I have a basic rule engine that I've built in a very similar way to the route suggested here:
How to implement a rule engine?
Ive extended it based on further requirements, and now I need to evaluate complex classes eg
EvaluateRule("Transaction.IsOpen", "Equals", "true")
The code in its most basic form is:
var param = inputMessageType;
left = Expression.Property(param, memberName);
tProp = typeof(T).GetProperty(r.MemberName).PropertyType;
right = Expression.Constant(Convert.ChangeType(r.TargetValue, tProp));
return Expression.MakeBinary(tBinary, left, right);
In order to evaluate complex classes I used a method similar to here:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/16544672/dynamically-evaluating-a-property-string-with-expressions
The problem that Im having is that when I try to evaluate the rule with a property of a class (Transaction.IsOpen), I get it with the type of the root type on the right hand side of the expression but the type of the complex object on the left hand side of the expression.
This results in the error:
System.InvalidOperationException: The binary operator Equal is not defined for the types 'System.Func`2[Transaction,System.Boolean]' and 'System.Boolean'.
How do I overcome this problem? I am no expert using Expression Trees, and many of the concepts are proving difficult to grasp when the example strays from the standard documentation.
Edit: Here is the code(Ive omitted some stuff that is environment specific so as keep focus with the problem)
public Actions EvaluateRulesFromMessage(ClientEventQueueMessage message)
{
var ruleGroups = _ruleRepository.GetRuleList();
var actions = new Actions();
foreach (var ruleGroup in ruleGroups)
{
if (message.MessageType == "UI_UPDATE")
{
// clean up json object
JObject dsPayload = (JObject.Parse(message.Payload));
var msgParams = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<UiTransactionUpdate>(message.Payload);
msgParams.RulesCompleted = msgParams.RulesCompleted ?? new List<int>();
var conditionsMet = false;
// process the rules filtering out the rules that have already been evaluated
var filteredRules = ruleGroup.Rules.Where(item =>
!msgParams.RulesCompleted.Any(r => r.Equals(item.Id)));
foreach (var rule in filteredRules)
{
Func<UiTransactionUpdate, bool> compiledRule = CompileRule<UiTransactionUpdate>(rule, msgParams);
if (compiledRule(msgParams))
{
conditionsMet = true;
}
else
{
conditionsMet = false;
break;
}
}
if (conditionsMet)
{
actions = AddAction(message, ruleGroup);
break;
}
}
}
return actions;
}
public Func<UiTransactionUpdate, bool> CompileRule<T>(Rule r, UiTransactionUpdate msg)
{
var expression = Expression.Parameter(typeof(UiTransactionUpdate));
Expression expr = BuildExpr<UiTransactionUpdate>(r, expression, msg);
// build a lambda function UiTransactionUpdate->bool and compile it
return Expression.Lambda<Func<UiTransactionUpdate, bool>>(expr, expression).Compile();
}
static Expression Eval(object root, string propertyString, out Type tProp)
{
Type type = null;
var propertyNames = propertyString.Split('.');
ParameterExpression param = Expression.Parameter(root.GetType());
Expression property = param;
string propName = "";
foreach (var prop in propertyNames)
{
property = MemberExpression.PropertyOrField(property, prop);
type = property.Type;
propName = prop;
}
tProp = Type.GetType(type.UnderlyingSystemType.AssemblyQualifiedName);
var param2 = MemberExpression.Parameter(tProp);
var e = Expression.Lambda(property, param);
return e;
}
static Expression BuildExpr<T>(Rule r, ParameterExpression param, UiTransactionUpdate msg)
{
Expression left;
Type tProp;
string memberName = r.MemberName;
if (memberName.Contains("."))
{
left = Eval(msg, memberName, out tProp);
}
else
{
left = Expression.Property(param, memberName);
tProp = typeof(T).GetProperty(r.MemberName).PropertyType;
}
ExpressionType tBinary;
if (ExpressionType.TryParse(r.Operator, out tBinary))
{
Expression right=null;
switch (r.ValueType) ///todo: this needs to be refactored to be type independent
{
case TargetValueType.Value:
right = Expression.Constant(Convert.ChangeType(r.TargetValue, tProp));
break;
}
// use a binary operation ie true/false
return Expression.MakeBinary(tBinary, left, right);
}
else
{
var method = tProp.GetMethod(r.Operator);
var tParam = method.GetParameters()[0].ParameterType;
var right = Expression.Constant(Convert.ChangeType(r.TargetValue, tParam));
// use a method call, e.g. 'Contains' -> 'u.Tags.Contains(some_tag)'
return Expression.Call(left, method, right);
}
}
The sample code does not cover all data types used in your scenario, so it's hard to tell where it breaks exactly, but from the exception System.Func'2[Transaction,System.Boolean]' and 'System.Boolean it's obvious that on left hand you have a delegate that takes in Transaction and returns bool (Func<Transaction, bool>), and on the right hand you just have bool.
It's not possible to compare Func<Transaction, bool> to bool, but it's possible to call the function and compare its result:
Func<Transaction, bool> func = ...;
bool comparand = ...;
Transaction transaction = ...;
if (func(transaction) == comparand) { ... }
What translated to expression tree:
Expression funcExpression = ... /*LambdaExpression<Func<Transaction,bool>>*/;
Expression comparandExpression = Expression.Constant(true);
Expression transactionArg = /*e.g.*/Expression.Constant(transaction);
Expression funcResultExpression = Expression.Call(funcExpression, "Invoke", null, transactionArg);
Expression equalityTestExpression = Expression.Equal(funcResultExpression, comparandExpression);
Related
var row = parser.ReadFields();
Expression<Func<DataRow, bool>> expression = null;
foreach (var pairToCheck in mappingDictionary)
{
Expression<Func<DataRow, bool>> newCondition = r => r[pairToCheck.Value].ToString() == row[pairToCheck.Key];
if (expression == null)
expression = newCondition;
else
expression = Expression.And(expression, newCondition.Body); // Compile error, I can't do this apparently
}
var recordFound = dt.AsEnumerable().Where(expression.Compile()).Count() > 0;
See code above, I'm trying to find a record in a DataTable (var dt), but the amount of conditions that this record has to satisfy, is variable. I tried to add conditions with Expression.And, but it turns the expression into type BinaryExpression and I can no longer turn it back to the original Expression<Func<DataRow, bool>>. What am I missing here? Is my approach at least correct?
You need to have a little bit more complicated handling. Something like this:
Expression expression = null;
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(typeof(DataRow)); // create a parameter for your future lambda
foreach (var pairToCheck in mappingDictionary)
{
Expression<Func<DataRow, bool>> newCondition = r => r[pairToCheck.Value].ToString() == row[pairToCheck.Key];
// build new body replacing parameter to correct one
var newBody = newCondition.Body.ReplaceParameter(newCondition.Parameters.First(), parameter);
if (expression == null)
expression = newBody;
else
expression = Expression.AndAlso(expression, newBody); // use AndAlso, And is a bitwise AND operation
}
var result = Expression.Lambda<Func<DataRow, bool>>(expression, parameter); // construct lambda
var recordFound = dt.AsEnumerable().Where(result.Compile()).Count() > 0;
And the ReplaceParameter method comes form:
public static class ExpressionExt
{
public static Expression ReplaceParameter(this Expression expression, ParameterExpression source, Expression target)
{
return new ParameterReplacingVisitor { Source = source, Target = target }.Visit(expression);
}
class ParameterReplacingVisitor : ExpressionVisitor
{
public ParameterExpression Source;
public Expression Target;
protected override Expression VisitParameter(ParameterExpression node)
{
return node == Source ? Target : base.VisitParameter(node);
}
}
}
In my project, I want the user to be able to supply an argument in the shape of: "Fieldname=Value"; I will then check the arguments supplied, and check if the Fieldname is a valid property in a Model; then, I need to have a Linq.Where() query that dynamically selects the required Fieldname for the filtering:
start.exe -Filter "TestField=ThisValue"
should translate to:
List<Mutations>.Where(s => s.{TestField} == "ThisValue" ).FirstOrDefault
the problem is that I do not know how I convert a string, or a name of a property, to the s.{TestField} part..
You can use the Reflection and Expression APIs for this. To start, I am going to assume that you are actually using properties and not fields (you are using properties, right?)
var type = typeof(Mutations);
var member = type.GetProperty("TestProperty");
if (member == null)
throw new Exception("property does not exist");
var p1 = Expression.Parameter(type, "s");
var equal = Expression.Equal(
Expression.Property(p1, member),
Expression.Constant("Test Value", member.PropertyType)
);
var lambda = Expression.Lambda<Func<Mutations, bool>>(equal, p1);
var result = list.AsQueryable().FirstOrDefault(lambda);
If you are actually using public fields (why?!) you can make the following modifications GetProperty->GetField, Expression.Property->Expression.Field and member.PropertyType->member.FieldType. Use caution though; some ORMs only work with properties and thus would reject the otherwise valid Expression.
We can take the above and turn it into a reusable, generic method that returns an Expression:
using System.Linq.Expressions;
public static class ExpressionHelpers {
public static Expression CreateWhere<T>(string propertyName, string targetValue) {
var type = typeof(T);
var member = type.GetProperty(propertyName) ?? throw new Exception("Property does not exist");
var p1 = Expression.Parameter(type, "s");
var equal = Expression.Equal(
Expression.Property(p1, member),
Expression.Constant(targetValue, member.PropertyType)
);
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(equal, p1);
}
}
Calling this method might look like:
public static void SomeMethod() {
var list = new List<Mutations> { /* ... */ };
Expression clause = ExpressionHelpers.CreateWhere<Mutations>("TestProperty", "TestValue");
var result = list.AsQueryable().FirstOrDefault(clause);
if (result != null)
Console.WriteLine("Result = {0}", result);
}
Note that this doesn't do any sort of validation of the data types--it assumes the property is the same type as the input, which is currently string. If you need to deal with numbers or dates or what have you, you'll need to switch on the data type and provide the appropriate parsed data to the constant:
public static Expression CreateWhere<T>(string propertyName, string targetValue) {
var type = typeof(T);
var member = type.GetProperty(propertyName) ?? throw new Exception("Property does not exist");
var propType = member.PropertyType;
if ((propType.IsClass && propType != typeof(string)) || propType.IsInterface)
throw new Exception("Interfaces and Class Types are not supported");
var p1 = Expression.Parameter(type, "s");
Expression target = null;
if (propType == typeof(string))
target = Expression.Constant(targetValue, typeof(string));
else if (propType == typeof(int) && int.TryParse(targetValue, out var intVal))
target = Expression.Constant(intVal, typeof(int));
else if (propType == typeof(long) && long.TryParse(targetValue, out var longVal))
target = Expression.Constant(longVal, typeof(long));
else if (propType == typeof(DateTime) && DateTime.TryParse(targetValue, out var dateVal))
target = Expression.Constant(dateVal, typeof(DateTime));
else
throw new Exception("Target property type is not supported or value could not be parsed");
var equal = Expression.Equal(
Expression.Property(p1, member),
target
);
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(equal, p1);
}
As you can see this starts to get fairly complex with the more types you want to support. Also note that if you are using this without an ORM (just LINQ on a list) you are probably going to want add some support for case-[in]sensitive string comparisons. That can be delegated to a string.Equals call that could look something like this:
bool ignoreCase = true; // maybe a method parameter?
var prop = Expression.Property(p1, member);
Expression equal = null;
if (propType != typeof(string))
{
equal = Expression.Equal(prop, target);
}
else
{
var compareType = ignoreCase
? StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase
: StringComparison.Ordinal;
var compareConst = Expression.Constant(compareType, typeof(StringComparison));
equal = Expression.Call(
typeof(string),
nameof(string.Equals),
new[] { typeof(string), typeof(string), typeof(StringComparison) },
prop,
target,
compareConst
);
}
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(equal, p1);
Note that depending on their support this may or may not work with an ORM (and may not be necessary since many databases are insensitive comparisons by default). The above also does not handle Nullable<T> (ie. int?) which adds its own set of complexities.
I am trying to build an expression tree dynamically to fetch data from a database.
The following codes are used for this.
Expression<Func<Client, bool>> expression = x => true;
foreach (var item in searchParams)
{
var operatorType = ExpressionType.Equal;
string propertyName = null;
object value = null;
string keyValue = item.Value;
if (item.Key == Constants.SearchParameterNames.Id)
{
int val = 0;
if (int.TryParse(keyValue, out val))
value = val;
propertyName = "ClientID";
}
else if (item.Key == Constants.SearchParameterNames.Lastupdate)
{
DateTime dateTime;
if (DateTime.TryParse(keyValue, out dateTime))
value = dateTime;
propertyName = "LastChange";
}
if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(propertyName) && value != null)
{
var exp = GetBinaryOperation<Client>(propertyName, operatorType, value);
var exp1 = Expression.And(expression.Body, exp);
expression = Expression.Lambda<Func<Client, bool>>(exp1, expression.Parameters);
}
}
var client = _clientRepository.FindBy(expression).ToList();
when _clientRepository.FindBy(expression).ToList() is executed I am getting an exception of
The parameter 'x' was not bound in the specified LINQ to Entities
query expression.
The method used to create expression:
public BinaryExpression GetBinaryOperation<T>(string propertyName, ExpressionType type, object value)
{
var parameterExpression = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T), "x");
var memberExpression = Expression.Property(parameterExpression, propertyName);
var propertyType = GetMemberType(memberExpression);
var rhs = Expression.Constant(value);
var binaryExpression = Expression.MakeBinary(type, memberExpression, rhs);
return binaryExpression;
}
When building such an expression you have to preserve the top-level parameter expression instance. When you create a new parameter expression in the GetBinaryOperation function, that will be a different instance (hence the not bound term), regardless of the fact that its name is the same "x".
Instead of creating a new parameter instance, you should pass the original LambdaExpression's "x" parameter to the GetBinaryOperation function using for example expression.Parameters[0].
All in all, you have to use the same parameter expression instance throughout the entire expression tree in this case.
I am trying to build a Lambda Expression for a table that has been created at run time.
The Expression is build fine but when I call Compile() method I get this error
"ParameterExpression of type 'cseval.Item' cannot be used for delegate parameter of type 'System.Object'"
this is my function
public Func<dynamic, Boolean> GetWhereExp(List<WhereCondition> SearchFieldList, dynamic item)
{
ParameterExpression pe = Expression.Parameter(item.GetType(), "c");
Expression combined = null;
if (SearchFieldList != null)
{
foreach (WhereCondition fieldItem in SearchFieldList)
{
//Expression for accessing Fields name property
Expression columnNameProperty = Expression.Property(pe, fieldItem.ColumName);
//the name constant to match
Expression columnValue = Expression.Constant(fieldItem.Value);
//the first expression: PatientantLastName = ?
Expression e1 = Expression.Equal(columnNameProperty, columnValue);
if (combined == null)
{
combined = e;
}
else
{
combined = Expression.And(combined, e);
}
}
}
var result = Expression.Lambda<Func<dynamic, bool>>(combined, pe);
return result.Compile();
}
I've changed dynamic to generics, this code works for me:
public Func<T, Boolean> GetWhereExp<T>(List<WhereCondition> SearchFieldList, T item)
{
var pe = Expression.Parameter(item.GetType(), "c");
Expression combined = null;
if (SearchFieldList != null)
{
foreach (var fieldItem in SearchFieldList)
{
var columnNameProperty = Expression.Property(pe, fieldItem.ColumName);
var columnValue = Expression.Constant(fieldItem.Value);
var e1 = Expression.Equal(columnNameProperty, columnValue);
combined = combined == null ? e1 : Expression.And(combined, e1);
}
}
var result = Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(combined, pe);
return result.Compile();
}
Small remark: your method returns function, not an expression, so the name 'GetWhereExp' is slightly incorrect. If you want to return function, imho, it's better to use reflection.
UPD: I use this code to test:
var expressions = new List<WhereCondition>
{
new WhereCondition("Column1", "xxx"),
new WhereCondition("Column2", "yyy"),
};
var item = new
{
Column1 = "xxx",
Column2 = "yyy"
};
var func = LinqExpr.GetWhereExp(expressions, (dynamic)item);
Console.WriteLine(new[] {item}.Count(a => func(a)));
I am dynamically creating a LINQ query based on various search criteria.
As an example, let's say I am searching a Automobiles table, and I have an option to filter by ratings. I have two controls:
Compare type: [At least], [At most], [Less than], [Greater than], and [Equal].
Value: The value to compare the rating against.
So the user could, for example, select the compare type [At least] and the value 3, and my code needs to create a query that limits results to automobile ratings greater than or equal to 3.
I found a great solution given by VinayC in the question How to implement search functionality in C#/ASP.NET MVC. His DynamicWhere() method dynamically creates part of the expression that would produce the correct filter.
My problem is that my primary query type is Automobile but my ratings are in a separate table (Automobile.Ratings). How could I implement this same technique and filter on a type other than my primary query type?
Thanks for any tips.
Since the number of operations that you have is small, finite, and known at comiple time, you can simply handle it with a switch:
IQueryable<Something> query = GetQuery();
int ratingToComareWith = 1;
string operation = "Equal";
switch (operation)
{
case ("Equal"):
query = query.Where(item => item == ratingToComareWith);
break;
case ("Less Than"):
query = query.Where(item => item < ratingToComareWith);
break;
}
Here's an Entity Framework friendly alternative to expression building. Of course you will want to validate column and op to prevent SQL injection.
// User provided values
int value = 3;
string column = "Rating";
string op = "<";
// Dynamically built query
db.Database.SqlQuery<Automobile>(#"select distinct automobile.* from automobile
inner join ratings on ....
where [" + column + "] " + op + " #p0", value);
Here is a method to build conditions for nested collections or types for linq-to-entities.
Restructured for your needs:
public static Expression GetCondition(Expression parameter, object value, OperatorComparer operatorComparer, params string[] properties)
{
Expression resultExpression = null;
Expression childParameter, navigationPropertyPredicate;
Type childType = null;
if (properties.Count() > 1)
{
//build path
parameter = Expression.Property(parameter, properties[0]);
var isCollection = typeof(IEnumerable).IsAssignableFrom(parameter.Type);
//if it´s a collection we later need to use the predicate in the methodexpressioncall
if (isCollection)
{
childType = parameter.Type.GetGenericArguments()[0];
childParameter = Expression.Parameter(childType, childType.Name);
}
else
{
childParameter = parameter;
}
//skip current property and get navigation property expression recursivly
var innerProperties = properties.Skip(1).ToArray();
navigationPropertyPredicate = GetCondition(childParameter, test, innerProperties);
if (isCollection)
{
//build methodexpressioncall
var anyMethod = typeof(Enumerable).GetMethods().Single(m => m.Name == "Any" && m.GetParameters().Length == 2);
anyMethod = anyMethod.MakeGenericMethod(childType);
navigationPropertyPredicate = Expression.Call(anyMethod, parameter, navigationPropertyPredicate);
resultExpression = MakeLambda(parameter, navigationPropertyPredicate);
}
else
{
resultExpression = navigationPropertyPredicate;
}
}
else
{
var childProperty = parameter.Type.GetProperty(properties[0]);
var left = Expression.Property(parameter, childProperty);
var right = Expression.Constant(value,value.GetType());
if(!new List<OperatorComparer> {OperatorComparer.Contains,OperatorComparer.StartsWith}.Contains(operatorComparer))
{
navigationPropertyPredicate = Expression.MakeBinary((ExpressionType)operatorComparer,left, right);
}
else
{
var method = GetMethod(childProperty.PropertyType, operatorComparer); //get property by enum-name from type
navigationPropertyPredicate = Expression.Call(left, method, right);
}
resultExpression = MakeLambda(parameter, navigationPropertyPredicate);
}
return resultExpression;
}
private static MethodInfo GetMethod(Type type,OperatorComparer operatorComparer)
{
var method = type.GetMethod(Enum.GetName(typeof(OperatorComparer),operatorComparer));
return method;
}
public enum OperatorComparer
{
Equals = ExpressionType.Equal,
Contains,
StartsWith,
GreaterThan = ExpressionType.GreaterThan
....
}
private static Expression MakeLambda(Expression parameter, Expression predicate)
{
var resultParameterVisitor = new ParameterVisitor();
resultParameterVisitor.Visit(parameter);
var resultParameter = resultParameterVisitor.Parameter;
return Expression.Lambda(predicate, (ParameterExpression)resultParameter);
}
private class ParameterVisitor : ExpressionVisitor
{
public Expression Parameter
{
get;
private set;
}
protected override Expression VisitParameter(ParameterExpression node)
{
Parameter = node;
return node;
}
}
}
You could replace the params string[] with params Expression(Func(T,object)), if you want. Would need some more work to do it that way. You would need to definie nested collections with a syntax like
item => item.nestedCollection.Select(nested => nested.Property)
and rewrite the expression with the help of an expressionvisitor.