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Using Entity Framework Code-First, can I make my class generic and derive a store-able string field from the type?

My use-case:
I'd like to store a representation of a file tree in my local (SQLite) database using EF.
My model will be a simplified copy a much larger model on a remote SQL database (also in EF)
I'd like to use one, generic entity that self-refers to create a tree structure, and derives its 'type' field from one of the original entity types (FiletypeA, FiletypeB, Folder etc.. using the interface IFileSynchronisable)
I figured the best way was to make the class generic, and deriving a string field from the type using nameof(T) and Type.GetType("FiletypeA"), but I've got stuck trying to instantiate the class when building the model:
public class FileSyncObject<T> where T : class, IFileSynchronisable
{
[Key]
public Guid Id { get; set; }
public long ObjectId { get; set; }
//Can I derive T from some 'ObjectType' field in the record?
public string ObjectType { get { return nameof(T); } }
public long ProjectId { get; set; }
public string AmazonS3Path { get; set; }
public bool IsActive { get; set; }
public string Version { get; set; }
public Guid LocalParentId { get; set; }
public FileSyncObject<T> LocalParent { get; set; }
public virtual ICollection<FileSyncObject<T>> LocalChildren { get; set; }
}
What's the best approach? Is this even possible?

EF Core name mapping

I've been trying to figure out how to do the following (although my research did not help): I have the these three classes:
public abstract class Classifier
{
public int ClassifierId { get; set; }
public string ClassifierName { get; set; }
public DateTime DateAdded { get; set; }
}
public class ManualClassifier : Classifier
{
public int ManualClassifierId { get; set; }
public string user_name { get; set; }
public string userName { get; set; }
public string firstName { get; set; }
public string lastName { get; set; }
public string email { get; set; }
public string password { get; set; }
}
public class ToolClassifier : Classifier
{
public int ToolId { get; set; }
public string ToolName { get; set; }
}
Both the ManualClassifier and ToolClassifer inherit from Classifier. I'm using EF Core to map this to a database but the question is the following: I've already searched a bit and I must make use of a descriminator which basically is an implicitly created column that will say the type of, in this case, classifier. So far so good. The issue arises when I have a property called ManualClassifierId as well as a ToolId. I want this two properties to map to the ClassifierId property. So in the table representing the entity Classifier, the ClassifierId property will either be the ManualClassifierId or the ToolId.
How can I achieve this mapping? Also, this solution would mean that both child classes would both have empty fileds in the tables (due to inheriting the three properties from the Classifier class). Is there a better solution? Perhaps just erase the Id's from both child classes a let them inherit the parent one?
Thank you in advance!

To use the same column name in both classes, you can add a Column attribute to both properties. Then they will both use that column name in the database. See ColumnAttribute(String).
Use it like this:
public class ManualClassifier : Classifier
{
[Column(Name="ClassifierId")]
public int ManualClassifierId { get; set; }
...........
}
Do the same with ToolId.

ASMX can't set known type attributes

Im working on ASMX service that allows me to work with databases and their tables. The schema looks like this
[DataContract]
public class DataBase
{
[DataMember]
public string Name { get; set; }
[DataMember]
public List<Table> Tables { get; set; }
...
}
[DataContract]
public class Table
{
[DataMember]
public string Name { get; set; }
[DataMember]
public List<Column> Columns { get; set; }
[DataMember]
public List<List<object>> Data { get; set; }
...
}
[DataContract]
public class Column
{
[DataMember]
public string Name { get; set; }
[ DataMember]
public string Type { get; set; }
...
}
"Data" field is meant to keep a table of all values of different types. The problem is - i have to work with a few of custom types:
public class Email
{
[DataMember]
public string address { get; set; }
...
}
public class Strings : List<string>
{
public Strings(IEnumerable<string> collection) : base(collection) { }
...
}
And the problem is that web service does not create references to these types. I do not use them in methods explicitly, but store in table. Using KnownType and DataContract did not help me, and when i created same classes in a client app, i have exceptions. Please, help?

I fixed it: basically i created dummy methods that returned object of nedded types, deleted the method references from client app and it worked.

Passing values from concretized instance of an base class to another base class instance

I am currently working on making viewmodels capable of parsing data extracted from database to the UI and vice versa, and to do so I do a lot of manual mapping between my two viewmodels.
Currently I try to pass some values that determines an attribute, but since each attributetype requires specifying a lot specific parameter, and 90% of the variables will be redundant in all cases since attributes only have one type..
Thus i have create a placeholder base class, which just contains an Id, that each atttribute have,
and each of the specific attribute type parameter will then use this placeholder as base class..
example:
public class BooleanViewSpecification : AttributeTypeSpecification
{
public string TrueOptionText { get; set; }
public string FalseOptionText { get; set; }
}
public class DateTimeTypeViewSpecification : AttributeTypeSpecification
{
public DateTime EarliestDataTime { get; set; }
public DateTime LatestDataTime { get; set; }
}
and my Attribute class is just an
public class AttributeView
{
public DataType Type { get; set; }
public AttributeTypeSpecification AttributeTypeViewSpecification { get; set; }
}
And the same Goes for my DB view model
public class BooleanSpecification : AttributeTypeSpecification
{
public string TrueOptionText { get; set; }
public string FalseOptionText { get; set; }
}
public class DateTimeTypeSpecification : AttributeTypeSpecification
{
public DateTime EarliestDataTime { get; set; }
public DateTime LatestDataTime { get; set; }
}
and my Attribute class is just an
public class Attribute
{
public DataType Type { get; set; }
public AttributeTypeSpecification AttributeTypeSpecification { get; set; }
}
Problem is then mapping from one class to another class
public static IEnumerable<AttributeView> MapToViewModel(this IEnumerable<Attribute> attributes)
{
return attributes.Select(z => new AttributeView()
{
Type = z.Type,
AttributeTypeViewSpecification = z.AttributeTypeSpecification
});
}
Which does not seem to work?
I use entity framework and migrate using Code-First what I receive is the Id of the location, and not the actual values?
I cant seem to understand why I cant be given the values - if it during the mapping does have the value?
So why cant they be mapped over?
I retrieve the value
Context.Include(Attribute).ThenInclude(AttributeTypeSpecification)
The only thing I receive is the actual Id rather than the specified entries?

Entity Framework Core default values for missing columns

I have a sqlite database which has some tables and columns like the following:
int Id
text Name
text Comment
...
And my object in my project looks like this:
Public Class Entry {
public int Id { get; set; }
public String Name { get; set; }
public String Comment { get; set; }
public String Additional { get; set; }
}
This can happen, because my programm need to handle different versions of the database.
EF Core now trys to access the Additional field of the database but returns an error that it cannot find the field. (Expected behaviour)
Now my question is, if there is a way to ignore this error and return a default value for the property?
I could bypass the error by making the properties nullable. But i don't want to check each property with .HasValue() before accessing it. Because the real database has 50+ columns in the table.

https://www.entityframeworktutorial.net/code-first/notmapped-dataannotations-attribute-in-code-first.aspx
Put NotMapped as an attribute on the Additional field:
using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations.Schema;
Public Class Entry {
public int Id { get; set; }
public String Name { get; set; }
public String Comment { get; set; }
[NotMapped]
public String Additional { get; set; }
}
This tells EF that the field is not a column in the database.

I would advise you to split your domain object from that persisted dto object. That way you can have different dtos with different mappings. Now you can instantiate your domain object with your dto and decide inside your domain object what values are the correct default values.
public class Entry
{
public int Id { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public string Comment { get; set; }
public string Additional { get; set; }
}
public class EntryDtoV1
{
public int Id { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public string Comment { get; set; }
}
public class EntryDtoV2
{
public int Id { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public string Comment { get; set; }
public string Additional { get; set; }
}
Now you only need to create some kind of factory that creates the correct repository depending on what database version you query.