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Lambda expression - For a Select New

I am trying to create a custom collection from an IQueryable object, where i am trying to perform a select statement but getting an error cannot convert to store expression. I am new to Lambda Expression. Kindly help me how to fix this problem.
Getting error at line c.Event.FirstUpper()
public static string FirstCharToUpper(string input)
{
if (String.IsNullOrEmpty(input))
return string.Empty;
var trimmed = input.Trim();
return trimmed.First().ToString().ToUpper() + trimmed.Substring(1);
}
public static Expression<Func<string, string>> GetFirstCaseToUpperExpression()
{
var expression = NJection.LambdaConverter.Fluent.Lambda.TransformMethodTo<Func<string, string>>()
.From(() => StringFormatter.FirstCharToUpper)
.ToLambda();
return expression;
}
Calling the Expression
return new List<LoggerModel>(
logDB.PELoggers
.Where(c => (c.SubscriberCode == SubscriberCode)).OrderByField(sortBy, ascendingOrder).Select(c => new LoggerModel()
{
DateTime = c.DateTime.Value,
Event = c.Event.FirstUpper()
})

I suppose you are using Entity Framework or a smiliar O/R mapper.
Think about what you are doing here: you are writing a LINQ query that should be executed against your database. To do this, it will translate your LINQ query into a SQL query which will then be executed against your database.
But FirstCharToUpper() is a custom method in your code. Your database does not know anything about it, so your O/R mapper's LINQ provider cannot translate it into anything meaningful in SQL, hence you get the error.
So what you need to do is to first "finish" the query against your database to have the results in-memory and after that, apply any further processing that can only be done within the boundaries of your code on that in-memory collection.
You can do this simply by inserting .AsEnumerable() in your LINQ query before you do the select with your custom expression:
logDB.PELoggers
.Where(c => (c.SubscriberCode == SubscriberCode))
.OrderByField(sortBy, ascendingOrder)
.AsEnumerable()
.Select(c => new LoggerModel()
{
DateTime = c.DateTime.Value,
Event = c.Event.FirstUpper()
})
When calling AsEnumerable(), the query against your database will be executed and the results are copied into an IEnumerable in memory. The Select() afterwards will now already be executed against the in-memory collection and not against the database anymore, thus it can use your custom FirstCharToUpper() method.
Edit based on your comments below:
Everything above is still valid, but in the comments you said your function needs to return IQueryable. In your case, what your FirstCharToUpper() method is doing is pretty simple and the LINQ-to-Entities provider does support methods like ToUpper and Substring. So I'd recommend to simply get rid of your helper method and instead write your LINQ query to do just that with methods that Entity Framework can translate to valid SQL:
logDB.PELoggers
.Where(c => (c.SubscriberCode == SubscriberCode))
.OrderByField(sortBy, ascendingOrder)
.Select(c => new LoggerModel()
{
DateTime = c.DateTime.Value,
Event = c.Event.Substring(0, 1).ToUpper()
+ c.Event.Substring(1)
})
This will result in a SQL query that will already return the content in Event with an uppercase first letter right from the database.
To also support the IsNullOrEmpty check and the Trim you are doing (both also supported by LINQ-to-Entities) I recommend to change the lambda syntax to the LINQ query syntax so you can use the let statement for the trimming, which makes the code cleaner:
from c in logDB.PELoggers
let trimmedEvent = c.Event.Trim()
where c.SubscriberCode == SubscriberCode
select new LoggerModel()
{
DateTime = c.DateTime.Value,
Event = !string.IsNullOrEmpty(trimmedEvent)
? trimmedEvent.Substring(0, 1).ToUpper()
+ trimmedEvent.Substring(1)
: string.Empty
};
In case you do not want to have this done in the LINQ query, you would need to do the uppercasing at some point later when your query against the DB has been executed, for example right in the View that will show your data. Or one option could be to apply the uppercasing in the Event property setter of your LoggerModel:
public class LoggerModel
{
// ...
private string event;
public string Event
{
get { return event; }
set { event = FirstCharToUpper(value); }
}
// ...
}
But there is no way to make custom functions work inside LINQ-to-Entities queries.

Convert LINQ method syntax with method withing .Select() to LINQ query syntax

I currently have the following code:
dataSource.Where(row => row.Value == 1)
.Select(row => {row["Text"] = translatedText; return row;})
.Single();
So my goal is to select the DataRow with "Value=1" and at the same time set the value in the "Text"-column to some other value (in my case a string-variable transalatedText).
This already works fine with the method chain mentioned above but I generally prefer the LINQ syntax. Is there a possibility to translate this method chain to LINQ?
My problem is that I do not know how to translate the function in the Select-method to LINQ-format. I dont want to create a new DataRow but want to really edit the selected one. (So I don't want to use from x in y where z select new DataRow(...) but to really edit my x if possible)
Thanks!

Is there a possibility to translate this method chain to LINQ?
(By "to LINQ" I believe you mean "to query expression syntax".)
Not directly, no. Effectively, you can only convert expression-bodied lambda expressions into query syntax. There's a good reason for that: LINQ is designed not to have side effects, whereas your "query" does have side-effects.
I would personally write your code like this instead:
var row = DataSource.Single(row => row.Value == 1);
row["Text"] = translatedText;
That neatly separates the querying from the side-effect. If you really, really want to use query expression syntax, you could write:
var query = (from row in DataSource
where row.Value == 1)
select HorribleMutatingMethod(row)).Single();
...
private DataRow HorribleMutatingMethod(DataRow row)
{
row["Text"] = translatedText;
return row;
}
... but please don't.

lambda equivalent to sql update with joins

I have 2 sets of data.
What would be the lambda syntax equivalent to this sql update statement ?
UPDATE Customers1
SET Customers1.Email = Customers2.Email
JOIN Customers2 ON Customers1.ID = Customers2.ID

Lambdas are just a way of writing anonymous methods: x => { body }. I assume you actually mean LINQ.
There is no equivalent, because the Q in LINQ stands for query. LINQ queries data, it doesn't change it.

As DanielHilgarth said just to use lambda or even LINQ is not enough here.
I assume you'd need something like:
foreach(var customer1 in customers1) {
var customer2 = customers2.FirstOrDefault(c2 => customer1.ID.Equals(c2.ID));
if (customer2 != null) customer1.Email = customers2.Email;
}
So, lambda is a chunk of the whole implementation.

Converting Lambda Functions into Lambda Expression

I am trying to combine a multiple selection with a lambda function into an lambda expression. How do I do that? I know the last line is wrong, but giving you an idea of what I mean.
Func<Event, bool> where = null;
if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(searchToken))
where = q => q.Name.ToUpper().Contains(searchToken.ToUpper());
where += q => q.Hidden = false;
Expression<Func<Event, bool>> where1 = q => where; <-- Erroring

I suspect you want PredicateBuilder. (The source is available on that page.) You'd use it like this:
var predicate = q => !q.Hidden;
if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(searchToken))
{
predicate = predicate.And(q => q.Name.ToUpper()
.Contains(searchToken.ToUpper());
}
return predicate;
That's assuming you want to "and" the conditions - you never made that clear...
Note that that is not a good way to compare in a case-insensitive way, either. If you could tell us what's going to consume the query (e.g. LINQ to SQL, LINQ to EF) we could suggest a provider-compatible way of performing a case-insensitive query.

Look at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb882637.aspx. How to use expression trees to build dynamic queries.
AFAIK when using Expression <> like that the expression must be known in compile time, because the compiler then build AST abstract syntax three and stores it as data in your Expression <> instance.

How to insert a lambda into a Linq declarative query expression

Let's say you have the following code:
string encoded="9,8,5,4,9";
// Parse the encoded string into a collection of numbers
var nums=from string s in encoded.Split(',')
select int.Parse(s);
That's easy, but what if I want to apply a lambda expression to s in the select, but still keep this as a declarative query expression, in other words:
string encoded="9,8,5,4,9";
// Parse the encoded string into a collection of numbers
var nums=from string s in encoded.Split(',')
select (s => {/* do something more complex with s and return an int */});
This of course does not compile. But, how can I get a lambda in there without switching this to fluent syntax.
Update: Thanks to guidance from StriplingWarrior, I have a convoluted but compilable solution:
var result=from string s in test.Split(',')
select ((Func<int>)
(() => {string u="1"+s+"2"; return int.Parse(u);}))();
The key is in the cast to a Func<string,int> followed by evaluation of the lambda for each iteration of the select with (s). Can anyone come up with anything simpler (i.e., without the cast to Func followed by its evaluation or perhaps something less verbose that achieves the same end result while maintaining the query expression syntax)?
Note: The lambda content above is trivial and exemplary in nature. Please don't change it.
Update 2: Yes, it's me, crazy Mike, back with an alternate (prettier?) solution to this:
public static class Lambda
{
public static U Wrap<U>(Func<U> f)
{
return f();
}
}
...
// Then in some function, in some class, in a galaxy far far away:
// Look what we can do with no casts
var res=from string s in test.Split(',')
select Lambda.Wrap(() => {string u="1"+s+"2"; return int.Parse(u);});
I think this solves the problem without the ugly cast and parenarrhea. Is something like the Lambda.Wrap generic method already present somewhere in the .NET 4.0 Framework, so that I do not have to reinvent the wheel? Not to overburden this discussion, I have moved this point into its own question: Does this "Wrap" generic method exist in .NET 4.0.

Assuming you're using LINQ to Objects, you could just use a helper method:
select DoSomethingComplex(s)
If you don't like methods, you could use a Func:
Func<string, string> f = s => { Console.WriteLine(s); return s; };
var q = from string s in new[]{"1","2"}
select f(s);
Or if you're completely hell-bent on putting it inline, you could do something like this:
from string s in new[]{"1","2"}
select ((Func<string>)(() => { Console.WriteLine(s); return s; }))()

You could simply do:
var nums = from string s in encoded.Split(',')
select (s => { DoSomething(); return aValueBasedOnS; });
The return tells the compiler the type of the resulting collection.

How about this:
var nums= (from string s in encoded.Split(',') select s).Select( W => ...);

Can anyone come up with anything
simpler?
Yes. First, you could rewrite it like this
var result = from s in encoded.Split(',')
select ((Func<int>)(() => int.Parse("1" + s + "2")))();
However, that's not really readable, particularly for a query expression. For this particular query and projection, the let keyword could be used.
var result = from s in encoded.Split(',')
let t = "1" + s + "2"
select int.Parse(t);

IEnumerable integers = encoded.Split(',').Select(s => int.Parse(s));
Edit:
IEnumerable<int> integers = from s in encoded.Split(',') select int.Parse(string.Format("1{0}2",s));