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DataTable columns in C#

I currently have this code, I'm aware how to print out the rows, but I can't figure out how to get my column headers? I don't want to use the solution I had that I commented out because I want to make the code generic so that I can use it for other lists too.
static DataTable ConvertListToDataTable(List<List<string>> list)
{
// New table.
DataTable table = new DataTable();
/* table.Columns.Add("Employee ID");
table.Columns.Add("First Name");
table.Columns.Add("Last Name");
table.Columns.Add("Job Title");
table.Columns.Add("Address");
table.Columns.Add("City");
*/
foreach(List<string> row in list) {
table.Rows.Add(row.ToArray());
}
return table;
}

It's impossible to derive the column headers from the List<List<string>> since the information is simply not available. You could provide them per parameter:
static DataTable ConvertListToDataTable(List<List<string>> list, IList<string> columnNames)
{
DataTable table = new DataTable();
foreach (string columnName in columnNames)
table.Columns.Add(columnName);
foreach (List<string> row in list)
{
if (row.Count != columnNames.Count)
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format("Invalid data in list, must have the same columns as the columnNames-argument. Line was: '{0}'", string.Join(",", row)), "list");
DataRow r = table.Rows.Add();
for (int i = 0; i < columnNames.Count; i++)
r[i] = row[i];
}
return table;
}
How to use:
string[] columns = { "Employee ID", "First Name", "Last Name", "Job Title", "Address", "City"};
DataTable tblEmployee = ConvertListToDataTable(employees, columns);
But instead of using a List<List<string>>(or a DataTable) to store your employees you should use a custom class, for example Employee with all those properties. Then you can fill a List<Employee>. On that way your code is much better to read and to maintain.

The following code gives you the facility to convert an IEnumerable type to DataTable with dynamic Headers using System.Reflection.PropertyInfo. try to use this.
public static DataTable EnumerableToDataTable<T>(IEnumerable<T> varlist)
{
DataTable dtReturn = new DataTable();
// column names
PropertyInfo[] oProps = null;
if (varlist == null) return dtReturn;
foreach (T rec in varlist)
{
// Use reflection to get property names, to create table, Only first time, others will follow
if (oProps == null)
{
oProps = ((Type)rec.GetType()).GetProperties();
foreach (PropertyInfo pi in oProps)
{
Type colType = pi.PropertyType;
if ((colType.IsGenericType) && (colType.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(Nullable<>)))
{
colType = colType.GetGenericArguments()[0];
}
dtReturn.Columns.Add(new DataColumn(pi.Name, colType));
}
}
DataRow dr = dtReturn.NewRow();
foreach (PropertyInfo pi in oProps)
{
dr[pi.Name] = pi.GetValue(rec, null) == null ? DBNull.Value : pi.GetValue
(rec, null);
}
dtReturn.Rows.Add(dr);
}
return dtReturn;
}

How to join two tables using c# 4.0?

I have the same issue as here is LINQ join two DataTables
but my datatables are made on runtime like
DataTable dtTML = (DataTable)JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(Convert.ToString(data.Json.Args[0]["TML"]), (typeof(DataTable)));
the solution that someone gave is fine but I am getting error on datarows2 at
select dtResult.LoadDataRow(new object[]
{
dataRows2.Field<int>("stock") // here is error : does not exist in current context
}
while dataRows1.Field(s) are fine

I can't see what's wrong with this approach :
DataTable dt1 = new DataTable();
dt1.Columns.Add("PK", typeof(int));
dt1.Columns.Add("Data1", typeof(int));
DataTable dt2 = new DataTable();
dt2.Columns.Add("FK", typeof(int));
dt2.Columns.Add("Data2", typeof(int));
dt2.Rows.Add(1, 5000);
dt1.Rows.Add(1, 1000);
var Result = (from r1 in dt1.AsEnumerable()
join r2 in dt2.AsEnumerable()
on r1["PK"] equals r2["FK"]
select new
{
A = r1.Field<int>("Data1"),
B = r2.Field<int>("Data2"),
// choose more columns if any
}).ToList();
You can do whatever you want using it. If you need the result to be a Datatable , just use this method [ ListToDataTable ] to convert List to DataTable:
public static DataTable ListToDataTable<T>(List<T> items)
{
System.ComponentModel.PropertyDescriptorCollection properties =
System.ComponentModel.TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(typeof(T));
DataTable table = new DataTable();
foreach (System.ComponentModel.PropertyDescriptor prop in properties)
table.Columns.Add(prop.Name, Nullable.GetUnderlyingType(prop.PropertyType) ?? prop.PropertyType);
foreach (T item in items)
{
DataRow row = table.NewRow();
foreach (System.ComponentModel.PropertyDescriptor prop in properties)
row[prop.Name] = prop.GetValue(item) ?? DBNull.Value;
table.Rows.Add(row);
}
return table;

C# List<string>[] to Datatable

I need to convert a list array of type List<string>[] to Datatable in C#.
I have found many topics related to List<string[]> to Datatable conversion but nothing on the conversion I need.
Pseudocode:
//Retrieve data from MySQL server
db.Select(category, productID);
//populate List<string>[] array
list[0] = db.ListQuery[0];
list[1] = db.ListQuery[1];
//convert list[] to Datatable
.....
Any help is much appreciated.

If I'm understanding your question right, do you mean something like this?
string category = "Category";
string productId = "ProductId";
List<string[]> tempList = db.Select(category, productID); //Not necessarily correct (I'm not familiar with MySQL). Do what you need to do to create the List<string[]>
DataTable table = new DataTable();
DataRow row;
table.Columns.Add(category);
table.Columns.Add(productId);
foreach (string[] s in tempList)
{
row = table.NewRow();
row[category] = s[0];
row[productId] = s[1];
table.Rows.Add(row);
}

DataTable dataTable = new DataTable();
List<MemberInfo> props = typeof(T).GetFields().Select(objField => (MemberInfo)objField).ToList();
props.AddRange(typeof(T).GetProperties().Select(objField => (MemberInfo)objField));
if (props.Count > 0)
{
Type t;
bool tIsField = false;
for (int iCnt = 0; iCnt < props.Count; iCnt++)
{
var prop = props[iCnt];
tIsField = prop.MemberType == MemberTypes.Field;
dataTable.Columns.Add(prop.Name, tIsField ? ((FieldInfo)prop).FieldType : ((PropertyInfo)prop).PropertyType);
}
foreach (T item in data)
{
DataRow dr = dataTable.NewRow();
foreach (var field in props)
{
tIsField = field.MemberType == MemberTypes.Field;
object value = tIsField ? ((FieldInfo)field).GetValue(item) : ((PropertyInfo)field).GetValue(item, null);
dr[field.Name] = value;
}
dataTable.Rows.Add(dr);
}
}
return dataTable;

Convert select new to DataTable?

I am using .NET 3.5 and need to convert the below select new result into a DataTable. Is there something built in for this or anyone know of a method that can do this?
var contentList = (from item in this.GetData().Cast<IContent>()
select new
{
Title = item.GetMetaData("Title"),
Street = item.GetMetaData("Street"),
City = item.GetMetaData("City"),
Country = item.GetMetaData("Country")
});

Easy and straightforward thing to do is to use reflection:
var records = (from item in this.GetData().Cast<IContent>()
select new
{
Title = "1",
Street = "2",
City = "3",
Country = "4"
});
var firstRecord = records.First();
if (firstRecord == null)
return;
var infos = firstRecord.GetType().GetProperties();
DataTable table = new DataTable();
foreach (var info in infos) {
DataColumn column = new DataColumn(info.Name, info.PropertyType);
table.Columns.Add(column);
}
foreach (var record in records) {
DataRow row = table.NewRow();
for (int i = 0; i < table.Columns.Count; i++)
row[i] = infos[i].GetValue(record);
table.Rows.Add(row);
}
Code may not be working up front but should give you a general idea. First, you get propertyInfos from anonymous type and use this metadata to create datatable schema (fill columns). Then you use those infos to get values from every object.

Here is one generic solution without Reflecting over the properties. Have an extension method as below
public static DataTable ConvertToDataTable<TSource>(this IEnumerable<TSource>
records, params Expression<Func<TSource, object>>[] columns)
{
var firstRecord = records.First();
if (firstRecord == null)
return null;
DataTable table = new DataTable();
List<Func<TSource, object>> functions = new List<Func<TSource, object>>();
foreach (var col in columns)
{
DataColumn column = new DataColumn();
column.Caption = (col.Body as MemberExpression).Member.Name;
var function = col.Compile();
column.DataType = function(firstRecord).GetType();
functions.Add(function);
table.Columns.Add(column);
}
foreach (var record in records)
{
DataRow row = table.NewRow();
int i = 0;
foreach (var function in functions)
{
row[i++] = function((record));
}
table.Rows.Add(row);
}
return table;
}
And Invoke the same using where parameters will be the column name in the order you want.
var table = records.ConvertToDataTable(
item => item.Title,
item => item.Street,
item => item.City
);

You can convert your list result to datatable by the below function
public static DataTable ToDataTable<T>(IEnumerable<T> values)
{
DataTable table = new DataTable();
foreach (T value in values)
{
if (table.Columns.Count == 0)
{
foreach (var p in value.GetType().GetProperties())
{
table.Columns.Add(p.Name);
}
}
DataRow dr = table.NewRow();
foreach (var p in value.GetType().GetProperties())
{
dr[p.Name] = p.GetValue(value, null) + "";
}
table.Rows.Add(dr);
}
return table;
}

There is a CopyToDataTable extension method which does that for you. It lives in System.Data.DataSetExtensions.dll

Try this:
// Create your datatable.
DataTable dt = new DataTable();
dt.Columns.Add("Title", typeof(string));
dt.Columns.Add("Street", typeof(double));
// get a list of object arrays corresponding
// to the objects listed in the columns
// in the datatable above.
var result = from item in in this.GetData().Cast<IContent>()
select dt.LoadDataRow(
new object[] { Title = item.GetMetaData("Title"),
Street = item.GetMetaData("Street"),
},
false);
// the end result will be a set of DataRow objects that have been
// loaded into the DataTable.
Original Article for code sample : Converting Anonymous type generated by LINQ to a DataTable type
EDIT: Generic Pseudocode:
void LinqToDatatable(string[] columns, Type[] datatypes, linqSource)
{
for loop
{
dt.columns.add(columns[i], datatypes[i]);
}
//Still thinking how to make this generic..
var result = from item in in this.GetData().Cast<IContent>()
select dt.LoadDataRow(
new object[] { string[0] = item.GetMetaData[string[0]],
string[1] = item.GetMetaData[srring[1]
},
false);
}

public static DataTable ListToDataTable<T>(this IList<T> data)
{
DataTable dt = new DataTable();
PropertyDescriptorCollection props = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(typeof(T));
for (int i = 0; i < props.Count; i++)
{
PropertyDescriptor prop = props[i];
dt.Columns.Add(prop.Name, prop.PropertyType);
}
object[] values = new object[props.Count];
foreach (T t in data)
{
for (int i = 0; i < values.Length; i++)
{
values[i] = props[i].GetValue(t);
}
dt.Rows.Add(values);
}
return dt;
}
After you do your select new you can to .ToList().ListToDataTable(). This uses ComponentModel reflection and is (theroetically) faster than System.Reflection.

Feed a LINQ result into a DataROW

This works:
var Result = from e in actual.Elements
select new
{
Key = e.Key,
ValueNumber = e.Value.ValueNumber,
ValueString = e.Value.ValueString,
ValueBinary = e.Value.ValueBinary,
ValueDateTime = e.Value.ValueDateTime
};
But this doesn't work:
IEnumerable<DataRow> Result = from e in actual.Elements
select new DataRow
{
Key = e.Key,
ValueNumber = e.Value.ValueNumber,
ValueString = e.Value.ValueString,
ValueBinary = e.Value.ValueBinary,
ValueDateTime = e.Value.ValueDateTime
};
DataTable dt = Result.CopyToDataTable(Result);
Can you fix it for me? I want the second bit of code to work so that I can put it into the DataTable. I realize the syntax is totally wrong in #2. How do you specify a column using LINQ like this?

You can write a simple extension method that takes any IEnumerable<T>, uses reflection to get the PropertyDescriptors associated with T, and creates a DataColumn for each
public static DataTable PropertiesToDataTable(this IEnumerable<T> source)
{
DataTable dt = new DataTable();
var props = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(typeof(T));
foreach (PropertyDescriptor prop in props)
{
DataColumn dc = dt.Columns.Add(prop.Name,prop.PropertyType);
dc.Caption = prop.DisplayName;
dc.ReadOnly = prop.IsReadOnly;
}
foreach (T item in source)
{
DataRow dr = dt.Rows.NewRow();
foreach (PropertyDescriptor prop in props)
dr[prop.Name] = prop.GetValue(item);
dt.Rows.Add(dr);
}
return dt;
}

I can't offer much help other than to point you here:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/aconrad/archive/2007/09/07/science-project.aspx

You might want to look into the DataTableExtensions.AsEnumerable Method
I haven't tested this, but this might get you pointed in the right direction:
IEnumerable<DataRow> result = (from e in actual.Elements
select new DataRow
{
Key = e.Key,
ValueNumber = e.Value.ValueNumber,
ValueString = e.Value.ValueString,
ValueBinary = e.Value.ValueBinary,
ValueDateTime = e.Value.ValueDateTime
}).AsEnumerable();
DataTable dt = Result.CopyToDataTable(Result);