Develop Reference

Create lambda predicate expression to access object sub properties

I have a extension method which creates a lambda predicate expression, which I use to filter data when the value is not null.
It works fine for cases like
query.FilterBy(obj => obj.MyProp, value);
but it fails in cases like
query.FilterBy(obj => obj.MyObject.MyProp, value);
In this case the expression for MyProp property is accessed on obj, which of course doesn't have the property.
I'm not familiar with the expression tree and could not figure out how to modify the extension method to access properties of sub objects. Does anyone have an idea how I could do it?
The extension method:
public static IQueryable<TSource> FilterBy<TSource, TProp>(this IQueryable<TSource> source,
Expression<Func<TSource, TProp>> property,
TProp value)
{
if (value != null)
{
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TSource));
var memberExpression = property.Body as MemberExpression ??
((UnaryExpression)property.Body).Operand as MemberExpression;
if (memberExpression is null)
{
throw new InvalidOperationException("Please provide a valid property expression.");
}
var propertyName = memberExpression.Member.Name;
var body = Expression.Equal(
Expression.Property(parameter, propertyName),
Expression.Constant(value));
var predicate = Expression.Lambda<Func<TSource, bool>>(body, parameter);
source = source.Where(predicate);
}
return source;
}

You could simply use epxression passed like parameter property of FilterBy() function for creating new filtering expression instead of trying to create expression from scratch. It will works with "sub-properties".
public static IQueryable<TSource> FilterBy<TSource, TProp>(this IQueryable<TSource> source,
Expression<Func<TSource, TProp>> property,
TProp value)
{
if (value != null)
{
var expression = Expression.Equal(property.Body, Expression.Constant(value));
var predicate = Expression.Lambda<Func<TSource, bool>>(expression, property.Parameters[0]);
source = source.Where(predicate);
return source;
}
return source;
}

Reading lambda expression [duplicate]

Is there a better way to get the Property name when passed in via a lambda expression?
Here is what i currently have.
eg.
GetSortingInfo<User>(u => u.UserId);
It worked by casting it as a memberexpression only when the property was a string. because not all properties are strings i had to use object but then it would return a unaryexpression for those.
public static RouteValueDictionary GetInfo<T>(this HtmlHelper html,
Expression<Func<T, object>> action) where T : class
{
var expression = GetMemberInfo(action);
string name = expression.Member.Name;
return GetInfo(html, name);
}
private static MemberExpression GetMemberInfo(Expression method)
{
LambdaExpression lambda = method as LambdaExpression;
if (lambda == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException("method");
MemberExpression memberExpr = null;
if (lambda.Body.NodeType == ExpressionType.Convert)
{
memberExpr =
((UnaryExpression)lambda.Body).Operand as MemberExpression;
}
else if (lambda.Body.NodeType == ExpressionType.MemberAccess)
{
memberExpr = lambda.Body as MemberExpression;
}
if (memberExpr == null)
throw new ArgumentException("method");
return memberExpr;
}

I recently did a very similar thing to make a type safe OnPropertyChanged method.
Here's a method that'll return the PropertyInfo object for the expression. It throws an exception if the expression is not a property.
public PropertyInfo GetPropertyInfo<TSource, TProperty>(
TSource source,
Expression<Func<TSource, TProperty>> propertyLambda)
{
Type type = typeof(TSource);
MemberExpression member = propertyLambda.Body as MemberExpression;
if (member == null)
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format(
"Expression '{0}' refers to a method, not a property.",
propertyLambda.ToString()));
PropertyInfo propInfo = member.Member as PropertyInfo;
if (propInfo == null)
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format(
"Expression '{0}' refers to a field, not a property.",
propertyLambda.ToString()));
if (type != propInfo.ReflectedType &&
!type.IsSubclassOf(propInfo.ReflectedType))
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format(
"Expression '{0}' refers to a property that is not from type {1}.",
propertyLambda.ToString(),
type));
return propInfo;
}
The source parameter is used so the compiler can do type inference on the method call. You can do the following
var propertyInfo = GetPropertyInfo(someUserObject, u => u.UserID);

I found another way you can do it was to have the source and property strongly typed and explicitly infer the input for the lambda. Not sure if that is correct terminology but here is the result.
public static RouteValueDictionary GetInfo<T,P>(this HtmlHelper html, Expression<Func<T, P>> action) where T : class
{
var expression = (MemberExpression)action.Body;
string name = expression.Member.Name;
return GetInfo(html, name);
}
And then call it like so.
GetInfo((User u) => u.UserId);
and voila it works.

I was playing around with the same thing and worked this up. It's not fully tested but seems to handle the issue with value types (the unaryexpression issue you ran into)
public static string GetName(Expression<Func<object>> exp)
{
MemberExpression body = exp.Body as MemberExpression;
if (body == null) {
UnaryExpression ubody = (UnaryExpression)exp.Body;
body = ubody.Operand as MemberExpression;
}
return body.Member.Name;
}

public string GetName<TSource, TField>(Expression<Func<TSource, TField>> Field)
{
return (Field.Body as MemberExpression ?? ((UnaryExpression)Field.Body).Operand as MemberExpression).Member.Name;
}
This handles member and unary expressions. The difference being that you will get a UnaryExpression if your expression represents a value type whereas you will get a MemberExpression if your expression represents a reference type. Everything can be cast to an object, but value types must be boxed. This is why the UnaryExpression exists. Reference.
For the sakes of readability (#Jowen), here's an expanded equivalent:
public string GetName<TSource, TField>(Expression<Func<TSource, TField>> Field)
{
if (object.Equals(Field, null))
{
throw new NullReferenceException("Field is required");
}
MemberExpression expr = null;
if (Field.Body is MemberExpression)
{
expr = (MemberExpression)Field.Body;
}
else if (Field.Body is UnaryExpression)
{
expr = (MemberExpression)((UnaryExpression)Field.Body).Operand;
}
else
{
const string Format = "Expression '{0}' not supported.";
string message = string.Format(Format, Field);
throw new ArgumentException(message, "Field");
}
return expr.Member.Name;
}

With C# 7 pattern matching:
public static string GetMemberName<T>(this Expression<T> expression)
{
switch (expression.Body)
{
case MemberExpression m:
return m.Member.Name;
case UnaryExpression u when u.Operand is MemberExpression m:
return m.Member.Name;
default:
throw new NotImplementedException(expression.GetType().ToString());
}
}
Example:
public static RouteValueDictionary GetInfo<T>(this HtmlHelper html,
Expression<Func<T, object>> action) where T : class
{
var name = action.GetMemberName();
return GetInfo(html, name);
}
[Update] C# 8 pattern matching:
public static string GetMemberName<T>(this Expression<T> expression) => expression.Body switch
{
MemberExpression m => m.Member.Name,
UnaryExpression u when u.Operand is MemberExpression m => m.Member.Name,
_ => throw new NotImplementedException(expression.GetType().ToString())
};

now in C# 6 you can simply use nameof like this nameof(User.UserId)
which has many benefits, among them is that this is done at compile time, not runtime.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dn802602.aspx

This is a general implementation to get the string name of fields/properties/indexers/methods/extension methods/delegates of struct/class/interface/delegate/array. I have tested with combinations of static/instance and non-generic/generic variants.
//involves recursion
public static string GetMemberName(this LambdaExpression memberSelector)
{
Func<Expression, string> nameSelector = null; //recursive func
nameSelector = e => //or move the entire thing to a separate recursive method
{
switch (e.NodeType)
{
case ExpressionType.Parameter:
return ((ParameterExpression)e).Name;
case ExpressionType.MemberAccess:
return ((MemberExpression)e).Member.Name;
case ExpressionType.Call:
return ((MethodCallExpression)e).Method.Name;
case ExpressionType.Convert:
case ExpressionType.ConvertChecked:
return nameSelector(((UnaryExpression)e).Operand);
case ExpressionType.Invoke:
return nameSelector(((InvocationExpression)e).Expression);
case ExpressionType.ArrayLength:
return "Length";
default:
throw new Exception("not a proper member selector");
}
};
return nameSelector(memberSelector.Body);
}
This thing can be written in a simple while loop too:
//iteration based
public static string GetMemberName(this LambdaExpression memberSelector)
{
var currentExpression = memberSelector.Body;
while (true)
{
switch (currentExpression.NodeType)
{
case ExpressionType.Parameter:
return ((ParameterExpression)currentExpression).Name;
case ExpressionType.MemberAccess:
return ((MemberExpression)currentExpression).Member.Name;
case ExpressionType.Call:
return ((MethodCallExpression)currentExpression).Method.Name;
case ExpressionType.Convert:
case ExpressionType.ConvertChecked:
currentExpression = ((UnaryExpression)currentExpression).Operand;
break;
case ExpressionType.Invoke:
currentExpression = ((InvocationExpression)currentExpression).Expression;
break;
case ExpressionType.ArrayLength:
return "Length";
default:
throw new Exception("not a proper member selector");
}
}
}
I like the recursive approach, though the second one might be easier to read. One can call it like:
someExpr = x => x.Property.ExtensionMethod()[0]; //or
someExpr = x => Static.Method().Field; //or
someExpr = x => VoidMethod(); //or
someExpr = () => localVariable; //or
someExpr = x => x; //or
someExpr = x => (Type)x; //or
someExpr = () => Array[0].Delegate(null); //etc
string name = someExpr.GetMemberName();
to print the last member.
Note:
In case of chained expressions like A.B.C, "C" is returned.
This doesn't work with consts, array indexers or enums (impossible to cover all cases).

There's an edge case when it comes to Array.Length. While 'Length' is exposed as a property, you can't use it in any of the previously proposed solutions.
using Contract = System.Diagnostics.Contracts.Contract;
using Exprs = System.Linq.Expressions;
static string PropertyNameFromMemberExpr(Exprs.MemberExpression expr)
{
return expr.Member.Name;
}
static string PropertyNameFromUnaryExpr(Exprs.UnaryExpression expr)
{
if (expr.NodeType == Exprs.ExpressionType.ArrayLength)
return "Length";
var mem_expr = expr.Operand as Exprs.MemberExpression;
return PropertyNameFromMemberExpr(mem_expr);
}
static string PropertyNameFromLambdaExpr(Exprs.LambdaExpression expr)
{
if (expr.Body is Exprs.MemberExpression) return PropertyNameFromMemberExpr(expr.Body as Exprs.MemberExpression);
else if (expr.Body is Exprs.UnaryExpression) return PropertyNameFromUnaryExpr(expr.Body as Exprs.UnaryExpression);
throw new NotSupportedException();
}
public static string PropertyNameFromExpr<TProp>(Exprs.Expression<Func<TProp>> expr)
{
Contract.Requires<ArgumentNullException>(expr != null);
Contract.Requires<ArgumentException>(expr.Body is Exprs.MemberExpression || expr.Body is Exprs.UnaryExpression);
return PropertyNameFromLambdaExpr(expr);
}
public static string PropertyNameFromExpr<T, TProp>(Exprs.Expression<Func<T, TProp>> expr)
{
Contract.Requires<ArgumentNullException>(expr != null);
Contract.Requires<ArgumentException>(expr.Body is Exprs.MemberExpression || expr.Body is Exprs.UnaryExpression);
return PropertyNameFromLambdaExpr(expr);
}
Now example usage:
int[] someArray = new int[1];
Console.WriteLine(PropertyNameFromExpr( () => someArray.Length ));
If PropertyNameFromUnaryExpr didn't check for ArrayLength, "someArray" would be printed to the console (compiler seems to generate direct access to the backing Length field, as an optimization, even in Debug, thus the special case).

Here's an update to method proposed by Cameron. The first parameter is not required.
public PropertyInfo GetPropertyInfo<TSource, TProperty>(
Expression<Func<TSource, TProperty>> propertyLambda)
{
Type type = typeof(TSource);
MemberExpression member = propertyLambda.Body as MemberExpression;
if (member == null)
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format(
"Expression '{0}' refers to a method, not a property.",
propertyLambda.ToString()));
PropertyInfo propInfo = member.Member as PropertyInfo;
if (propInfo == null)
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format(
"Expression '{0}' refers to a field, not a property.",
propertyLambda.ToString()));
if (type != propInfo.ReflectedType &&
!type.IsSubclassOf(propInfo.ReflectedType))
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format(
"Expresion '{0}' refers to a property that is not from type {1}.",
propertyLambda.ToString(),
type));
return propInfo;
}
You can do the following:
var propertyInfo = GetPropertyInfo<SomeType>(u => u.UserID);
var propertyInfo = GetPropertyInfo((SomeType u) => u.UserID);
Extension methods:
public static PropertyInfo GetPropertyInfo<TSource, TProperty>(this TSource source,
Expression<Func<TSource, TProperty>> propertyLambda) where TSource : class
{
return GetPropertyInfo(propertyLambda);
}
public static string NameOfProperty<TSource, TProperty>(this TSource source,
Expression<Func<TSource, TProperty>> propertyLambda) where TSource : class
{
PropertyInfo prodInfo = GetPropertyInfo(propertyLambda);
return prodInfo.Name;
}
You can:
SomeType someInstance = null;
string propName = someInstance.NameOfProperty(i => i.Length);
PropertyInfo propInfo = someInstance.GetPropertyInfo(i => i.Length);

I've found that some of the suggested answers which drill down into the MemberExpression/UnaryExpression don't capture nested/subproperties.
ex) o => o.Thing1.Thing2 returns Thing1 rather than Thing1.Thing2.
This distinction is important if you're trying to work with EntityFramework DbSet.Include(...).
I've found that just parsing the Expression.ToString() seems to work fine, and comparatively quickly. I compared it against the UnaryExpression version, and even getting ToString off of the Member/UnaryExpression to see if that was faster, but the difference was negligible. Please correct me if this is a terrible idea.
The Extension Method
/// <summary>
/// Given an expression, extract the listed property name; similar to reflection but with familiar LINQ+lambdas. Technique #via https://stackoverflow.com/a/16647343/1037948
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>Cheats and uses the tostring output -- Should consult performance differences</remarks>
/// <typeparam name="TModel">the model type to extract property names</typeparam>
/// <typeparam name="TValue">the value type of the expected property</typeparam>
/// <param name="propertySelector">expression that just selects a model property to be turned into a string</param>
/// <param name="delimiter">Expression toString delimiter to split from lambda param</param>
/// <param name="endTrim">Sometimes the Expression toString contains a method call, something like "Convert(x)", so we need to strip the closing part from the end</param>
/// <returns>indicated property name</returns>
public static string GetPropertyName<TModel, TValue>(this Expression<Func<TModel, TValue>> propertySelector, char delimiter = '.', char endTrim = ')') {
var asString = propertySelector.ToString(); // gives you: "o => o.Whatever"
var firstDelim = asString.IndexOf(delimiter); // make sure there is a beginning property indicator; the "." in "o.Whatever" -- this may not be necessary?
return firstDelim < 0
? asString
: asString.Substring(firstDelim+1).TrimEnd(endTrim);
}//-- fn GetPropertyNameExtended
(Checking for the delimiter might even be overkill)
Demo (LinqPad)
Demonstration + Comparison code -- https://gist.github.com/zaus/6992590

I"m using an extension method for pre C# 6 projects and the nameof() for those targeting C# 6.
public static class MiscExtentions
{
public static string NameOf<TModel, TProperty>(this object #object, Expression<Func<TModel, TProperty>> propertyExpression)
{
var expression = propertyExpression.Body as MemberExpression;
if (expression == null)
{
throw new ArgumentException("Expression is not a property.");
}
return expression.Member.Name;
}
}
And i call it like:
public class MyClass
{
public int Property1 { get; set; }
public string Property2 { get; set; }
public int[] Property3 { get; set; }
public Subclass Property4 { get; set; }
public Subclass[] Property5 { get; set; }
}
public class Subclass
{
public int PropertyA { get; set; }
public string PropertyB { get; set; }
}
// result is Property1
this.NameOf((MyClass o) => o.Property1);
// result is Property2
this.NameOf((MyClass o) => o.Property2);
// result is Property3
this.NameOf((MyClass o) => o.Property3);
// result is Property4
this.NameOf((MyClass o) => o.Property4);
// result is PropertyB
this.NameOf((MyClass o) => o.Property4.PropertyB);
// result is Property5
this.NameOf((MyClass o) => o.Property5);
It works fine with both fields and properties.

Well, there's no need to call .Name.ToString(), but broadly that is about it, yes. The only consideration you might need is whether x.Foo.Bar should return "Foo", "Bar", or an exception - i.e. do you need to iterate at all.
(re comment) for more on flexible sorting, see here.

This might be optimal
public static string GetPropertyName<TResult>(Expression<Func<TResult>> expr)
{
var memberAccess = expr.Body as MemberExpression;
var propertyInfo = memberAccess?.Member as PropertyInfo;
var propertyName = propertyInfo?.Name;
return propertyName;
}

I leave this function if you want to get multiples fields:
/// <summary>
/// Get properties separated by , (Ex: to invoke 'd => new { d.FirstName, d.LastName }')
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="T"></typeparam>
/// <param name="exp"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static string GetFields<T>(Expression<Func<T, object>> exp)
{
MemberExpression body = exp.Body as MemberExpression;
var fields = new List<string>();
if (body == null)
{
NewExpression ubody = exp.Body as NewExpression;
if (ubody != null)
foreach (var arg in ubody.Arguments)
{
fields.Add((arg as MemberExpression).Member.Name);
}
}
return string.Join(",", fields);
}

I created an extension method on ObjectStateEntry to be able to flag properties (of Entity Framework POCO classes) as modified in a type safe manner, since the default method only accepts a string. Here's my way of getting the name from the property:
public static void SetModifiedProperty<T>(this System.Data.Objects.ObjectStateEntry state, Expression<Func<T>> action)
{
var body = (MemberExpression)action.Body;
string propertyName = body.Member.Name;
state.SetModifiedProperty(propertyName);
}

I have done the INotifyPropertyChanged implementation similar to the method below. Here the properties are stored in a dictionary in the base class shown below. It is of course not always desirable to use inheritance, but for view models I think it is acceptable and gives very clean property references in the view model classes.
public class PhotoDetailsViewModel
: PropertyChangedNotifierBase<PhotoDetailsViewModel>
{
public bool IsLoading
{
get { return GetValue(x => x.IsLoading); }
set { SetPropertyValue(x => x.IsLoading, value); }
}
public string PendingOperation
{
get { return GetValue(x => x.PendingOperation); }
set { SetPropertyValue(x => x.PendingOperation, value); }
}
public PhotoViewModel Photo
{
get { return GetValue(x => x.Photo); }
set { SetPropertyValue(x => x.Photo, value); }
}
}
The somewhat more complex base class is shown below. It handles the translation from lambda expression to property name. Note that the properties are really pseudo properties since only the names are used. But it will appear transparent to the view model and references to the properties on the view model.
public class PropertyChangedNotifierBase<T> : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
readonly Dictionary<string, object> _properties = new Dictionary<string, object>();
protected U GetValue<U>(Expression<Func<T, U>> property)
{
var propertyName = GetPropertyName(property);
return GetValue<U>(propertyName);
}
private U GetValue<U>(string propertyName)
{
object value;
if (!_properties.TryGetValue(propertyName, out value))
{
return default(U);
}
return (U)value;
}
protected void SetPropertyValue<U>(Expression<Func<T, U>> property, U value)
{
var propertyName = GetPropertyName(property);
var oldValue = GetValue<U>(propertyName);
if (Object.ReferenceEquals(oldValue, value))
{
return;
}
_properties[propertyName] = value;
RaisePropertyChangedEvent(propertyName);
}
protected void RaisePropertyChangedEvent<U>(Expression<Func<T, U>> property)
{
var name = GetPropertyName(property);
RaisePropertyChangedEvent(name);
}
protected void RaisePropertyChangedEvent(string propertyName)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
private static string GetPropertyName<U>(Expression<Func<T, U>> property)
{
if (property == null)
{
throw new NullReferenceException("property");
}
var lambda = property as LambdaExpression;
var memberAssignment = (MemberExpression) lambda.Body;
return memberAssignment.Member.Name;
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
}

This is another answer:
public static string GetPropertyName<TModel, TProperty>(this HtmlHelper<TModel> htmlHelper,
Expression<Func<TModel, TProperty>> expression)
{
var metaData = ModelMetadata.FromLambdaExpression(expression, htmlHelper.ViewData);
return metaData.PropertyName;
}

Here is another way to get the PropertyInfo based off this answer. It eliminates the need for an object instance.
/// <summary>
/// Get metadata of property referenced by expression. Type constrained.
/// </summary>
public static PropertyInfo GetPropertyInfo<TSource, TProperty>(Expression<Func<TSource, TProperty>> propertyLambda)
{
return GetPropertyInfo((LambdaExpression) propertyLambda);
}
/// <summary>
/// Get metadata of property referenced by expression.
/// </summary>
public static PropertyInfo GetPropertyInfo(LambdaExpression propertyLambda)
{
// https://stackoverflow.com/questions/671968/retrieving-property-name-from-lambda-expression
MemberExpression member = propertyLambda.Body as MemberExpression;
if (member == null)
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format(
"Expression '{0}' refers to a method, not a property.",
propertyLambda.ToString()));
PropertyInfo propInfo = member.Member as PropertyInfo;
if (propInfo == null)
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format(
"Expression '{0}' refers to a field, not a property.",
propertyLambda.ToString()));
if(propertyLambda.Parameters.Count() == 0)
throw new ArgumentException(String.Format(
"Expression '{0}' does not have any parameters. A property expression needs to have at least 1 parameter.",
propertyLambda.ToString()));
var type = propertyLambda.Parameters[0].Type;
if (type != propInfo.ReflectedType &&
!type.IsSubclassOf(propInfo.ReflectedType))
throw new ArgumentException(String.Format(
"Expression '{0}' refers to a property that is not from type {1}.",
propertyLambda.ToString(),
type));
return propInfo;
}
It can be called like so:
var propertyInfo = GetPropertyInfo((User u) => u.UserID);

GetPropetyAccess() is available if you can refer efcore.
using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Infrastructure;
var propertyInfo = lambda.GetPropetyAccess(); //PropertyInfo
var propertyName = propertyInfo.Name;

I've updated #Cameron's answer to include some safety checks against Convert typed lambda expressions:
PropertyInfo GetPropertyName<TSource, TProperty>(
Expression<Func<TSource, TProperty>> propertyLambda)
{
var body = propertyLambda.Body;
if (!(body is MemberExpression member)
&& !(body is UnaryExpression unary
&& (member = unary.Operand as MemberExpression) != null))
throw new ArgumentException($"Expression '{propertyLambda}' " +
"does not refer to a property.");
if (!(member.Member is PropertyInfo propInfo))
throw new ArgumentException($"Expression '{propertyLambda}' " +
"refers to a field, not a property.");
var type = typeof(TSource);
if (!propInfo.DeclaringType.GetTypeInfo().IsAssignableFrom(type.GetTypeInfo()))
throw new ArgumentException($"Expresion '{propertyLambda}' " +
"refers to a property that is not from type '{type}'.");
return propInfo;
}

Starting with .NET 4.0 you can use ExpressionVisitor to find properties:
class ExprVisitor : ExpressionVisitor {
public bool IsFound { get; private set; }
public string MemberName { get; private set; }
public Type MemberType { get; private set; }
protected override Expression VisitMember(MemberExpression node) {
if (!IsFound && node.Member.MemberType == MemberTypes.Property) {
IsFound = true;
MemberName = node.Member.Name;
MemberType = node.Type;
}
return base.VisitMember(node);
}
}
Here is how you use this visitor:
var visitor = new ExprVisitor();
visitor.Visit(expr);
if (visitor.IsFound) {
Console.WriteLine("First property in the expression tree: Name={0}, Type={1}", visitor.MemberName, visitor.MemberType.FullName);
} else {
Console.WriteLine("No properties found.");
}

static void Main(string[] args)
{
var prop = GetPropertyInfo<MyDto>(_ => _.MyProperty);
MyDto dto = new MyDto();
dto.MyProperty = 666;
var value = prop.GetValue(dto);
// value == 666
}
class MyDto
{
public int MyProperty { get; set; }
}
public static PropertyInfo GetPropertyInfo<TSource>(Expression<Func<TSource, object>> propertyLambda)
{
Type type = typeof(TSource);
var member = propertyLambda.Body as MemberExpression;
if (member == null)
{
var unary = propertyLambda.Body as UnaryExpression;
if (unary != null)
{
member = unary.Operand as MemberExpression;
}
}
if (member == null)
{
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format("Expression '{0}' refers to a method, not a property.",
propertyLambda.ToString()));
}
var propInfo = member.Member as PropertyInfo;
if (propInfo == null)
{
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format("Expression '{0}' refers to a field, not a property.",
propertyLambda.ToString()));
}
if (type != propInfo.ReflectedType && !type.IsSubclassOf(propInfo.ReflectedType))
{
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format("Expression '{0}' refers to a property that is not from type {1}.",
propertyLambda.ToString(), type));
}
return propInfo;
}

Assuming (TModel as class)
Expression<Func<TModel, TValue>> expression
retrieve the property's name with
expression.GetPropertyInfo().Name;
The extension function:
public static PropertyInfo GetPropertyInfo<TType, TReturn>(this Expression<Func<TType, TReturn>> property)
{
LambdaExpression lambda = property;
var memberExpression = lambda.Body is UnaryExpression expression
? (MemberExpression)expression.Operand
: (MemberExpression)lambda.Body;
return (PropertyInfo)memberExpression.Member;
}

How to implement method with expression parameter c#

I want to create a method like this:
var result = database.Search<EntityType>(x=>x.Name, "Entity Name field value");
result = database.Search<EntityType>(x=>x.Id, "Entity Id field value");
result = database.Search<EntityType2>(x=>x.Id, "Entity2 Id field value");
result = database.Search<EntityTypeAny>(x=>x.FieldAny, "EntityAny FieldAny value");
How can I implement this method?

You can turn a selector and value into a predicate using Expression.Equal:
static IQueryable<TSource> Search<TSource, TValue>(
this IQueryable<TSource> source,
Expression<Func<TSource,TValue>> selector,
TValue value)
{
var predicate = Expression.Lambda<Func<TSource,bool>>(
Expression.Equal(
selector.Body,
Expression.Constant(value, typeof(TValue))
), selector.Parameters);
return source.Where(predicate);
}
Then you just need to do something like:
var result = database.SomeEntities.Search(x => x.SomeProp, "value");
If you want to do it from the database, then that depends on what the database is; for example, with LINQ-to-SQL you could add an additional method:
static IQueryable<TSource> Search<TSource, TValue>(
this System.Data.Linq.DataContext database,
Expression<Func<TSource, TValue>> selector,
TValue value) where TSource : class
{
IQueryable<TSource> source = database.GetTable<TSource>();
return Search(source, selector, value);
}
and use:
var result = database.Search<SomeEntity, string>(x => x.SomeProp, "value");
frankly I think it is clearer to use the database.SomeEntities version, though.

I can only think of this (with 2 generic arguments)
public static IEnumerable<TModel> Search<TModel, TValue>(
Expression<Func<TModel, TValue>> expression,
TValue value
)
{
return new List<TModel>();
}
usage
var result = Search<EntityType, int>(x => x.Id, 1);
var result2 = Search<EntityType, string>(x => x.Name, "The name");
you can replace TValue with object to avoid the second generic argument, but I would stick with this.
Btw. this works great in conjunction with this little helper
public static class ExpressionHelpers
{
public static string MemberName<T, V>(this Expression<Func<T, V>> expression)
{
var memberExpression = expression.Body as MemberExpression;
if (memberExpression == null)
throw new InvalidOperationException("Expression must be a member expression");
return memberExpression.Member.Name;
}
}
Now you can get the Name of the Property (Id oder Name) in this example by calling
var name = expression.MemberName();

do you want types to dynamic
public ReturnType Read<ReturnType>(string FieldName, object dfVal)
{
if (Res.IsDBNull(Res.GetOrdinal(FieldName)))
return dfVal;
try {
return (ReturnType)Res.GetValue(Res.GetOrdinal(FieldName));
} catch (Exception ex) {
return dfVal;
}
}

How set value a property selector Expression<Func<T,TResult>>

i need associate a entity property Address in my Person class entity with expressions linq in my FactoryEntities class using pattern factory idea, look this is what I have and I want to do:
Address address = new Address();
address.Country = "Chile";
address.City = "Santiago";
address.ZipCode = "43532";
//Factory instance creation object
//This is idea
Person person = new FactoryEntity<Person>().AssociateWithEntity(p=>p.Address, address);
public class Person: Entity
{
public string Name{ get; set; }
public string LastName{ get; set; }
public Address Address{ get; set; }
}
public class Address: Entity
{
public string Country{ get; set; }
public string City{ get; set; }
public string ZipCode{ get; set; }
}
public class FactoryEntity<TEntity> where TEntity : Entity
{
public void AssociateWithEntity<TProperty>(Expression<Func<TEntity, TProperty>> entityExpression, TProperty newValueEntity) where TProperty : Entity
{
if (instanceEntity == null || instanceEntity.IsTransient())
throw new ArgumentNullException();
/*TODO: Logic the association and validation
How set the newValueEntity into the property of entityExpression (x=>x.Direccion = direccion*/
}
}

This works:
The following helper method converts a getter expression into a setter delegate. If you want to return an Expression<Action<T,TProperty>> instead of an Action<T,TProperty>, just don't call the Compile() method at the end.
Note: The code is from Ian Mercer's blog: http://blog.abodit.com/2011/09/convert-a-property-getter-to-a-setter/
/// <summary>
/// Convert a lambda expression for a getter into a setter
/// </summary>
public static Action<T, TProperty> GetSetter<T, TProperty>(Expression<Func<T, TProperty>> expression)
{
var memberExpression = (MemberExpression)expression.Body;
var property = (PropertyInfo)memberExpression.Member;
var setMethod = property.GetSetMethod();
var parameterT = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T), "x");
var parameterTProperty = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TProperty), "y");
var newExpression =
Expression.Lambda<Action<T, TProperty>>(
Expression.Call(parameterT, setMethod, parameterTProperty),
parameterT,
parameterTProperty
);
return newExpression.Compile();
}

You can set the property like this:
public void AssociateWithEntity<TProperty>(
Expression<Func<TEntity, TProperty>> entityExpression,
TProperty newValueEntity)
where TProperty : Entity
{
if (instanceEntity == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException();
var memberExpression = (MemberExpression)entityExpression.Body;
var property = (PropertyInfo)memberExpression.Member;
property.SetValue(instanceEntity, newValueEntity, null);
}
This will work only for properties, not fields, although adding support for fields should be easy.
But the code you have for getting the person won't work. If you want to keep the void return type of AssociateWithEntity(), you could do it like this:
var factory = new FactoryEntity<Person>();
factory.AssociateWithEntity(p => p.Address, address);
Person person = factory.InstanceEntity;
Another option is a fluent interface:
Person person = new FactoryEntity<Person>()
.AssociateWithEntity(p => p.Address, address)
.InstanceEntity;

Another solution is to get the property owner and invoke the property setter using reflection. The advantage of this solution is that it does not use extension methods and can be called with any type.
private void SetPropertyValue(Expression<Func<object, object>> lambda, object value)
{
var memberExpression = (MemberExpression)lambda.Body;
var propertyInfo = (PropertyInfo)memberExpression.Member;
var propertyOwnerExpression = (MemberExpression)memberExpression.Expression;
var propertyOwner = Expression.Lambda(propertyOwnerExpression).Compile().DynamicInvoke();
propertyInfo.SetValue(propertyOwner, value, null);
}
...
SetPropertyValue(s => myStuff.MyPropy, newValue);

This is my solution that uses Expression.Assign, but after looking more closely, the accepted answer is just as good.
// optionally or additionally put in a class<T> to capture the object type once
// and then you don't have to repeat it if you have a lot of properties
public Action<T, TProperty> GetSetter<T, TProperty>(
Expression<Func<T, TProperty>> pExpression
) {
var parameter1 = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T));
var parameter2 = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TProperty));
// turning an expression body into a PropertyInfo is common enough
// that it's a good idea to extract this to a reusable method
var member = (MemberExpression)pExpression.Body;
var propertyInfo = (PropertyInfo)member.Member;
// use the PropertyInfo to make a property expression
// for the first parameter (the object)
var property = Expression.Property(parameter1, propertyInfo);
// assignment expression that assigns the second parameter (value) to the property
var assignment = Expression.Assign(property, parameter2);
// then just build the lambda, which takes 2 parameters, and has the assignment
// expression for its body
var setter = Expression.Lambda<Action<T, TProperty>>(
assignment,
parameter1,
parameter2
);
return setter.Compile();
}
Another thing you can do is encapsulate them:
public sealed class StrongProperty<TObject, TProperty> {
readonly PropertyInfo mPropertyInfo;
public string Name => mPropertyInfo.Name;
public Func<TObject, TProperty> Get { get; }
public Action<TObject, TProperty> Set { get; }
// maybe other useful properties
internal StrongProperty(
PropertyInfo pPropertyInfo,
Func<TObject, TProperty> pGet,
Action<TObject, TProperty> pSet
) {
mPropertyInfo = pPropertyInfo;
Get = pGet;
Set = pSet;
}
}
And now you can pass these around, similar to delegates, and write code whose logic can vary by property. This gets around the fact that you can't pass properties by reference.

That's the idea, i'm worked for me with this code, taking into account the contribution of svick:
public class FactoryEntity<TEntity> where TEntity : Entity, new()
{
private TEntity _Entity;
public FactoryEntity()
{
_Entity = new TEntity();
}
public TEntity Build()
{
if (_Entity.IsValid())
throw new Exception("_Entity.Id");
return _Entity;
}
public FactoryEntity<TEntity> AssociateWithEntity<TProperty>(Expression<Func<TEntity, TProperty>> foreignEntity, TProperty instanceEntity) where TProperty : Entity
{
if (instanceEntity == null || instanceEntity.IsTransient())
throw new ArgumentNullException();
SetObjectValue<TEntity, TProperty>(_Entity, foreignEntity, instanceEntity);
return this;
}
private void SetObjectValue<T, TResult>(object target, Expression<Func<T, TResult>> expression, TResult value)
{
var memberExpression = (MemberExpression)expression.Body;
var propertyInfo = (PropertyInfo)memberExpression.Member;
var newValue = Convert.ChangeType(value, value.GetType());
propertyInfo.SetValue(target, newValue, null);
}
}
Here I call the factory for me to build the Person object in a valid
Person person = new FactoryEntity<Person>().AssociateWithEntity(p=>p.Address, address).Build();
But I do not know if this code is optimal or not, at least I do not make a call to compile() method, what are saying?
thanks

I've made mixed Rytis I solution and https://stackoverflow.com/a/12423256/254109
private static void SetPropertyValue<T>(Expression<Func<T>> lambda, object value)
{
var memberExpression = (MemberExpression)lambda.Body;
var propertyInfo = (PropertyInfo)memberExpression.Member;
var propertyOwnerExpression = (MemberExpression)memberExpression.Expression;
var propertyOwner = Expression.Lambda(propertyOwnerExpression).Compile().DynamicInvoke();
propertyInfo.SetValue(propertyOwner, value, null);
}
And call it
SetPropertyValue(() => myStuff.MyProp, newValue);

Everything is much simpler:
public static Action<T, TValue> GetSetter<T, TValue>(
Expression<Func<T, TValue>> expression)
{
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TValue), "value");
var setterLambda = Expression.Lambda<Action<T, TValue>>(
Expression.Assign(expression.Body, parameter),
expression.Parameters[0],
parameter);
return setterLambda.Compile();
}

Get string property name from expression

I'm trying to write a strongly typed helper
which would be something like this:
Html.Lookup(x => x.FooId);
for now I have this:
public static MvcHtmlString Lookup<T,TReturn>(this HtmlHelper<T> html, Func<T, TReturn> expression)
{
// get string "FooId" here
}
Anybody knows how to get this ?

public static class ExpressionsExtractor
{
public static string Lookup<T, TProp>(this HtmlHelper<T> html, Expression<Func<T, TProp>> expression)
{
var memberExpression = expression.Body as MemberExpression;
if (memberExpression == null)
return null;
return memberExpression.Member.Name;
}
}
You would then call it with:
var propName = Html.Lookup(x => x.FooId);

Yet another code.
public MvcHtmlString Lookup<T, TReturn>(this HtmlHelper<T> html, Expression<Func<T, TReturn>> expression)
{
return MvcHtmlString.Create(ExpressionHelper.GetExpressionText(expression));
}
Use ExpressionHelper class.
Func is delegate, Expression is generate ExpressionTree at compile time.
Expression.Compile() return delegate, but Func don't get ExpressionTree at runtime.

Currently using this class when I need this functionality outside of web project where System.Web.Mvc reference shouldn't exist:
namespace Interreg.Domain{
using System;
using System.Linq.Expressions;
public class PropertyName{
public static string For<T>(
Expression<Func<T,object>> expression){
var body=expression.Body;
return GetMemberName(body);
}
public static string For(
Expression<Func<object>> expression){
var body=expression.Body;
return GetMemberName(body);
}
public static string GetMemberName(
Expression expression){
if(expression is MemberExpression){
var memberExpression=(MemberExpression)expression;
if(memberExpression.Expression.NodeType==
ExpressionType.MemberAccess)
return GetMemberName(memberExpression.Expression)+"."+memberExpression.Member.Name;
return memberExpression.Member.Name;
}
if(expression is UnaryExpression){
var unaryExpression=(UnaryExpression)expression;
if(unaryExpression.NodeType!=ExpressionType.Convert)
throw new Exception(string.Format("Cannot interpret member from {0}",expression));
return GetMemberName(unaryExpression.Operand);
}
throw new Exception(string.Format("Could not determine member from {0}",expression));
}
}
}
Good thing about this one is - it does not lose dots when going deeper than just one level.

a bit late but I am posting a simple solution that's working for me in .Net 4. It has handling for value types on line 4
public PropertyInfo GetPropertyInfo<TSource>(Expression<Func<TSource, object>> propertyLambda) {
var member = propertyLambda.Body as MemberExpression;
if (member == null) {// value types return Convert(x.property) which can't be cast to MemberExpression
var expression = propertyLambda.Body as UnaryExpression;
member = expression.Operand as MemberExpression;
}
return member.Member as PropertyInfo;
}