How to transform string to entity object? - c#

I need to dynamically get an entity object value from string.
something like this :
string s = "UserMaster";
string param = "MyUser";
object o = database.s.Find(param);
//I need o to become like object o = db.UserMaster.Find(MyUser);
Sorry I don't know the name if there's already a function to do this.
Thank you for your guidance :)
Edited :
Ok so here is the bigger picture :
string myString = "Hi my name is [UserMaster.Name] and my school is [SchoolMaster.SchoolName]";
Let's say I got string "[UserMaster.Name]" & "[SchoolMaster.SchoolName]",
UserMaster and SchoolMaster is an entity name.
UserMaster has 'Name' property and SchoolMaster has 'SchoolName' property.
I need to transform "[UserMaster.Name]" to its value, let's say "MyName"
and "SchoolMaster.SchoolName" to "MySchoolName".

You can use Expression to dynamically create code:
static object DynamicallyGet(string name, params object[] key) {
var entityName = Expression.Parameter(typeof(string), "entityName");
var keyValue = Expression.Parameter(typeof(object[]), "keyValue");
var db = Expression.Variable(typeof(RainDB), "database");
IList<Expression> procedures = new List<Expression>();
procedures.Add(Expression.Assign(db, Expression.New(typeof(RainDB))));
var entityType = typeof(RainDB).GetProperty(name);
var callMethod = Expression.Call(Expression.MakeMemberAccess(db, entityType), entityType.PropertyType.GetMethod("Find"), keyValue);
procedures.Add(callMethod);
var body = Expression.Block(new[] { db }, procedures);
var lambda = Expression.Lambda<Func<string, object[], object>>(body, entityName, keyValue).Compile();
return lambda(name , key);
//Call Function:
DynamicallyGet("UserMaster","MyUser")

Dynamically, when you have the DbSet as string (your case):
DbSet mySet = context.Set(Type.GetType("<Your Entity Name>"));
Source:
https://entityframeworkcore.com/knowledge-base/33940507/find-a-generic-dbset-in-a-dbcontext-dynamically
Besides all that, building dynamically a string that has parameters inside is common practice.
It is usually achieved by using curly brackets inside the string, e.g.:
this is in a database column:
"Hello, my name is {User.FirstName}, I come from {User.Country}"
These are usually predefined values and in code you can replace them because you expect them.
Then you do:
var userId = ...get this from session or from whatever you have in your context.
var dbUser = db.User.FirstOrDefault(x => x.UserId == userId);
var template = db.Templates.FirstOrDefault(x => x.TemplateName = "userTemplate");
// template is the Db table and TemplateValue is the column
var text = template.TemplateValue;
text = text.Replace("{User.FirstName}", dbUser.Firstname);
text = text.Replace("{User.Country}", dbUser.Country);
That works, but you have to know beforehand the parameters (they should be predefined).
If you have no idea what parameter should be sent (at least the sender should know that these exist as DB tables/columns), then yeah, it's more tricky and you should go with the dynamic approach that we suggested.
Good luck!

Related

How to get the Id of the selectedvalue?

I have DropDownList with the following values:
ddl.SelectedValue = { Id = 234, Name = "ABC Name" }
How can I get the value of the Id?
I use WinForms and RadDropDownList
Try this one:
public int GetId(object obj)
{
var anon = new { Id = 0, Name = string.Empty };
var obj2 = MakeSameType(obj, anon);
return obj2.Id;
}
public static T MakeSameType<T>(object obj, T anonymous)
{
return (T)obj;
}
use it like:
int id = GetId(ddl.SelectedValue);
If it works, it is thanks to how the equivalent anonymous types are "condensed" in single types by the C# compiler.
Note that this solution is as brittle as you can have
If you add/remove/rename a property of the anonymous type, the GetId will break (you'll have to keep the var anon = new {...} perfectly aligned). If you move the method that creates the collection of anonymous types to another assembly it will break too (because only anonymous types inside the same assembly are "unified" by the compiler).
In general you shouldn't have anonymous types that "escape" a method. An anonymous type should remain in the method that it is defined. Assigning it directly as the DataSource of a control is asking for problems.
If you feel lazy and don't want to create a type for a key-value, use the Tuple:
var tuple = Tuple.Create(something, somethingelse, somethingstillelse);
var value1 = tuple.Item1;
var value2 = tuple.Item2;
var value3 = tuple.Item3;
and so on.
As your are using anonymous types, it gets little complicated. But, you can cast SelectedValue to dynamic, and exstract 'Id' from there:
dynamic selectedValue = ddl.SelectedValue;
int id = selectedValue.Id;
But i would recommend to declare your own class or struct for such cases.
I have changed the LINQ query
from:
var query = (from q in tableq where ...
select new {Id = q.Id, Name = q.Name});
to:
var query = (from q in tableq where ...
select q);
... and then change it to:
table1.Id = (ddl.SelectedValue as tableq).Id == null ? table1.Id : (ddl.SelectedValue as tableq).Id;

How to determine database table field and get the value with Entity Framework

I'm looking for a method to getdatabase table's field with variable thing.
I wrote a stupid and unworking method to explain what I need:
using (var dbContext = new db_ReadyEngine_MSSQL())
{
string nameOfField = "UserName";
var table = dbContext.tbl_User;
foreach (var x in table)
{
string fieldValue = x.nameOfField;
}
}
Here, I'm trying to determining column name which it nameOfField...
You may call data from DataTable by using name of column, as example:
Object o = dataTable.Rows[0][nameOfField];
try this:
List<string>values = new List<string>();
using (var dbContext = new db_ReadyEngine_MSSQL())
{
values = (from s in dbContext.tbl_User select s.Username).ToList();
}
return values
Assuming I am reading your question correctly, you want to get the value of a column, whose name is only known at runtime?
If so, have a look at the code below. It will pull the properties from the object type, search for the one that matches the nameOfField value, and then pull attempt to pull a value from it.
foreach (var x in table)
{
var fieldValue = x.GetType().GetProperties().Where(a => a.Name == nameOfField).Select(p => p.GetValue(x, null)).FirstOrDefault();
}
U can use Reflection to get value of Property using its String Name
using (var dbContext = new db_ReadyEngine_MSSQL())
{
string nameOfField = "UserName";
var table = dbContext.tbl_User;
foreach (var x in table)
{
string fieldValue = typeof(x).GetProperty(nameOfField ).GetValue(x, null) as string;
}
}
You can use Entity SQL for this without typing the query itself:
IEnumerable<object> GetFieldValues<T>(DbContext context, string fieldName)
where T : class
{
var oc = ((IObjectContextAdapter)context).ObjectContext;
ObjectQuery<T> q = oc.CreateObjectSet<T>();
return q.Select("it." + fieldName)
.AsEnumerable()
.Select(x => x[0]);
}
The trick is that an ObjectSet (the predecessor, sort of, or DbSet) can easily be cast to an ObjectQuery, which is the base of Entity SQL. By default, the command text uses "it" as alias for the table in the query, so if you want the value of one specific field, you must prefix it by the alias, and there you go.
The Select returns a DbDataRecord. The first value from this record is returned.
The advantage of this method over others is that it only queries the requested field from the database.
Of course, if you know the type of the field in question up front, you can make a strong-typed version of this method.

Extension method with dynamic named parameters

I'm currently writing an extension to replace the normal string.Format with my FormatNamed-function.
So far I have got this code, but I want to change the way to input the parameters
void Main()
{
string sql = "SELECT {fields} FROM {table} WHERE {query}"
.FormatNamed(new { fields = "test", table = "testTable", query = "1 = 1" });
Console.WriteLine(sql);
}
public static class StringExtensions
{
public static string FormatNamed(this string formatString, dynamic parameters)
{
var t = parameters.GetType();
var tmpVal = formatString;
foreach(var p in t.GetProperties())
{
tmpVal = tmpVal.Replace("{" + p.Name + "}", p.GetValue(parameters));
}
return tmpVal;
}
}
Not the prettiest of replaces, but it does the job.
Anyway. I want to change so I can execute it with
.FormatName(field: "test", table: "testTable", query: "1 = 1");
Is there any way I can do this? I have tried googling for dynamic named parameters with no good results.
You won't be able to specify an arbitrary number of dynamic, named parameters. that's just not something that C# supports. Your existing code seems okay to me, although I don't see the need for the dynamic parameter. This will work just as well:
public static string FormatNamed(this string formatString, object parameters)
{
var t = parameters.GetType();
var tmpVal = formatString;
foreach(var p in t.GetProperties())
{
tmpVal = tmpVal.Replace("{" + p.Name + "}", p.GetValue(parameters));
}
return tmpVal;
}
And then calling it as:
string sql = "SELECT {fields} FROM {table} WHERE {query}"
.FormatNamed(new { fields = "test", table = "testTable", query = "1 = 1" });
Although I really wouldn't advise using this sort of method for constructing SQL (it won't save you from SQL injection attacks at all), the method itself is sound.
I have tried googling for dynamic named parameters with no good results
That's because the capability does not exist. Think about it - how would the function know what to do if the parameters and their names were not known at compile time? The closest thing I can think of is using params which gives you an array of values, but they must all be the same type, and you can still access them by a given name (and index value).
I'd stick with the method you're currently using:
.FormatName(new {field = "test", table = "testTable", query = "1 = 1"});
That creates an anonymous type with the properties specified, which should work fine with your existing code. Plus it's only a few extra characters to type.
Also note that dynamic doesn't buy you anything here since it's used to access properties directly without using reflection. Since you're using reflection to get the propeties you can just use object.

Get a string representation of a property in C# at run-time

I have seen the reverse of this question quite a few times, but have not seen how to do what I would like.
Suppose I have the following code:
var myNewData = from t in someOtherData
select new
{
fieldName = t.Whatever,
fieldName2 = t.SomeOtherWhatever
};
If I wish to data bind to this class, my column definition would have to include hard-coded strings like "fieldName" and "fieldName2".
Is there any way to call reflection or something else so that I can do something equivelent to the code below (I know the code below is not valid, but am looking for a valid solution).
string columnName = GetPropertyName(myNewData[0].fieldName);
My goal is that if the variable name changes on the anonymous class, a compile-time error would come up until all references were fixed, unlike the current data binding which relies on strings that are not checked until runtime.
Any help would be appreciated.
string columnName = GetPropertyName(() => myNewData[0].fieldName);
// ...
public static string GetPropertyName<T>(Expression<Func<T>> expr)
{
// error checking etc removed for brevity
MemberExpression body = (MemberExpression)expr.Body;
return body.Member.Name;
}
You get your property names like this:
using System.Reflection;
var myNewData = from t in someOtherData
select new
{
fieldName = t.Whatever,
fieldName2 = t.SomeOtherWhatever
};
foreach (PropertyInfo pinfo in myNewData.FirstOrDefault()
.GetType().GetProperties())
{
string name = pinfo.Name;
}
// or if you need all strings in a list just use:
List<string> propertyNames = myNewData.FirstOrDefault()
.GetType().GetProperties().Select(x => x.Name).ToList();

Get table-data from table-name in LINQ DataContext

I need to get table data from table name from Linq DataContext.
Instead of this
var results = db.Authors;
I need to do something like this.
string tableName = "Authors";
var results = db[tableName];
It could be any table name that is available in DataContext.
Given DataContext context and string tableName, you can just say:
var table = (ITable)context.GetType()
.GetProperty(tableName)
.GetValue(context, null);
I am not sure if passing strings is an elegant solution. I would rather send the Type of entity as an argument to a method. Something on these lines :
var table = _dataCont.GetTable(typeof(Customer));
Here is the MSDN documentation.
I am not sure I'd suggest it as a GOOD solution, but if you really need it, you could do something like this:
MyDBContext db = new MyDBContext();
Type t = db.GetType();
PropertyInfo p = t.GetProperty("Authors");
var table = p.GetValue(db, null);
That will give you the Authors table, as pr. Table.
If you know the type, you can cast it. From http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/f5e5f3c8-ac3a-49c7-8dd2-e248c8736ffd/using-variable-table-name-in-linq-syntax?forum=linqprojectgeneral
MyDataContext db = new MyDataContext();
Assembly assembly = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly();
Type t = assembly.GetType("Namespace." + strTableName);
if (t != null)
{
var foos = db.GetTable(t);
foreach (var f in foos)
{
PropertyInfo pi = f.GetType().GetProperty("Foo");
int value = (int)pi.GetValue(f, null);
Console.WriteLine(value);
}
}

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