Hello Community i am aware of this might be a possible duplicate.
How do I dynamically create an Expression<Func<MyClass, bool>> predicate from Expression<Func<MyClass, string>>?
https://www.strathweb.com/2018/01/easy-way-to-create-a-c-lambda-expression-from-a-string-with-roslyn/
How to create a Expression.Lambda when a type is not known until runtime?
Creating expression tree for accessing a Generic type's property
There are obviously too many resources.
I am still confused though.
Could someone provide a clearer picture of what is happening in the below code.
Below i have provided some comments to help my understanding.
private Expression<Func<T, bool>> ParseParametersToFilter<T>(string parameters)
{
Expression<Func<T, bool>> finalExpression = Expression.Constant(true); //Casting error
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(parameters))
return finalExpression;
string[] paramArray = parameters.Split(","); //parameters is one string splitted with commas
ParameterExpression argParam = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T), "viewModel"); //Expression Tree
foreach (var param in paramArray)
{
var parsedParameter = ParseParameter(param);
if (parsedParameter.operation == Operation.None)
continue; // this means we parsed incorrectly we TODO: Better way for error handling
//Property might be containment property e.g T.TClass.PropName
Expression nameProperty = Expression.Property(argParam, parsedParameter.propertyName);
//Value to filter against
var value = Expression.Constant(parsedParameter.value);
Expression comparison;
switch (parsedParameter.operation)
{ //Enum
case Operation.Equals:
comparison = Expression.Equal(nameProperty, value);
break;
//goes on for NotEquals, GreaterThan etc
}
finalExpression = Expression.Lambda(comparison, argParam);// Casting error
}
return finalExpression;
}
The above obviously is not working.
This is returned to linq query like this IEnumerable<SomeModel>.Where(ParseParametersToFilter.Compile())
I understand my mistake is a casting mistake.
How could i fix this?
After #Jeremy Lakeman answer i updated my code to look like this. Although the ViewModel i am using is quite complex. I have provided a small preview at the end.
private Expression<Func<T, bool>> ParseParametersToFilter<T>(string parameters)
{
Expression<Func<T, bool>> finalExpression = t => true;
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(parameters))
return finalExpression;
string[] paramArray = parameters.Split(","); //parameters is one string splitted with commas
ParameterExpression argParam = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T), "viewModel"); //Expression Tree
Expression body = Expression.Constant(true);
foreach (var param in paramArray)
{
var parsedParameter = ParseParameter(param);
if (parsedParameter.operation == Operation.None)
continue; // this means we parsed incorrectly TODO: Better way for error handling
//Property might be containment property e.g T.TClass.PropName
Expression nameProperty = Expression.Property(argParam, parsedParameter.propertyName);
//Value to filter against
var value = Expression.Constant(parsedParameter.value);
switch (parsedParameter.operation)
{ //Enum
case Operation.Equals:
body = Expression.AndAlso(body, Expression.Equal(nameProperty, value));
break;
//goes on for NotEquals, GreaterThan etc
}
body = Expression.AndAlso(body, argParam);
}
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(body, argParam);
}
private (string propertyName, Operation operation, string value) ParseParameter(string parameter){...}
But now i get the following Exceptions
When i pass the Status as property parameter:
The binary operator Equal is not defined for the types 'model.StatusEnum' and 'System.String'.
When i pass the User.FriendlyName parameter:
Instance property 'User.FriendlyName' is not defined for type 'model.ReportViewModel'
Parameter name: propertyName
Here is how my view model looks like!
public class ReportViewModel
{
public StatusEnum Status {get;set;}
public UserViewModel User {get;set;}
}
public enum StatusEnum
{
Pending,
Completed
}
public class UserViewModel
{
public string FriendlyName {get;set;}
}
So you're trying to turn something like "a==1,b==3" into viewModel => viewModel.a == 1 && viewModel.b == 3?
I think you're already pretty close, you just need add the && (or ||), and always create a lambda;
private Expression<Func<T, bool>> ParseParametersToFilter<T>(string parameters)
{
ParameterExpression argParam = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T), "viewModel"); //Expression Tree
Expression body = Expression.Constant(true);
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(parameters)){
body = parameters.Split(",")
.Select(param => {
var parsedParameter = ParseParameter(param);
// ... as above, turn param into a comparison expression ...
return comparison;
})
.Aggregage((l,r) => Expression.AndAlso(l, r));
}
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(body, argParam);
}
And if this is for passing to entity framework, don't compile it or you'll only be able to evaluate it client side.
Here is what i came up with and works pretty well, from my tests today.
Some refactoring may be needed. I am open to suggestions.
Please make sure to check the comments inside the code.
private void ConvertValuePropertyType(Type type, string value, out dynamic converted)
{
// Here i convert the value to filter to the necessary type
// All my values come as strings.
if (type.IsEnum)
converted = Enum.Parse(type, value);
else if (type == typeof(DateTime))
converted = DateTime.Parse(value);
else if (type is object)
converted = value;
else
throw new InvalidCastException($"Value was not converted properly {nameof(value)} {nameof(type)}");
}
private MemberExpression GetContainmentMember(ParameterExpression parameterExpression, string propertyName)
{
//propertName looks like this User.FriendlyName
//So we have to first take T.User from the root type
// Then the Name property.
// I am not sure how to make this work for any depth.
var propNameArray = propertyName.Split(".");
if (propNameArray.Length > 1)
{
MemberExpression member = Expression.Property(parameterExpression, propNameArray[0]);
return Expression.PropertyOrField(member, propNameArray[1]);
}
else
{ //This needs to make sure we retrieve containment
return Expression.Property(parameterExpression, propertyName);
}
}
// ***************************************************************
// This is the core method!
private Expression<Func<T, bool>> ParseParametersToFilter<T>(string parameters)
{
Expression body = Expression.Constant(true);
ParameterExpression argParam = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T), nameof(T));
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(parameters))
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(body, argParam); // return empty filter
string[] paramArray = parameters.Split(","); //parameters is one string splitted with commas
foreach (var param in paramArray)
{
var parsedParameter = ParseParameter(param);
if (parsedParameter.operation == Operation.None)
continue; // this means we parsed incorrectly, do not fail continue
//Get model
//Get property name
//Property might be containment property e.g T.TClass.PropName
//Value to filter against
MemberExpression nameProperty = GetContainmentMember(argParam, parsedParameter.propertyName);
//Convert property value according to property name
Type propertyType = GetPropertyType(typeof(T), parsedParameter.propertyName);
ConvertValuePropertyType(propertyType, parsedParameter.value, out object parsedValue);
var value = Expression.Constant(parsedValue);
switch (parsedParameter.operation)
{
//What operation did the parser retrieve
case Operation.Equals:
body = Expression.AndAlso(body, Expression.Equal(nameProperty, value));
break;
//goes on for NotEquals, GreaterThan etc
default:
break;
}
}
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(body, argParam);
}
private (string propertyName, Operation operation, string value) ParseParameter(string parameter){...}
This worked very good so far.
Related
I'm trying to build a dynamic search on nested objects, which will later be sent to EF and SQL Server. So far, I'm able to search on all properties of the first object. Here's a very simplified version:
public class User
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public Address Address { get; set; }
}
public class Address
{
public string City { get; set; }
}
public class MyClass<TEntity> where TEntity : class {
public IQueryable<TEntity> applySearch(IQueryable<TEntity> originalList, string propName, string valueToSearch) {
ParameterExpression parameterExpression = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TEntity), "p");
PropertyInfo propertyInfo = typeof(TEntity).GetProperty(propName);
MemberExpression member = Expression.MakeMemberAccess(parameterExpression, propertyInfo);
lambda = Expression.Lambda<Func<TEntity, bool>>(Expression.Equal(member, Expression.Constant(valueToSearch)), parameterExpression);
return originalList.Where(expression);
}
}
When propName = "Name" everything is fine, but when propName = "Address.City", the propertyInfo is null, and I get this error on the member assignment line:
System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null
I was able to obtain the propertyInfo of the nested property using the solution from this answer:
PropertyInfo propertyInfo = GetPropertyRecursive(typeof(TEntity), propName);
...
private PropertyInfo GetPropertyRecursive(Type baseType, string propertyName)
{
string[] parts = propertyName.Split('.');
return (parts.Length > 1)
? GetPropertyRecursive(baseType.GetProperty(parts[0]).PropertyType, parts.Skip(1).Aggregate((a, i) => a + "." + i))
: baseType.GetProperty(propertyName);
}
But then I get this error on member assignment:
System.ArgumentException: Property 'System.String City' is not defined for type 'User'
This should point to Address instead of User, but I don't know if I'm on right track here, I mean, should I change parameterExpression now?
How can I make a dynamic search on nested objects, so that this can be turned into a lambda expression and later sent to SQL?
After Kobi's advice and a lot of trial and error, I finally got this working. This uses the Universal PredicateBuilder. Here it is:
public class MyClass<TEntity> where TEntity : class
{
public IQueryable<TEntity> ApplySearch(IQueryable<TEntity> originalList, string valueToSearch, string[] columnsToSearch)
{
Expression<Func<TEntity, bool>> expression = null;
foreach (var propName in columnsToSearch)
{
Expression<Func<TEntity, bool>> lambda = null;
ParameterExpression parameterExpression = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TEntity), "p");
string[] nestedProperties = propName.Split('.');
Expression member = parameterExpression;
foreach (string prop in nestedProperties)
{
member = Expression.PropertyOrField(member, prop);
}
var canConvert = CanConvertToType(valueToSearch, member.Type.FullName);
if (canConvert)
{
var value = ConvertToType(valueToSearch, member.Type.FullName);
if (member.Type.Name == "String")
{
ConstantExpression constant = Expression.Constant(value);
MethodInfo mi = typeof(string).GetMethod("StartsWith", new Type[] { typeof(string) });
Expression call = Expression.Call(member, mi, constant);
lambda = Expression.Lambda<Func<TEntity, bool>>(call, parameterExpression);
}
else
{
lambda = Expression.Lambda<Func<TEntity, bool>>(Expression.Equal(member, Expression.Constant(value)), parameterExpression);
}
}
if (lambda != null)
{
if (expression == null)
{
expression = lambda;
}
else
{
expression = expression.Or(lambda);
}
}
}
if (expression != null)
{
return originalList.Where(expression);
}
return originalList;
}
}
private bool CanConvertToType(object value, string type)
{
bool canConvert;
try
{
var cValue = ConvertToType(value, type);
canConvert = true;
}
catch
{
canConvert = false;
}
return canConvert;
}
private dynamic ConvertToType(object value, string type)
{
return Convert.ChangeType(value, Type.GetType(type));
}
Warning in advance - I'm not building the expression, just inspecting its structure.
When I need to dynamically create Expressions, I find it useful to inspect an Expression and copy its structure:
Expression<Func<User, string>> getCity = user => user.Address.City;
Now you can simply debug it, for example in the immediate window (ctrlalti here):
getCity
{user => user.Address.City}
Body: {user.Address.City}
CanReduce: false
DebugView: ".Lambda #Lambda1<System.Func`2[ConsoleApplication1.User,System.String]>(ConsoleApplication1.User $user) {\r\n ($user.Address).City\r\n}"
Name: null
NodeType: Lambda
Parameters: Count = 1
ReturnType: {Name = "String" FullName = "System.String"}
TailCall: false
Here we can see getCity is a Lambda with one parameter. Let's inspect it's body:
getCity.Body
{user.Address.City}
CanReduce: false
DebugView: "($user.Address).City"
Expression: {user.Address}
Member: {System.String City}
NodeType: MemberAccess
Type: {Name = "String" FullName = "System.String"}
getCity.Body is a member access - it accesses the member City of the Expression user.Address. Technically that's a PropertyExpression, which is an internal class so we can't even cast to it, but that's OK.
Finally, let's look at that inner expression:
((MemberExpression)getCity.Body).Expression
{user.Address}
CanReduce: false
DebugView: "$user.Address"
Expression: {user}
Member: {ConsoleApplication1.Address Address}
NodeType: MemberAccess
Type: {Name = "Address" FullName = "ConsoleApplication1.Address"}
That's just user.Address.
Now we can build an identical expression:
var addressProperty = typeof (User).GetProperty("Address");
var cityProperty = typeof(Address).GetProperty("City");
var userParameter = Expression.Parameter(typeof (User), "user");
var getCityFromUserParameter = Expression.Property(Expression.Property(userParameter, addressProperty), cityProperty);
var lambdaGetCity = Expression.Lambda<Func<User, string>>(getCityFromUserParameter, userParameter);
Expression.MakeMemberAccess works too, instead of Expression.Property.
Obviously, you'd need to build your expression in a loop, and more dynamically, but the structure is the same.
It might be worth taking a look at Linqkit's predicate builder...
http://www.albahari.com/nutshell/predicatebuilder.aspx
I'd also take a look at Entity SQL...
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/vstudio/bb387145(v=vs.100).aspx
You might be reinventing a wheel with the code you're writing.
Also I should comment, in terms of the SQL Server plan caching, unless you have no other choice I wouldn't dynamically build queries. You're better off creating a single query that handles all your cases that SQL Server can cache a plan for, your queries will run a lot slower if every time they're executed no plan is hit in SQL Server's plan cache.
I'm getting this exception when I run this code.
ParameterExpression of type System.Int64 cannot be used for delegate parameter of type System.Object
I know it's something to do with the Expression.Lambda<func<object,bool>> part of the code. Overall, I want to pass any type of ParameterExpression into this method and it will call the expression.
public static IQueryable<T> OrderData<T>(IQueryable<T> data)
{
try
{
Order order = Order.ASC;
var result = Enum.TryParse<Order>(_gridSettings.SortOrder, true, out order);
if (_gridSettings.IsSearch)
{
data = ExpressionSort(order, data, typeof(T).GetProperty(_gridSettings.SortColumn));
}
else
{
data = ExpressionSort(order, data, _defaultColumn);
}
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
log.WriteLog(MethodBase.GetCurrentMethod(), LogLevel.FATAL, ex);
}
return data;
}
private static IQueryable<T> ExpressionSort<T>(Order order, IQueryable<T> data, PropertyInfo property)
{
// Compose the expression tree that represents the parameter to the predicate.
ParameterExpression paramExpression = Expression.Parameter(property.PropertyType, property.Name);
IQueryable<T> queryableData = data.AsQueryable<T>();
switch (order)
{
case Order.ASC:
return ExecuteCall(paramExpression, paramExpression, queryableData, "OrderBy");
case Order.DESC:
return ExecuteCall(paramExpression, paramExpression, queryableData, "OrderByDescending");
}
return data;
}
private static IQueryable<T> ExecuteCall<T>(Expression expression, ParameterExpression paramExpression, IQueryable<T> queryableData, string linqMethod)
{
MethodCallExpression callExpression = Expression.Call(
typeof(Queryable),
linqMethod,
new Type[] { queryableData.ElementType },
queryableData.Expression,
Expression.Lambda<Func<object, bool>>(expression, new ParameterExpression[] { paramExpression }));
// Create an executable query from the expression tree.
return queryableData.Provider.CreateQuery<T>(callExpression);
}
EDIT:
I did see this answer to a similar question
Expression of type 'System.Int32' cannot be used for return type 'System.Object'
I do not know how to apply it to my code though
EDIT 2:
The main issue is that thisExpression.Lambda<Func<object, bool>>(conversion, new ParameterExpression[] { paramExpression })); line is giving me an exception. paramExpression contains an Int64 but its expectinng an object. I dont know how to dynamically tell the Func from the information I already have or if that is possible.
GOAL:
I am trying to do something like this data.OrderBy(x=>x.DynamicProperty);
This is what you asked for, I think... I've tested it and it seems to work.
// Caching of the reflection
private static readonly MethodInfo orderByMethod = GetOrderByMethod("OrderBy");
private static readonly MethodInfo orderByDescendingMethod = GetOrderByMethod("OrderByDescending");
private static IOrderedQueryable<TSource> ExpressionSort<TSource>(Order order, IQueryable<TSource> source, PropertyInfo property)
{
// Compose the expression tree that represents the parameter to
// the predicate.
// The expression you would use is source => source.Property,
// The parameter of the lambda, source
ParameterExpression sourceExpression = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TSource), "source");
// Accessing the expression
MemberExpression propertyExpression = Expression.Property(sourceExpression, property);
// The full lambda expression. We don't need the
// Expression.Lambda<>, but still the keySelector will be an
// Expression<Func<,>>, because Expression.Lambda does it
// authomatically. LambdaExpression is simply a superclass of
// all the Expression<Delegate>
LambdaExpression keySelector = Expression.Lambda(propertyExpression, sourceExpression);
// The OrderBy method we will be using, that we have cached
// in some static fields
MethodInfo method = order == Order.ASC ? orderByMethod : orderByDescendingMethod;
// Adapted from Queryable.OrderBy (retrieved from the reference
// source code), simply changed the way the OrderBy method is
// retrieved to "method"
return (IOrderedQueryable<TSource>)source.Provider.CreateQuery<TSource>(Expression.Call(null, method.MakeGenericMethod(new Type[]
{
typeof(TSource),
property.PropertyType
}), new Expression[]
{
source.Expression,
Expression.Quote(keySelector)
}));
}
private static MethodInfo GetOrderByMethod(string methodName)
{
// Here I'm taking the long and more correct way to find OrderBy/
// OrderByDescending: looking for a public static method with the
// right name, with two generic arguments and that has the
// parameters related to those two generic arguments in a certain
// way (they must be IQueryable<arg0> and Expression<Func<arg0,
// arg1>>
MethodInfo orderByMethod = (from x in typeof(Queryable).GetMethods(BindingFlags.Static | BindingFlags.Public)
where x.Name == methodName
let generics = x.GetGenericArguments()
where generics.Length == 2
let parameters = x.GetParameters()
where parameters.Length == 2 &&
parameters[0].ParameterType == typeof(IQueryable<>).MakeGenericType(generics[0]) &&
parameters[1].ParameterType == typeof(Expression<>).MakeGenericType(typeof(Func<,>).MakeGenericType(generics))
select x).Single();
return orderByMethod;
}
Please don't ever use AsQueryable<>(). It doesn't do what you think, and it is totally useless outside unit testing and very specific use cases.
You could use my OrderByString extension. https://www.nuget.org/packages/OrderByString/ It takes strings for sort parameters. The sort parameters strings can be comma-delimited lists of property names, such as "Prop1,Prop2" or it can include a sort order as in "Prop1 DESC, Prop2 ASC".
using OrderByExtensions;
public static IQueryable<T> OrderData<T>(IQueryable<T> data)
{
try
{
Order order = Order.ASC;
var result = Enum.TryParse<Order>(_gridSettings.SortOrder, true, out order);
var sortColumn = _gridSettings.IsSearch ? _gridSettings.SortColumn : _defaultColumn;
data = data.OrderBy(sortColumn + " " + _gridSettings.SortOrder.ToString());
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
log.WriteLog(MethodBase.GetCurrentMethod(), LogLevel.FATAL, ex);
}
return data;
}
OR
You could use the following GetExpressionForProperty method that returns the expected sort expression for OrderBy, OrderByDescending, ThenBy, or ThenByDescending.
private static IQueryable<T> ExpressionSort<T>(Order order, IQueryable<T> data, PropertyInfo property)
{
Expression<Func<T, object>> propertyExpression = GetExpressionForProperty<T>(property);
return order == Order.DESC ? data.OrderByDescending(propertyExpression) : data.OrderBy(propertyExpression);
}
static Expression<Func<TSource, object>> GetExpressionForProperty<TSource>(PropertyInfo propertyInfo)
{
var param = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TSource));
return Expression.Lambda<Func<TSource, object>>(
Expression.Convert(
Expression.Property(param, propertyInfo),
typeof(object)
)
, param);
}
Try using Expression.Convert. Here's a similar question that may give you some more guidance:
Expression of type 'System.Int32' cannot be used for return type 'System.Object'
I am dealing with the scanario of Nullable types during formation of dynamic query expressions. These expressions would fetch filtered data from any SQL Tables( interfacing with Code First classes using EF ).
I have normal object ( e.g Consignment operating on several properties along with Nullable properties).
My expression formation goes well untill I encounter some Nullable types. On these nullables, I am getting
The binary operator NotEqual is not defined for the types 'System.Nullable`1[System.Single]' and 'System.Single'.
For removing this exception, I am using all appraoches regarding convertion posted on different threads.
Invoking lambda expressions in Expression trees
Trying to filter on a Nullable type using Expression Trees
These all are generating expressions with added word "Convert" ( i.e Convert(someValue) ) and in result I always have expression
t=>(t.Consignment.Id = 45000 && t.Consignment.someProperty>=45 Or t.Consignment.Weight! = Convert(5000)).
Of course I need the whole above expression WITHOUT "Convert". Because this "Convert" will not fetch the data from tables accordingly.
Any help would be greatly appreciated! What should left to do? I already know conversion, but this makes the whole expression useless, because it won't project the records because of needless "Convert"
Added
Expression NotEqual<T>(Expression PropertyType, ConstantExpression a_Constant, ParameterExpression parameter)
{
if(IsNullableType(Property.Type) &&!IsNullableType(a_Constant.Type))
{
var converted = a_Constant.Type != Property.Type ? (Expression)Expression.Convert(a_Constant, Property.Type): (Expression)a_Constant;
// here above statement returns (Convert(50000)) and all I want (50000), but i tried all combinitions from Expression in order to form this constant as expression, it always throws exception what I mentioned originally.
var body = Expression.MakeBinary(ExpressionType.NotEqual, PropertyType, converted);
//MakeBinary statement returns {(t.Weight != Convert(5000000))} but I need {(t.Weight != 5000000)}
var expr = Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(body, parameter);
return expr;
}
}
Code:
public class Consignment
{
public float? Weight { get; set; }
}
public static class GenericQueryExpressionBuilder
{
private static Expression NotEqual<T>(Expression memberExpression, ConstantExpression a_Constant, ParameterExpression parameter)
{
ConstantExpression constantExpression = null;
if (IsNullableType(memberExpression.Type) && !IsNullableType(a_Constant.Type))
{
//var converted = a_Constant.Type != memberExpression.Type ? (Expression)Expression.Convert(a_Constant, memberExpression.Type) : (Expression)a_Constant;
Expression constantExp = Expression.Property(a_Constant,typeof(T),"Weight");
**// above statement throws exception I commented.**
var body = Expression.MakeBinary(ExpressionType.NotEqual, memberExpression, converted);
//here I want "t=>(t.Weight!=5000.0) INSTEAD of t=>(t.Weight!=Convert(5000.0))"
var expr = Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(body, parameter);
return expr;
}
else if (!IsNullableType(memberExpression.Type) && IsNullableType(a_Constant.Type))
memberExpression = Expression.Convert(memberExpression, a_Constant.Type);
return Expression.NotEqual(memberExpression, constantExpression);
}
static bool IsNullableType(Type t)
{
return t.IsGenericType && t.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(Nullable<>);
}
private static Expression GetExpression<T>(ParameterExpression param, string a_strPropertyName, string Operator, object Value)
{
MemberExpression member = Expression.Property(param, a_strPropertyName);
ConstantExpression constant = Expression.Constant(Value);
try
{
return GenericQueryExpressionBuilder.NotEqual<T>(member, constant, param);
}
catch (InvalidOperationException)
{
return null;
}
return null;
}
public static Expression<Func<T, bool>> GetExpression<T>(Consignment consignment)
{
Expression expression = null;
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T), "t");
string PropertyName = "Weight";
string Operation = "NotEqual";
object Value = consignment.Weight;
expression = GenericQueryExpressionBuilder.GetExpression<T>(parameter, PropertyName, Operation, Value);
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(expression, parameter);
}
}
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Consignment consignment = new Consignment();
consignment.Weight = 50000.0f;
var deleg = GenericQueryExpressionBuilder.GetExpression<Consignment>(consignment).Compile();
}
}
Here's a short but complete example showing how to build the c => c.Weight.HasValue && c.Weight.Value != 5000f expression tree. I've removed a lot of irrelevant code from the question:
using System;
using System.Linq.Expressions;
public class Consignment
{
public float? Weight { get; set; }
}
public class Test
{
private static Expression NotEqual(Expression memberExpression,
ConstantExpression constantToCompare)
{
// Other cases removed, for simplicity. This answer only demonstrates
// how to handle c => c.Weight != 5000f.
var hasValueExpression = Expression.Property(memberExpression, "HasValue");
var valueExpression = Expression.Property(memberExpression, "Value");
var notEqual = Expression.NotEqual(valueExpression, constantToCompare);
return Expression.AndAlso(hasValueExpression, notEqual);
}
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Consignment consignment = new Consignment();
consignment.Weight = 50000.0f;
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(typeof(Consignment), "c");
var weight = Expression.Property(parameter, "Weight");
var constant = Expression.Constant(5000f, typeof(float));
var weightNotEqualExpression = NotEqual(weight, constant);
var lambda = Expression.Lambda<Func<Consignment, bool>>
(weightNotEqualExpression, parameter);
Console.WriteLine(lambda);
}
}
eg: x=> x.Name = "g"
I have code block like this
public Expression<Func<TEntity, bool>> SearchExpression()
{
var c = new ConstantExpression[_paramList.Count];
var b = new BinaryExpression[_paramList.Count];
BinaryExpression comparisonExpression = null;
var entity = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TEntity));
for (int i = 0; i < _paramList.Count; i++)
{
var value = Convert.ChangeType(_paramList[i].Item2 /*"g"*/, _paramList[i].Item3 /*System.String*/);
c[i] = Expression.Constant(value); //"g"
// PROBLEM IS HERE
b[i] = Expression.Equal(Expression.Property(entity, _paramList[i].Item1 /*Name*/, c[i]);
// PROBLEM IS HERE
}
_paramList.Clear();
comparisonExpression = b.Aggregate(Expression.And);
return Expression.Lambda<Func<TEntity, bool>>(comparisonExpression, entity);
}
works like charm but I need Expression.Like (Like "g" not Equal "g")
Expression.Like(Expression.Property(entity, _paramList[i].Item1), c[i])
but C# expression tree does not support Like method
UPDATE :
I wrote something like this :
Expression.Call(Expression.Property(entity, _paramList[i].Item1),
typeof(String).GetMethod("Contains"), new Expression[] { c[i] });
but I need BinaryExpression not MethodCallExpression
You can make your code work by adding an equals expression over the method call, like so:
b[i] = Expression.Equal(
Expression.Call(Expression.Property(entity, _paramList[i].Item1),
typeof (String).GetMethod("Contains"),
new Expression[] {c[i]}), Expression.Constant(true));
In pseudo code this reads as:
b[i] = entity => entity.someProperty.Contains(c[i]) == true;
Which will return a binary expression for you.
This answer does not consider your array and the 'and' aggregation, but this should be considered as a separate issue.
Consider this class:
class MyEntity { string Name { get; set; } }
We want to query:
select ... from MyEntity where Name like '%query%';
The following method is a general implementation of the above query pattern:
static Expression<Func<TEntity, bool>> Like<TEntity>(string propertyName, string queryText)
{
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(typeof (TEntity), "entity");
var getter = Expression.Property(parameter, propertyName);
//ToString is not supported in Linq-To-Entities, throw an exception if the property is not a string.
if (getter.Type != typeof (string))
throw new ArgumentException("Property must be a string");
//string.Contains with string parameter.
var stringContainsMethod = typeof (string).GetMethod("Contains", new[] {typeof (string)});
var containsCall = Expression.Call(getter, stringContainsMethod,
Expression.Constant(queryText, typeof (string)));
return Expression.Lambda<Func<TEntity, bool>>(containsCall, parameter);
}
If you want to have a pattern of query% or %query you can use string.StartsWith and string.EndsWith instead of Contains.
Also, you can share the parameter across multiple calls if you adjust the signature.
The current implementation throws an exception if the data type of the property is not a string. Look at this answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/3292773/668272 for converting numbers to strings.
I've done this in a scripting language I wrote, which allows you to say things like name like 'bob%'. The trick is that you need to map it to a method call which takes the value and regular expression and call this from within the Expression.
If you take a look at the LikeEvaluator class in my Wire scripting language you'll see how I did it:
static class LikeEvaluator
{
private static readonly MethodInfo ApplyLikeMethodInfo=typeof(LikeEvaluator).GetMethod("ApplyLike");
private static readonly MethodInfo ApplyLikeNoCaseMethodInfo=typeof(LikeEvaluator).GetMethod("ApplyLikeNoCase");
public static Expression Like(CaseMode caseMode, Expression lhs, Expression pattern)
{
Expression x=null;
if(caseMode==CaseMode.Sensitive)
{
x=Expression.Call(ApplyLikeMethodInfo,lhs,pattern);
}
else
{
x=Expression.Call(ApplyLikeNoCaseMethodInfo,lhs,pattern);
}
return x;
}
public static bool ApplyLike(string text, string likePattern)
{
string pattern=PatternToRegex(likePattern);
return Regex.IsMatch(text,pattern,RegexOptions.None);
}
public static bool ApplyLikeNoCase(string text, string likePattern)
{
string pattern=PatternToRegex(likePattern);
return Regex.IsMatch(text,pattern,RegexOptions.IgnoreCase);
}
public static string PatternToRegex(string pattern)
{
pattern=Regex.Escape(pattern);
pattern=pattern.Replace("%",#".*");
pattern=string.Format("^{0}$",pattern);
return pattern;
}
}
I'm trying to do a generic method that would accept an order by parameter that I could then inspect for it's name and attributes before building the query and sending it to the database.
I was thinking of something like:
public class SearchEngine<T>
{
// Removed other parameters to make it simple
public IEnumerable<T> Search<K>(Func<T, K> orderBy)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
I was hoping to consume it later with:
var searchEngine = new SearchEngine<User>();
var result = searchEngine.Search(x => x.Name);
My goal is to get a hold, inside of the search method, of that property so that I could get the name of the property, "Name" in this case, and even after it, use reflection to get its attributes to get other information I have setup.
I know about getting the attributes, what I'm not sure is how can I get the info of the property being passed. I'm sure Linq does this in some way, I just don't know how.
If I tried something like:
var result = searchEngine.Search<PropertyInfo>(x => x.Name);
This wouldnt work since the parameter is returning a string in this case.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Use expression tree and change Search method parameter type to Expression<Func<T, K>>:
public IEnumerable<T> Search<K>(Expression<Func<T, K>> orderBy)
{
var memberExpression = orderBy.Body as MemberExpression;
if (memberExpression == null)
throw new ArgumentException("orderBy");
var member = memberExpression.Member;
var memberName = member.Name;
return null;
}
It will throw ArgumentException when orderBy is not simple, member expression.
You can still call the method the same way:
var result = searchEngine.Search(x => x.Name);
Change parameter type of Search to:
Expression<Func<T, K>>
and try like this:
public class SearchEngine<T>
{
// Removed other parameters to make it simple
public IEnumerable<T> Search<K>(Expression<Func<T, K>> orderBy)
{
var name = GetMemberName(orderBy.Body);
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
static string GetMemberName(Expression expression)
{
string memberName = null;
var memberExpression = expression as MemberExpression;
if (memberExpression != null)
memberName = memberExpression.Member.Name;
var unaryExpression = expression as UnaryExpression;
if (unaryExpression != null)
memberName = ((MemberExpression) unaryExpression.Operand).Member.Name;
var methodCallExpression = expression as MethodCallExpression;
if (methodCallExpression != null)
memberName = methodCallExpression.Method.Name;
Contract.Assume(memberName != null);
return memberName;
}
}
You can use Dynamic Linq. The syntax would be something like:
string criteria = "Age < 40 and Age > 30";
string sort = "Name";
var result = searchEngine.Where(criteria).OrderBy(sort);