the whole result set, only with individual items.
If you want to strongly typed enumerate a non-generic IEnumerable (IEnumerable.GetEnumerator() instead of IEnumerable<T>.GetEnumerator<T>()) you can use the Cast<>() extension, like so
var myquery = GetQueryable();
for (var item in myquery.Cast<MyDataType>())
{
// use item.Column1 directly and strongly typed with intellisense
}

How to access data into IQueryable?

I have IQueryable object and I need to take the data inside the IQueryable to put it into Textboxs controls. Is this possible?
I try something like:
public void setdata (IQueryable mydata)
{
textbox1.text = mydata.????
}
Update:
I'm doing this:
public IQueryable getData(String tableName, Hashtable myparams)
{
decimal id = 0;
if (myparams.ContainsKey("id") == true)
id = (decimal)myparams["id"];
Type myType= Type.GetType("ORM_Linq." + tableName + ", ORM_Linq");
return this.GetTable(tableName , "select * from Articu where id_tipo_p = '" + id + "'");
}
public IQueryable<T> GetTable<T>(System.Linq.Expressions.Expression<Func<T, bool>> predicate) where T : class
{
return _datacontext.GetTable<T>().Where(predicate);
}
This returns a {System.Data.Linq.SqlClient.SqlProvider+OneTimeEnumerable1[ORM_Linq.Articu]}`
I don't see any method like you tell me. I see Cast<>, Expression, ToString...
EDIT: Updated based on additional info from your other posts...
Your getData method is returning IQueryable instead of a strongly typed result, which is why you end up casting it. Try changing it to:
public IQueryable<ORM_Linq.Articu> getData(...)
Are you trying to query for "Articu" from different tables?
With the above change in place, your code can be rewritten as follows:
ORM_Linq.Articu result = mydata.SingleOrDefault();
if (result != null)
{
TextBoxCode.Text = result.id.ToString();
TextBoxName.Text = result.descrip;
}
If you have a single result use SingleOrDefault which will return a default value if no results are returned:
var result = mydata.SingleOrDefault();
if (result != null)
{
textbox1.text = result.ProductName; // use the column name
}
else
{
// do something
}
If you have multiple results then loop over them:
foreach (var item in mydata)
{
string name = item.ProductName;
int id = item.ProductId;
// etc..
}
First, you should be using a strongly-typed version of IQueryable. Say that your objects are of type MyObject and that MyObject has a property called Name of type string. Then, first change the parameter mydata to be of type IQueryable<MyObject>:
public void setdata (IQueryable<MyObject> mydata)
Then we can write a body like so to actually get some data out of. Let's say that we just want the first result from the query:
public void setdata (IQueryable<MyObject> mydata) {
MyObject first = mydata.FirstOrDefault();
if(first != null) {
textbox1.Text = first.Name;
}
}
Or, if you want to concatenate all the names:
public void setdata(IQueryable<MyObject> mydata) {
string text = String.Join(", ", mydata.Select(x => x.Name).ToArray());
textbo1.Text = text;
}
Well, as the name suggests, an object implementing IQueryable is... Queryable! You'll need to write a linq query to get at the internal details of your IQueryable object. In your linq query you'll be able to pull out its data and assign bits of it where ever you'd like - like your text box.
Here's a great starting place for learning Linq.
I think you find the same mental struggle when coming from FoxPro and from DataSet. Really nice, powerful string-based capabilities(sql for query, access to tables and columns name) in these worlds are not available, but replaced with a compiled, strongly-typed set of capabilities.
This is very nice if you are statically defining the UI for search and results display against a data source known at compile time. Not so nice if you are trying to build a system which attaches to existing data sources known only at runtime and defined by configuration data.
If you expect only one value just call FirstOrDefault() method.
public void setdata (IQueryable mydata)
{
textbox1.text = mydata.FirstOrDefault().PropertyName;
}

linq and object initialisation

If I have something like:
var query = from children in _data.Children
where children.ChildId == childId
select new CustomModel.MyChild
{
ChildId = children.ChildId,
Name = children.ChildName
};
return query.FirstOrDefault();
Where I want the resultant object to be my custom model.
Can I handle the custom model instantiation in a different method, which could be reused if I had multiple linq queries that all generated a custom child model?
For example,
var query = from children in _data.Children
where children.ChildId == childId
select CreateMyCustomChild([param ??]);
return query.FirstOrDefault();
This may well be impossible, I don't know, but what would the method signature be like if it is possible?
I'm only thinking reuse for when multiple linq queries contain duplicate object initialisation code.
Thanks
It really depends on what version of LINQ you're using. If you're using LINQ to SQL, I don't believe you can call arbitrary methods in the query. The query translator wouldn't know what to do with the method call
If you're using LINQ to Objects, you're absolutely fine to do it, like this:
var query = from children in _data.Children
where children.ChildId == childId
select CreateMyCustomChild(children)
return query.FirstOrDefault();
// Elsewhere
public CustomModel.MyChild CreateMyCustomChild(OtherChild child)
{
return new CustomModel.MyChild
{
ChildId = child.ChildId,
Name = child.ChildName
};
}
(Side note: I'd call the range variable in the query "child" rather than "children" as at any one time it only represents a single child.)
If you wanted you could write "select 1" or in your case "CreateMyCustomChild(children)" since "children" is containing all your info. In your case you aren't adding a lot of info to "children", so why not "select children"?
In other words, just try it out. The return type of your value will determine over which type your LINQ enumerates.
Suppose you had a method that did the transform for you.
public static class Conversions
{
public static CustomModel.MyChild ToCustomModel(this DataModel.MyChild source)
{
return new CustomModel.MyChild()
{
ChildId = source.ChildId,
Name = source.ChildName
}
}
}
You can use such a method to do the conversion of a single item.
DataModel.MyChild myResult = getResult();
CustomModel.MyChild myConvertedResult = myResult.ToCustomModel()
Such a method can also be used in a Enumerable.Select method call.
IEnumerable<DataModel.MyChild> myQueriedResults = getResult();
IEnumerable<CustomModel.MyChild> myConvertedResults =
myQueryiedResults.Select(c => c.ToCustomModel());
While you can do with expressions, I don't think it is worth the hassle. Instead I suggest you define an extension method like:
IQueryable<CustomModel.MyChild> ToModel(this IQueryable<Child> childs)
{
return childs.Select( c=>
select new CustomModel.MyChild
{
ChildId = children.ChildId,
Name = children.ChildName
}
);
}
You can then call:
return _data.Children
.Where(c=>c.ChildId == childId)
.ToModel()
.FirstOrDefault();

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