I want to select the right generic method via reflection and then call it.
Usually this is quite easy. For example
var method = typeof(MyType).GetMethod("TheMethod");
var typedMethod = method.MakeGenericMethod(theTypeToInstantiate);
However the issue start when there are different generic overloads of the method. For example the static-methods in the System.Linq.Queryable-class. There are two definitions of the 'Where'-method
static IQueryable<T> Where(this IQueryable<T> source, Expression<Func<T,bool>> predicate)
static IQueryable<T> Where(this IQueryable<T> source, Expression<Func<T,int,bool>> predicate)
This meand that GetMethod doesn't work, because it cannot destiguish the two. Therefore I want to select the right one.
So far I often just took the first or second method, depending on my need. Like this:
var method = typeof (Queryable).GetMethods().First(m => m.Name == "Where");
var typedMethod = method.MakeGenericMethod(theTypeToInstantiate);
However I'm not happy with this, because I make a huge assumption that the first method is the right one. I rather want to find the right method by the argument type. But I couldn't figure out how.
I tried it with passing the 'types', but it didn't work.
var method = typeof (Queryable).GetMethod(
"Where", BindingFlags.Static,
null,
new Type[] {typeof (IQueryable<T>), typeof (Expression<Func<T, bool>>)},
null);
So has anyone an idea how I can find the 'right' generic method via reflection. For example the right version of the 'Where'-method on the Queryable-class?
You can somewhat elegantly select a specific generic overload of a method at compile-time, without passing any strings to run-time searches like the other answers here do.
Static Methods
Suppose you have multiple static methods of the same name like:
public static void DoSomething<TModel>(TModel model)
public static void DoSomething<TViewModel, TModel>(TViewModel viewModel, TModel model)
// etc
If you create an Action or Func that matches the generic count and parameter count of the overload you're looking for, you can select it at compile-time with relatively few acrobatics.
Example: Select the first method - returns void, so use an Action, takes one generic. We use object to avoid specifying type just yet:
var method = new Action<object>(MyClass.DoSomething<object>);
Example: Select the second method - returns void, so Action, 2 generic types so use type object twice, once for each of the 2 generic parameters:
var method = new Action<object, object>(MyClass.DoSomething<object, object>);
You just got the method you wanted without doing any crazy plumbing, and no run-time searching or usage of risky strings.
MethodInfo
Typically in Reflection you want the MethodInfo object, which you can also get in a compile-safe way. This is when you pass the actual generic types you want to use in your method. Assuming you wanted the second method above:
var methodInfo = method.Method.MakeGenericMethod(type1, type2);
There's your generic method without any of the reflection searching or calls to GetMethod(), or flimsy strings.
Static Extension Methods
The specific example you cite with Queryable.Where overloads forces you to get a little fancy in the Func definition, but generally follows the same pattern. The signature for the most commonly used Where() extension method is:
public static IQueryable<TModel> Where<TModel>(this IQueryable<TModel>, Expression<Func<TModel, bool>>)
Obviously this will be slightly more complicated - here it is:
var method = new Func<IQueryable<object>,
Expression<Func<object, bool>>,
IQueryable<object>>(Queryable.Where<object>);
var methodInfo = method.Method.MakeGenericMethod(modelType);
Instance Methods
Incorporating Valerie's comment - to get an instance method, you'll need to do something very similar. Suppose you had this instance method in your class:
public void MyMethod<T1>(T1 thing)
First select the method the same way as for statics:
var method = new Action<object>(MyMethod<object>);
Then call GetGenericMethodDefinition() to get to the generic MethodInfo, and finally pass your type(s) with MakeGenericMethod():
var methodInfo = method.Method.GetGenericMethodDefinition().MakeGenericMethod(type1);
Decoupling MethodInfo and Parameter Types
This wasn't requested in the question, but once you do the above you may find yourself selecting the method in one place, and deciding what types to pass it in another. You can decouple those 2 steps.
If you're uncertain of the generic type parameters you're going to pass in, you can always acquire the MethodInfo object without them.
Static:
var methodInfo = method.Method;
Instance:
var methodInfo = method.Method.GetGenericMethodDefinition();
And pass that on to some other method that knows the types it wants to instantiate and call the method with - for example:
processCollection(methodInfo, type2);
...
protected void processCollection(MethodInfo method, Type type2)
{
var type1 = typeof(MyDataClass);
object output = method.MakeGenericMethod(type1, type2).Invoke(null, new object[] { collection });
}
One thing this especially helps with is selecting a specific instance method of a class, from inside the class, then exposing that to outside callers who need it with various types later on.
Addendum
A number of comments below say they cannot get this to work. It might not be surprising that I don't often have to select a generic method like this, but I happen to be doing so today, in well-tested code used behind the scenes all the time, so I thought I'd provide that real-world example - and perhaps it will help those who struggle to get this to work.
C# lacks a Clone method, so we have our own. It can take a number of arguments, including those that explain how to recursively copy IEnumerable properties inside the source object.
The method that copies an IEnumerable is named CopyList, and looks like this:
public static IEnumerable<TTo> CopyList<TTo>(
IEnumerable<object> from,
Func<PropertyInfo, bool> whereProps,
Dictionary<Type, Type> typeMap
)
where TTo : new()
{
To complicate things (and flex the muscles of this approach), it has several overloads, like this one:
public static IEnumerable<TTo> CopyList<TTo>(
IEnumerable<object> from,
Dictionary<Type, Type> typeMap
)
where TTo : new()
{
So, we've got several (I'm only showing you 2, but there are more in the code) method signatures. They have the same number of Generic arguments, but a different number of method arguments. The names are identical. How are we possibly going to call the right method? Begin the C# ninjaing!
var listTo = ReflectionHelper.GetIEnumerableType(
fromValue.GetType());
var fn = new Func<
IEnumerable<object>,
Func<PropertyInfo, bool>,
Dictionary<Type, Type>,
IEnumerable<object>>(
ModelTransform.CopyList<object>);
var copyListMethod = fn.GetMethodInfo()
.GetGenericMethodDefinition()
.MakeGenericMethod(listTo);
copyListMethod.Invoke(null,
new object[] { fromValue, whereProps, typeMap });
The first line uses a helper method we'll come back to, but all it's doing is getting the generic type of the IEnumerable list in this property, and assigning it to listTo. The next line is where we really begin performing this trick, where we lay out a Func with adequate parameters to match up with the specific CopyList() overload we intend to grab. Specifically, the CopyList() we want has 3 arguments, and returns IEnumerable<TTo>. Remember that Func takes its return type as its last generic arg, and that we're substituting object wherever there's a generic in the method we intend to grab. But, as you can see in this example, we do not need to substitute object anywhere else. For example, we know we want to pass a where clause that accepts a PropertyInfo and returns true/false (bool), and we just say those types right in the Func.
As the constructor arg to the Func, we pass CopyList() - but remember that the name CopyList is vague because of the method overloads. What's really cool is that C# is doing the hard work for you right now, by looking at the Func args, and identifying the right one. In fact, if you get the types or number of args wrong, Visual Studio will actually mark the line with an error:
No overload for 'CopyList' matches delegate 'Func...'
It's not smart enough to tell you what exactly you need to fix, but if you see that error you're close - you need to carefully double-check the args and return type and match them up exactly, replacing Generic args with object.
On the third line, we call the C# built-in .GetMethodInfo() and then .MakeGeneric(listTo). We have only one Generic to set for this, so we pass that in as listTo. If we had 2, we'd pass 2 args here. These Type args are replacing the object substitutions we made earlier.
And that's it - we can call copyListMethod(), with no strings, fully compile-safe. The final line makes the call, first passing null because it's a static method, then an object[] array with the 3 args. Done.
I said I'd come back to the ReflectionHelper method. Here it is:
public static Type GetIEnumerableType(Type type)
{
var ienumerable = type.GetInterface(typeof(System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable<>).FullName);
var generics = ienumerable.GetGenericArguments();
return generics[0];
}
It can be done, but it's not pretty!
For example, to get the first overload of Where mentioned in your question you could do this:
var where1 = typeof(Queryable).GetMethods()
.Where(x => x.Name == "Where")
.Select(x => new { M = x, P = x.GetParameters() })
.Where(x => x.P.Length == 2
&& x.P[0].ParameterType.IsGenericType
&& x.P[0].ParameterType.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(IQueryable<>)
&& x.P[1].ParameterType.IsGenericType
&& x.P[1].ParameterType.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(Expression<>))
.Select(x => new { x.M, A = x.P[1].ParameterType.GetGenericArguments() })
.Where(x => x.A[0].IsGenericType
&& x.A[0].GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(Func<,>))
.Select(x => new { x.M, A = x.A[0].GetGenericArguments() })
.Where(x => x.A[0].IsGenericParameter
&& x.A[1] == typeof(bool))
.Select(x => x.M)
.SingleOrDefault();
Or if you wanted the second overload:
var where2 = typeof(Queryable).GetMethods()
.Where(x => x.Name == "Where")
.Select(x => new { M = x, P = x.GetParameters() })
.Where(x => x.P.Length == 2
&& x.P[0].ParameterType.IsGenericType
&& x.P[0].ParameterType.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(IQueryable<>)
&& x.P[1].ParameterType.IsGenericType
&& x.P[1].ParameterType.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(Expression<>))
.Select(x => new { x.M, A = x.P[1].ParameterType.GetGenericArguments() })
.Where(x => x.A[0].IsGenericType
&& x.A[0].GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(Func<,,>))
.Select(x => new { x.M, A = x.A[0].GetGenericArguments() })
.Where(x => x.A[0].IsGenericParameter
&& x.A[1] == typeof(int)
&& x.A[2] == typeof(bool))
.Select(x => x.M)
.SingleOrDefault();
This question is about 2 years old, but I came up with (what I think is) an elegant solution, and thought I'd share it with the fine folks here at StackOverflow. Hopefully it will help those who arrive here via various search queries.
The problem, as the poster stated, is to get the correct generic method. For example, a LINQ extension method may have tons of overloads, with type arguments nested inside other generic types, all used as parameters. I wanted to do something like this:
var where = typeof(Enumerable).GetMethod(
"Where",
typeof(IQueryable<Refl.T1>),
typeof(Expression<Func<Refl.T1, bool>>
);
var group = typeof(Enumerable).GetMethod(
"GroupBy",
typeof(IQueryable<Refl.T1>),
typeof(Expression<Func<Refl.T1, Refl.T2>>
);
As you can see, I've created some stub types "T1" and "T2", nested classes within a class "Refl" (a static class which contains all my various Reflection utility extension functions, etc. They serve as placeholders for where the type parameters would have normally went. The examples above correspond to getting the following LINQ methods, respectively:
Enumerable.Where(IQueryable<TSource> source, Func<TSource, bool> predicate);
Enumerable.GroupBy(IQueryable<Source> source, Func<TSource, TKey> selector);
So it should be clear that Refl.T1 goes where TSource would gone, in both of those calls; and the Refl.T2 represents the TKey parameter.The TX classes are declared as such:
static class Refl {
public sealed class T1 { }
public sealed class T2 { }
public sealed class T3 { }
// ... more, if you so desire.
}
With three TX classes, your code can identify methods containing up to three generic type parameters.
The next bit of magic is to implement the function that does the search via GetMethods():
public static MethodInfo GetMethod(this Type t, string name, params Type[] parameters)
{
foreach (var method in t.GetMethods())
{
// easiest case: the name doesn't match!
if (method.Name != name)
continue;
// set a flag here, which will eventually be false if the method isn't a match.
var correct = true;
if (method.IsGenericMethodDefinition)
{
// map the "private" Type objects which are the type parameters to
// my public "Tx" classes...
var d = new Dictionary<Type, Type>();
var args = method.GetGenericArguments();
if (args.Length >= 1)
d[typeof(T1)] = args[0];
if (args.Length >= 2)
d[typeof(T2)] = args[1];
if (args.Length >= 3)
d[typeof (T3)] = args[2];
if (args.Length > 3)
throw new NotSupportedException("Too many type parameters.");
var p = method.GetParameters();
for (var i = 0; i < p.Length; i++)
{
// Find the Refl.TX classes and replace them with the
// actual type parameters.
var pt = Substitute(parameters[i], d);
// Then it's a simple equality check on two Type instances.
if (pt != p[i].ParameterType)
{
correct = false;
break;
}
}
if (correct)
return method;
}
else
{
var p = method.GetParameters();
for (var i = 0; i < p.Length; i++)
{
var pt = parameters[i];
if (pt != p[i].ParameterType)
{
correct = false;
break;
}
}
if (correct)
return method;
}
}
return null;
}
The code above does the bulk of the work -- it iterates through all the Methods in a particular type, and compares them to the given parameter types to search for. But wait! What about that "substitute" function? That's a nice little recursive function that will search through the entire parameter type tree -- after all, a parameter type can itself be a generic type, which may contain Refl.TX types, which have to be swapped for the "real" type parameters which are hidden from us.
private static Type Substitute(Type t, IDictionary<Type, Type> env )
{
// We only really do something if the type
// passed in is a (constructed) generic type.
if (t.IsGenericType)
{
var targs = t.GetGenericArguments();
for(int i = 0; i < targs.Length; i++)
targs[i] = Substitute(targs[i], env); // recursive call
t = t.GetGenericTypeDefinition();
t = t.MakeGenericType(targs);
}
// see if the type is in the environment and sub if it is.
return env.ContainsKey(t) ? env[t] : t;
}
Another solution that you might find useful - it is possible to get a MethodInfo based on Expression.Call that already has a logic for overload resolution.
For example, in case you need to get some specific Enumerable.Where method that could be accomplished using the following code:
var mi = Expression.Call(typeof (Enumerable), "Where", new Type[] {typeof (int)},
Expression.Default(typeof (IEnumerable<int>)), Expression.Default(typeof (Func<int, int, bool>))).Method;
Third argument in the example - describes types of generic arguments, and all other arguments - types of parameters.
In the same way it is possible to get even non static object generic methods.You need to change only first argument from typeof (YourClass) to Expression.Default(typeof (YourClass)).
Actually, I have used that approach in my plugin for .NET Reflection API. You may check how it works here
Chris Moschini's answer is good when you know the method name in compile time. Antamir's answer works if we get method name in runtime, but is quite an overkill.
I am using another way, for which I got inspiration using reflector from .NET function Expression.Call, which selects correct generic method from a string.
public static MethodInfo GetGenericMethod(Type declaringType, string methodName, Type[] typeArgs, params Type[] argTypes) {
foreach (var m in from m in declaringType.GetMethods()
where m.Name == methodName
&& typeArgs.Length == m.GetGenericArguments().Length
&& argTypes.Length == m.GetParameters().Length
select m.MakeGenericMethod(typeArgs)) {
if (m.GetParameters().Select((p, i) => p.ParameterType == argTypes[i]).All(x => x == true))
return m;
}
return null;
}
Usage:
var m = ReflectionUtils.GetGenericMethod(typeof(Queryable), "Where", new[] { typeof(Person) }, typeof(IQueryable<Person>), typeof(Expression<Func<Person, bool>>));
If you need only generic method definition or simply do not know the type T at the time, you can use some bogus types and then strip the generic's information:
var m = ReflectionUtils.GetGenericMethod(typeof(Queryable), "Where", new[] { typeof(object) }, typeof(IQueryable<object>), typeof(Expression<Func<object, bool>>));
m = m.GetGenericMethodDefinition();
Let the compiler do it for you:
var fakeExp = (Expression<Func<IQueryable<int>, IQueryable<int>>>)(q => q.Where((x, idx) => x> 2));
var mi = ((MethodCallExpression)fakeExp.Body).Method.GetGenericMethodDefinition();
for the Where with index, or simply leave out the second parameter in the Where expression for the one without
In additional to #MBoros's answer.
You can avoid writing complex generic arguments using this helper method:
public static MethodInfo GetMethodByExpression<Tin, Tout>(Expression<Func<IQueryable<Tin>, IQueryable<Tout>>> expr)
{
return (expr.Body as MethodCallExpression).Method;
}
Usage:
var where = GetMethodByExpression<int, int>(q => q.Where((x, idx) => x > 2));
Or
var select = GetMethodByExpression<Person, string>(q => q.Select(x => x.Name));
Use DynamicMethods.GenericMethodInvokerMethod, GetMethod is not enough to use with generics
I made a little helper func:
Func<Type, string, Type[], Type[], MethodInfo> getMethod = (t, n, genargs, args) =>
{
var methods =
from m in t.GetMethods()
where m.Name == n && m.GetGenericArguments().Length == genargs.Length
let mg = m.IsGenericMethodDefinition ? m.MakeGenericMethod(genargs) : m
where mg.GetParameters().Select(p => p.ParameterType).SequenceEqual(args)
select mg
;
return methods.Single();
};
Works for simple non-generics:
var m_movenext = getMethod(typeof(IEnumerator), nameof(IEnumerator.MoveNext), Type.EmptyTypes, Type.EmptyTypes);
Like for complicated generics:
var t_source = typeof(fillin1);
var t_target = typeof(fillin2);
var m_SelectMany = getMethod(
typeof(Enumerable),
nameof(Enumerable.SelectMany),
new[] {
t_source,
t_target
},
new[] {
typeof(IEnumerable<>).MakeGenericType(t_source),
typeof(Func<,>).MakeGenericType(t_source, typeof(IEnumerable<>).MakeGenericType(t_target))
});
I have a similar issue and I thought I would post my solution here. I'm trying to call several functions:
p.Foo<Klass1>(true)
p.Foo<Klass2>(true)
p.Foo<Klass3>(true)
bool k1 = p.Bar<Klass1>()
bool k2 = p.Bar<Klass2>()
bool k3 = p.Bar<Klass3>()
My solution:
public static TAction RemapGenericMember<TAction>(object parent, Type target, TAction func) where TAction : Delegate {
var genericMethod = func?.Method?.GetGenericMethodDefinition()?.MakeGenericMethod(target);
if (genericMethod.IsNull()) {
throw new Exception($"Failed to build generic call for '{func.Method.Name}' with generic type '{target.Name}' for parent '{parent.GetType()}'");
}
return (TAction)genericMethod.CreateDelegate(typeof(TAction), parent);
}
And now I can call:
foreach(var type in supportedTypes) {
InvokeGenericMember<Action<bool>>(p, type, Foo<object>)(true);
bool x = InvokeGenericMember<Function<bool>>(p, type, Bar<object>)();
}
Antamir's answer was very useful for me, but it has a bug in that it doesn't validate that the number of parameters on the method found matches the number of types passed in when you provide a mix of generic and concrete types.
For example, if you ran:
type.GetMethod("MyMethod",typeof(Refl.T1),typeof(bool))
it can't differentiate between two methods:
MyMethod<T>(T arg1)
MyMethod<T>(T arg1, bool arg2)
The two calls to:
var p = method.GetParameters();
should be changed to:
var p = method.GetParameters();
if (p.Length != parameters.Length)
{
correct = false;
continue;
}
Also, both of the existing 'break' lines should be 'continue'.
I found out the easiest way to use iQuerable expressions while calling method using reflection. Please see below code:
You can use the IQuerable expression as per requirement.
var attributeName = "CarName";
var attributeValue = "Honda Accord";
carList.FirstOrDefault(e => e.GetType().GetProperty(attributeName).GetValue(e, null) as string== attributeValue);
var firstGenericParam = Type.MakeGenericMethodParameter(0);
var firstParam = typeof(IQueryable<>).MakeGenericType(firstGenericParam);
var funcType = typeof(Func<,>).MakeGenericType(firstGenericParam, typeof(bool));
//var funcType = typeof(Func<,,>).MakeGenericType(firstGenericParam, typeof(int), typeof(bool)); //for second version
var secondParam = typeof(Expression<>).MakeGenericType(funcType);
var method = typeof(Queryable).GetMethod(nameof(Queryable.Where), new Type[] { firstParam, secondParam });
I am a novice at Linq and a true beginner with expression trees.
I have a generic expression routine that builds a simple Linq where clause that I found at:
https://www.simple-talk.com/dotnet/net-framework/dynamic-linq-queries-with-expression-trees/
public Func<TSource,bool> SimpleFilter<TSource> (string property, object value)
{
var type = typeof(TSource);
var pe = Expression.Parameter(type, "p");
var propertyReference = Expression.Property(pe,property);
var constantReference = Expression.Constant(value);
var ret = Expression.Lambda<Func<TSource, bool>>
(Expression.Equal(propertyReference, constantReference), new[] { pe });
return ret.Compile();
}
When I call the function as SimpleFilter("JobCustomerID", 449152) it
yields (p => p.JobCustomerId == 449152) which is correct.
If I manually place that criteria in my Linq statement, I get the correct return.
var jj = db.VW_Job_List.Where((p => p.JobCustomerId == 449152));
However when called via the filter function, the Linq throws an OutOfMemoryException.
It is called in my application as:
var jj = db.VW_Job_List.Where(SimpleFilter<VW_Job_List>("JobCustomerID", 449152));
If I call the function with a text criterion, it returns properly:
var jj = db.VW_Job_List.Where(SimpleFilter<VW_Job_List>("CompanyCode", "LCS"));
Is there something specific about using an integer variable that needs to be accommodated? Do I have something coded incorrectly? Any thoughts or insights will be appreciated.
The two calls
var jj = db.VW_Job_List.Where((p => p.JobCustomerId == 449152));
and
var jj = db.VW_Job_List.Where(SimpleFilter<VW_Job_List>("JobCustomerID", 449152));
are not equivalent. The first resolves to Queryable.Where, hence the filter is applied inside the database, while the second - to Enumerable.Where, thus causing loading the whole table in memory and applying the filter there.
The problem is that the return type of your SimpleFilter is Func<TSource, bool>. In order to make them equivalent, it should be Expression<Func<TSource, bool>>. Note that although they look visually the same, there is a huge difference between lambda expression and lambda delegate due to the different overload resolution when applied to IQueryable<T>.
So, change the method like this and try again:
public Expression<Func<TSource,bool>> SimpleFilter<TSource> (string property, object value)
{
var type = typeof(TSource);
var pe = Expression.Parameter(type, "p");
var propertyReference = Expression.Property(pe,property);
var constantReference = Expression.Constant(value);
var ret = Expression.Lambda<Func<TSource, bool>>
(Expression.Equal(propertyReference, constantReference), new[] { pe });
return ret; // No .Compile()
}
Problem
I'm working on refactoring some LINQ queries for several reports in our web application, and I'm attempting to move some duplicate query predicates into their own IQueryable exension methods so we can reuse them for these reports, and reports in the future. As you can probably infer, I've already refactored the predicate for groups, but the predicate for codes is giving me problems. This is an example of one of the report methods I have so far:
DAL method:
public List<Entities.QueryView> GetQueryView(Filter filter)
{
using (var context = CreateObjectContext())
{
return (from o in context.QueryViews
where (!filter.FromDate.HasValue || o.RepairDate >= EntityFunctions.TruncateTime(filter.FromDate))
&& (!filter.ToDate.HasValue || o.RepairDate <= EntityFunctions.TruncateTime(filter.ToDate))
select o)
.WithCode(filter)
.InGroup(filter)
.ToList();
}
}
IQueryable Extension:
public static IQueryable<T> WithCode<T>(this IQueryable<T> query, Filter filter)
{
List<string> codes = DAL.GetCodesByCategory(filter.CodeCategories);
if (codes.Count > 0)
return query.Where(Predicates.FilterByCode<T>(codes));
return query;
}
Predicate:
public static Expression<Func<T, List<string>, bool>> FilterByCode<T>(List<string> codes)
{
// Method info for List<string>.Contains(code).
var methodInfo = typeof(List<string>).GetMethod("Contains", new Type[] { typeof(string) });
// List of codes to call .Contains() against.
var instance = Expression.Variable(typeof(List<string>), "codes");
var param = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T), "j");
var left = Expression.Property(param, "Code");
var expr = Expression.Call(instance, methodInfo, Expression.Property(param, "Code"));
// j => codes.Contains(j.Code)
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, List<string>, bool>>(expr, new ParameterExpression[] { param, instance });
}
The problem I'm having is that Queryable.Where doesn't accept a type of Expression<Func<T, List<string>, bool>. The only way I can think of creating this predicate dynamically is to use two parameters, which is the part that is really stumping me.
What I'm not comprehending is the following method works. I can pass the exact lambda expression I am trying to create dynamically, and it correctly filters my data.
public List<Entities.QueryView> GetQueryView(Filter filter)
{
// Get the codes here.
List<string> codes = DAL.GetCodesByCategory(filter.CodeCategories);
using (var context = CreateObjectContext())
{
return (from o in context.QueryViews
where (!filter.FromDate.HasValue || o.RepairDate >= EntityFunctions.TruncateTime(filter.FromDate))
&& (!filter.ToDate.HasValue || o.RepairDate <= EntityFunctions.TruncateTime(filter.ToDate))
select o)
.Where(p => codes.Contains(p.Code)) // This works fine.
//.WithCode(filter)
.InGroup(filter)
.ToList();
}
}
Questions
Can I implement my own Queryable.Where overload? If so, is it even feasible?
If an overload isn't feasible, is there a way to dynamically construct the predicate p => codes.Contains(p.Code) without using two parameters?
Is there an easier way to do this? I feel like I'm missing something.
You can create your own extension method, name it Where, accept an IQueryable<T>, return an IQueryable<T>, and otherwise make it emulate the form of LINQ methods. It wouldn't be a LINQ method, but it would look like one. I would discourage you from writing such a method simply because it would likely confuse others; even if you want to make a new extension method, use a name not used in LINQ to avoid confusion. In short, do what you're doing now, create new extensions without actually naming them Where. If you really wanted to name one Where though nothing's stopping you.
Sure, just use a lambda:
public static Expression<Func<T, bool>> FilterByCode<T>(List<string> codes)
where T : ICoded //some interface with a `Code` field
{
return p => codes.Contains(p.Code);
}
If you really cannot have your entities implement an interface (hint: you almost certainly can), then the code would look identical to the code that you have, but using the list that you pass in as a constant rather than a new parameter:
public static Expression<Func<T, bool>> FilterByCode<T>(List<string> codes)
{
var methodInfo = typeof(List<string>).GetMethod("Contains",
new Type[] { typeof(string) });
var list = Expression.Constant(codes);
var param = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T), "j");
var value = Expression.Property(param, "Code");
var body = Expression.Call(list, methodInfo, value);
// j => codes.Contains(j.Code)
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(body, param);
}
I would strongly encourage use of the former method; this method loses static type safety, and is more complex and as such harder to maintain.
Another note, the comment you have in your code: // j => codes.Contains(j.Code) isn't accurate. What that lambda actually looks like is: (j, codes) => codes.Contains(j.Code); which is actually noticeably different.
See the first half of #2.
What I want basically is to be able to to the following (following is psuedo code)
string SelectField = cb1.Name.Substring(2);
MyContext.Items.Select(x=>x.SelectField )
I tried the following:
string SelectField = cb1.Name.Substring(2);
ParameterExpression pe = Expression.Parameter(typeof(Item), "p");
var expr = Expression.Lambda(Expression.Property(pe, SelectField), pe);
query = MyContext.Items.Select(p=>expr)
but it gave me the error:
The LINQ expression node type 'Lambda' is not supported in LINQ to Entities.
Is this possible? I just want to be able to select a single entity property based on the selection of my combobox.
I was able to get my desired results using the following code (not much different then my original attempt)
string SelectField = cb1.Name.Substring(2);
ParameterExpression pe = Expression.Parameter(typeof(Item), "p");
Expression expr = Expression.Lambda(Expression.Property(pe, SelectField), pe);
Expression<Func<Item, string>> expression = (Expression<Func<Item, string>>)expr;
var query = MyContext.Items.Select(expression);
All I was missing was the Func line. It now works as I wanted.
Ok, so with this type of solution you're likely going to have to do a bunch of reflection to get it to work dynamically.
string SelectField = cb1.Name.Substring(2);
ParameterExpression pe = Expression.Parameter(typeof(Item), "p");
First you have to invoke the lambda method without knowing the complete return type. The return type is Expression<Func<Item, ?>> (with the question mark being a placeholder for the property type.
var propertyType = typeof(Item).GetProperty(SelectField).GetGetMethod().ReturnType;
var lambdaMethodParamType = typeof(Func<,>).MakeGenericType(typeof(Item), propertyType);
var lambdaMethod = typeof(Expression).GetMethods().First(x => x.Name == "Lambda" && x.IsGenericMethod).MakeGenericMethod(lambdaMethodParamType);
var expr = lambdaMethod.Invoke(null, new object[] { Expression.Property(pe, SelectField), new ParameterExpression[] { pe } });
Then we have to invoke the select method in a similar fashion because the property type isn't know until runtime.
var selectMethod = typeof(Queryable).GetMethods().First(x => x.Name == "Select").MakeGenericMethod(typeof(Item), propertyType);
var query = (IQueryable)selectMethod.Invoke(null, new object[] { MyContext.Items, expr });
I don't know what you're doing with the query variable so I can't provide any further guidance with that at this time. Again, in this example we don't know what type will be contained in the collection until runtime because it is a collection of the property values.
FYI: My method for selecting the correct lambda and select was a total hack. You really should create a more robust search method examing the signature more completely to ensure you've found the correct method you are needing. I can provide a better example later if you need it when I have more time.
I have this:
List<string> fields;
fields[0] = "firstFieldName";
fields[1] = "secondFieldName";
...
fields[n] = "nthFieldName";
I want to get this:
var selector = p => new {p.firstField, p.secondField, ..., p.nthFieldName}
// selector is of type Expression<Func<Entity, object>>
GoofBallLogic had this code that was simliar, ending up with p => p.column
// Entity is an object in a diagram from Entity Framework 4
var p = Expression.Parameter(typeof(Entity, "p");
var selector = Expression.Lambda<Func<Entity, string>(
Expression.Property(p, columnToGroupBy), p );
EDIT: What I am trying to accomplish
I have a "generic" Repository:
public class Repository<E, C> : IRepository<E,C>
{
private C _dc {get;set;} // ObjectContext (Entity Framework 4)
private string _entityName {get;set;}
public string entityKeyName {get;private set;}
public List<string> entityKeys {get;private set;}
public Expression<Func<E, object>> entityKey {get;private set;}
private EntityContainer _containerName {get;set;}
public Repository(C myDC)
{ _dc = myDC; // TODO: check for null
// Name of "this" ObjectContext
_containerName = _dc.MetadataWorkspace.GetEntityContainer(
_dc.DefaultContainerName, DataSpace.CSpace);
// Name of "this" Entity
_entityName = _containerName.BaseEntitySets
.Where(p => p.ElementType.Name == typeof (E).Name)
.Select( p => p.Name).FirstOrDefault();
// String list of the keys
entityKeys = _containerName
.BaseEntitySets.First(meta => meta.ElementType.Name ==
typeof(E).Name)
.ElementType.KeyMembers.Select(k => k.Name).ToList();
// Thanks Jon Skeet for this cool comma sep list formula
entityKeyName = string.Join(",", entityKeys.ToArray() );
entityKey = Expression.Lambda<Func<E, object>> ...
What to do to set entityKey as an object that can be used in
an OrderBy statement since Linq to Entities requires
ordering a set before doing a .Skip().Take()
Edit:
Amazingly, Orderby can take this:
p => "field1,field2,field3"
Which allows my code to execute but doesn't actually order the items by the field values. It's a first step in TDD I guess: use a literal.
I found this an interesting problem and took some time to figure it out, and found a relatively easy way to do it.
Anyhow, here's an example on how to do a single field sort (i'll use your first field), if you want to sort on more fields you'll have to create expressions for them too and use .ThenBy(xxx) after the usual OrderBy(xxx).
// Create a parameter which passes the object
ParameterExpression param = Expression.Parameter(typeof(E), "a");
// Create body of lambda expression
Expression body = Expression.PropertyOrField(param, fieldname);
// Create lambda function
Expression<Func<E, string>> exp = Expression.Lambda<Func<E, string>>(body, param);
// Compile it so we can use it
Func<E, string> orderFunc = exp.Compile();
Now you can do an OrderBy(orderFunc) and it'll sort the list by the property named in fieldname. Only downside being it only works for string fields (return value of expression). Could probably work around that too though.
Fixed to work with any IComparable type:
// Create a parameter which passes the field
ParameterExpression param = Expression.Parameter(typeof(E), "a");
// Create body of lambda expression
Expression body = Expression.TypeAs(Expression.PropertyOrField(param, fieldname), typeof(IComparable));
// Create lambda function
Expression<Func<E, IComparable>> exp = Expression.Lambda<Func<E, IComparable>>(body, param);
// Compile it so we can use it
Func<E, IComparable> orderFunc = exp.Compile();
You cannot do this easily because you cannot construct a new expression for a type that doesn’t exist at runtime. (You can have anonymous types in C# because the C# compiler creates the type for you.)
If you want to do it the really hard way, you could generate a dynamic assembly and actually create the type you need. There is a short example here.
I suspect that there is an easier way, though. We would need to know what your goal is (what you need this expression tree for), which you haven’t stated.
From your edited question, it appears that you just want to be able to order by multiple keys. That is easily possible simply by using .OrderBy() followed by .ThenBy(). I’m assuming that you are using an IQueryable<E> here:
IQueryable<E> query = ...;
IOrderedQueryable<E> ordered = null;
foreach (var key in entityKeys)
{
// Code from Doggett to construct the lambda expression for one step
ParameterExpression param = Expression.Parameter(typeof(E), "a");
var body = Expression.TypeAs(
Expression.PropertyOrField(param, key),
typeof(IComparable));
var exp = Expression.Lambda<Func<E, IComparable>>(body, param);
if (ordered == null)
ordered = query.OrderBy(exp);
else
ordered = ordered.ThenBy(exp);
}
var finalQuery = (ordered ?? query).Skip(n).Take(m);