/// <summary>
/// Use this to select only specific fields, instead fetching the whole entity.
/// </summary>
/// <example><code>
/// var query =
/// YOUR_QUERYABLE_OBJECT
/// .SelectDynamicFields(new List<string>(){
/// "Property1",
/// "Property2",
/// });
///
/// dynamic FirstObj = query.FirstOrDefault();
/// Console.WriteLine(FirstObj.Property1); //Name of the member will validated in runtime!
/// </code></example>
/// <typeparam name="T">Type of Source IQueryable</typeparam>
/// <param name="source">Source IQueryable</param>
/// <param name="propertyNames">List of Property-Names you want to Select</param>
/// <returns>A dynamic IQueryable Object. The object includes all Property-Names you have given as Fields.</returns>
public static IQueryable<dynamic> SelectPartially<T>(this IQueryable<T> source, IEnumerable<string> propertyNames)
{
if (source == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("Source Object is NULL");
//Here we do something similar to
//
// Select(source => new {
// property1 = source.property1,
// property2 = source.property2,
// [...]
// })
//
//We build here firstly the Expression needed by the Select-Method dynamicly.
//Beyond this we build even the class dynamicly. The class includes only
//the Properties we want to project. The difference is, that the class is
//not an anonymous type. Its a "Type built in Runtime" using Reflection.Emit.
//Prepare ParameterExpression refering to the source object
var sourceItem = Expression.Parameter(source.ElementType, "t");
//Get PropertyInfos from Source Object (Filter all Misspelled Property-Names)
var sourceProperties = propertyNames.Where(name => source.ElementType.GetProperty(name) != null).ToDictionary(name => name, name => source.ElementType.GetProperty(name));
//Build dynamic a Class that includes the Fields (no inheritance, no interfaces)
var dynamicType = DynamicTypeBuilder.GetDynamicType(sourceProperties.Values.ToDictionary(f => f.Name, f => f.PropertyType), typeof(object), Type.EmptyTypes);
//Create the Binding Expressions
var bindings = dynamicType.GetFields().Select(p => Expression.Bind(p, Expression.Property(sourceItem, sourceProperties[p.Name]))).OfType<MemberBinding>().ToList();
//Create the Projection
var selector = Expression.Lambda<Func<T, dynamic>>(Expression.MemberInit(Expression.New(dynamicType.GetConstructor(Type.EmptyTypes)), bindings), sourceItem);
//Now Select and return the IQueryable object
return source.Select(selector);
}
/// <summary>
/// <para>
/// Selecting and including related entities, instead of using the "Include"-Method from EF.
/// With the "Include"-Method it is not possible to specify conditions what entities to include.
/// With this method you can specify exactly what entities to load, and how they will be filtered
/// or ordered.
/// </para>
/// <para>
/// Attention! This selection will use AsEnumerable(). This means, that the database will be
/// queried at this point of the chain!
/// </para>
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">Type of Source IQueryable</typeparam>
/// <param name="source">Source IQueryable</param>
/// <param name="includeExpessions">Lamda Expressions, defining what entities to include</param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static IEnumerable<T> SelectIncluding<T>(this IQueryable<T> source, IEnumerable<Expression<Func<T,object>>> includeExpessions)
{
if (source == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("Source Object is NULL");
//Here we do something similar to this:
//First, select into a anonymous type with all the related entity-collections you need.
//The relation can be defined by every query you want.
//var query = _dbSet
// .Select(mainEntity => new
// {
//
// //The main object. We need this field to unwrap later.
// mainEntity,
//
// //Example how to retrieve only the newest history entry
// newestHistoryEntry = mainEntity.HistoryEntries.OrderByDescending(x => x.Timestamp).Take(1),
//
// //Example how to order related entities
// itemSpecMSRPrices = mainEntity.OtherEntities.OrderBy(y => y.Something).ThenBy(y => y.SomeOtherThing),
//
// //Example how to retrieve entities one level deeper
// secondLevel = mainEntity.CollectionWithRelations.Select(x => x.EntityCollectionOnSecondLevel),
//
// //Of course you can order or subquery the deeper level
// //Here you should use SelectMany, to flatten the query
// secondLevelOrdered = mainEntity.CollectionWithRelations.SelectMany(x => x.EntityCollectionOnSecondLevel.OrderBy(y => y.Something).ThenBy(y => y.SomeOtherThing)),
//
// });
//Now we fire up the query (AsEnumerable) and then unwrap the SupplierItem out
//of the anonymous type (Select).
//return query.AsEnumerable().Select(mainEntity => mainEntity.mainEntity);
//Because the ObjectContext have collected all the related entities, it have also linked each other correctly over
//navigation-properties and reference-properties. Please read this Tip, too:
//http://blogs.msdn.com/b/alexj/archive/2009/10/13/tip-37-how-to-do-a-conditional-include.aspx
//We build here firstly the Expression needed by the Select-Method dynamicly.
//Beyond this we build even the class dynamicly. The class includes only
//the Properties we want to project. The difference is, that the class is
//not an anonymous type. Its a "Type built in Runtime" using Reflection.Emit.
//Remark to the fields within the dynamic generated class:
//All of them will be declared with the type really needed. So even the dynamicly
//generated class will be "strong-type-safe".
//Remark to the paramter "includeExpressions":
//The method expect a collection of LambdaExpression-Objects. In fact we do not need
//the LamdaExpression, but only the body of them. The LambdaExpression is only a
//pleasant way to enable the user to define expression in a strong-type way.
//Prepare ParameterExpression refering to the source object
var sourceItem = Expression.Parameter(source.ElementType, "t");
//Prepare helper class to replace the user-parameter of the LambdExpression with ours
var paramRewriter = new PredicateRewriterVisitor(sourceItem);
//Loop all expression and:
// 1.) Determine returned type.
// 2.) Get Body and replace the Parameter used by the user with ours
// 2.) Give all of them a name and save them in a Dictionary
Dictionary<string, Tuple<Expression, Type>> dynamicFields = new Dictionary<string, Tuple<Expression, Type>>();
int dynamicFieldsCounter = 0;
foreach (Expression<Func<T, object>> includeExpession in includeExpessions)
{
//Detect Type
Type typeDetected;
if ((includeExpession.Body.NodeType == ExpressionType.Convert) ||
(includeExpession.Body.NodeType == ExpressionType.ConvertChecked))
{
var unary = includeExpession.Body as UnaryExpression;
if (unary != null)
typeDetected = unary.Operand.Type;
}
typeDetected = includeExpession.Body.Type;
//Save into List
dynamicFields.Add("f" + dynamicFieldsCounter, new Tuple<Expression, Type>(
paramRewriter.ReplaceParameter(includeExpession.Body,includeExpession.Parameters[0]),
typeDetected
));
//Count
dynamicFieldsCounter++;
}
//Add a field in which the source object will be saved
dynamicFields.Add("sourceObject", new Tuple<Expression, Type>(
sourceItem,
source.ElementType
));
//Build dynamic a Class that includes the Fields (no inheritance, no interfaces)
var dynamicType = DynamicTypeBuilder.GetDynamicType(dynamicFields.ToDictionary(x => x.Key, x => x.Value.Item2), typeof(object), Type.EmptyTypes);
//Create the Binding Expressions
var bindings = dynamicType.GetFields().Select(p => Expression.Bind(p, dynamicFields[p.Name].Item1)).OfType<MemberBinding>().ToList();
//Create the Projection
var selector = Expression.Lambda<Func<T, dynamic>>(Expression.MemberInit(Expression.New(dynamicType.GetConstructor(Type.EmptyTypes)), bindings), sourceItem);
return source.Select(selector).AsEnumerable().Select(x => (T)x.sourceObject);
}