Is there any way to compare strings in a C# LINQ expression similar to SQL's LIKE operator?
Suppose I have a string list. On this list I want to search a string. In SQL, I could write:
SELECT * FROM DischargePort WHERE PortName LIKE '%BALTIMORE%'
Instead of the above, query want a linq syntax.
using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
…
var regex = new Regex(sDischargePort, RegexOptions.IgnoreCase);
var sPortCode = Database.DischargePorts
.Where(p => regex.IsMatch(p.PortName))
.Single().PortCode;
My above LINQ syntax does not work. What have I got wrong?
Typically you use String.StartsWith/EndsWith/Contains. For example:
var portCode = Database.DischargePorts
.Where(p => p.PortName.Contains("BALTIMORE"))
.Single()
.PortCode;
I don't know if there's a way of doing proper regular expressions via LINQ to SQL though. (Note that it really does depend on which provider you're using - it would be fine in LINQ to Objects; it's a matter of whether the provider can convert the call into its native query format, e.g. SQL.)
EDIT: As BitKFu says, Single should be used when you expect exactly one result - when it's an error for that not to be the case. Options of SingleOrDefault, FirstOrDefault or First should be used depending on exactly what's expected.
Regex? no. But for that query you can just use:
string filter = "BALTIMORE";
(blah) .Where(row => row.PortName.Contains(filter)) (blah)
If you really want SQL LIKE, you can use System.Data.Linq.SqlClient.SqlMethods.Like(...), which LINQ-to-SQL maps to LIKE in SQL Server.
Well... sometimes it may be uncomfortable to use Contains, StartsWith or EndsWith especially when searching value determine LIKE statment e.g. passed 'value%' require from developer to use StartsWith function in expression. So I decided to write extension for IQueryable objects.
Usage
// numbers: 11-000-00, 00-111-00, 00-000-11
var data1 = parts.Like(p => p.Number, "%11%");
// result: 11-000-00, 00-111-00, 00-000-11
var data2 = parts.Like(p => p.Number, "11%");
// result: 11-000-00
var data3 = parts.Like(p => p.Number, "%11");
// result: 00-000-11
Code
public static class LinqEx
{
private static readonly MethodInfo ContainsMethod = typeof(string).GetMethod("Contains");
private static readonly MethodInfo StartsWithMethod = typeof(string).GetMethod("StartsWith", new[] { typeof(string) });
private static readonly MethodInfo EndsWithMethod = typeof(string).GetMethod("EndsWith", new[] { typeof(string) });
public static Expression<Func<TSource, bool>> LikeExpression<TSource, TMember>(Expression<Func<TSource, TMember>> property, string value)
{
var param = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TSource), "t");
var propertyInfo = GetPropertyInfo(property);
var member = Expression.Property(param, propertyInfo.Name);
var startWith = value.StartsWith("%");
var endsWith = value.EndsWith("%");
if (startWith)
value = value.Remove(0, 1);
if (endsWith)
value = value.Remove(value.Length - 1, 1);
var constant = Expression.Constant(value);
Expression exp;
if (endsWith && startWith)
{
exp = Expression.Call(member, ContainsMethod, constant);
}
else if (startWith)
{
exp = Expression.Call(member, EndsWithMethod, constant);
}
else if (endsWith)
{
exp = Expression.Call(member, StartsWithMethod, constant);
}
else
{
exp = Expression.Equal(member, constant);
}
return Expression.Lambda<Func<TSource, bool>>(exp, param);
}
public static IQueryable<TSource> Like<TSource, TMember>(this IQueryable<TSource> source, Expression<Func<TSource, TMember>> parameter, string value)
{
return source.Where(LikeExpression(parameter, value));
}
private static PropertyInfo GetPropertyInfo(Expression expression)
{
var lambda = expression as LambdaExpression;
if (lambda == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException("expression");
MemberExpression memberExpr = null;
switch (lambda.Body.NodeType)
{
case ExpressionType.Convert:
memberExpr = ((UnaryExpression)lambda.Body).Operand as MemberExpression;
break;
case ExpressionType.MemberAccess:
memberExpr = lambda.Body as MemberExpression;
break;
}
if (memberExpr == null)
throw new InvalidOperationException("Specified expression is invalid. Unable to determine property info from expression.");
var output = memberExpr.Member as PropertyInfo;
if (output == null)
throw new InvalidOperationException("Specified expression is invalid. Unable to determine property info from expression.");
return output;
}
}
In native LINQ you may use combination of Contains/StartsWith/EndsWith or RegExp.
In LINQ2SQL use method SqlMethods.Like()
from i in db.myTable
where SqlMethods.Like(i.field, "tra%ata")
select i
add Assembly: System.Data.Linq (in System.Data.Linq.dll) to use this feature.
As Jon Skeet and Marc Gravell already mentioned, you can simple take a contains condition. But in case of your like query, it's very dangerous to take a Single() statement, because that implies that you only find 1 result. In case of more results, you'll receive a nice exception :)
So I would prefer using FirstOrDefault() instead of Single():
var first = Database.DischargePorts.FirstOrDefault(p => p.PortName.Contains("BALTIMORE"));
var portcode = first != null ? first.PortCode : string.Empty;
A simple as this
string[] users = new string[] {"Paul","Steve","Annick","Yannick"};
var result = from u in users where u.Contains("nn") select u;
Result -> Annick,Yannick
Ideally you should use StartWith or EndWith.
Here is an example:
DataContext dc = new DCGeneral();
List<Person> lstPerson= dc.GetTable<Person>().StartWith(c=> c.strNombre).ToList();
return lstPerson;
You can call the single method with a predicate:
var portCode = Database.DischargePorts
.Single(p => p.PortName.Contains("BALTIMORE"))
.PortCode;
You can also use the EF function tested in .net5
public async Task<IEnumerable<District>> SearchDistrict(string query, int stateId)
{
return await _dbContext
.Districts
.Include(s => s.State)
.Where(s => s.StateId == stateId && EF.Functions.Like(s.Name, "$%{query}%"))
.AsNoTracking()
.ToListAsync();
}
.Where(e => e.Value.StartsWith("BALTIMORE"))
This works like "LIKE" of SQL...
List<Categories> categoriess;
private void Buscar()
{
try
{
categoriess = Contexto.Categories.ToList();
categoriess = categoriess.Where(n => n.CategoryID >= Convert.ToInt32(txtCatID.Text) && n.CategoryID <= Convert.ToInt32(txtCatID1.Text) && (n.CategoryName.Contains(txtCatName.Text)) ).ToList();
Like Extension Linq / SQL
LikeExtension Class
Tested in .NET 5
public static class LikeExtension {
private static string ColumnDataBase<TEntity, TKey>(IModel model, Expression<Func<TEntity, TKey>> predicate) where TEntity : class {
ITable table = model
.GetRelationalModel()
.Tables
.First(f => f
.EntityTypeMappings
.First()
.EntityType == model
.FindEntityType(predicate
.Parameters
.First()
.Type
));
string column = (predicate.Body as MemberExpression).Member.Name;
string columnDataBase = table.Columns.First(f => f.PropertyMappings.Count(f2 => f2.Property.Name == column) > 0).Name;
return columnDataBase;
}
public static IQueryable<TEntity> Like<TEntity, TKey>(this DbContext context, Expression<Func<TEntity, TKey>> predicate, string text) where TEntity : class {
string columnDataBase = ColumnDataBase(context.Model, predicate);
return context.Set<TEntity>().FromSqlRaw(context.Set<TEntity>().ToQueryString() + " WHERE [" + columnDataBase + "] LIKE {0}", text);
}
public static async Task<IEnumerable<TEntity>> LikeAsync<TEntity, TKey>(this DbContext context, Expression<Func<TEntity, TKey>> predicate, string text, CancellationToken cancellationToken) where TEntity : class {
string columnDataBase = ColumnDataBase(context.Model, predicate);
return await context.Set<TEntity>().FromSqlRaw(context.Set<TEntity>().ToQueryString() + " WHERE [" + columnDataBase + "] LIKE {0}", text).ToListAsync(cancellationToken);
}
public static async Task<IEnumerable<TEntity>> LikeAsync<TEntity, TKey>(this IQueryable<TEntity> query, Expression<Func<TEntity, TKey>> predicate, string text, CancellationToken cancellationToken) where TEntity : class {
DbSet<TEntity> entities = query as DbSet<TEntity>;
string columnDataBase = ColumnDataBase(entities.EntityType.Model, predicate);
return await entities.FromSqlRaw(query.ToQueryString() + " WHERE [" + columnDataBase + "] LIKE {0}", text).ToListAsync(cancellationToken);
}
public static IQueryable<TEntity> Like<TEntity, TKey>(this IQueryable<TEntity> query, Expression<Func<TEntity, TKey>> predicate, string text) where TEntity : class {
DbSet<TEntity> entities = query as DbSet<TEntity>;
string columnDataBase = ColumnDataBase(entities.EntityType.Model, predicate);
return entities.FromSqlRaw(query.ToQueryString() + " WHERE [" + columnDataBase + "] LIKE {0}", text);
}
}
Repository
public async Task<IEnumerable<TEntity>> LikeAsync<TKey>(Expression<Func<TEntity, TKey>> predicate, string text, CancellationToken cancellationToken) {
return await context.LikeAsync(predicate, text, cancellationToken);
}
public IQueryable<TEntity> Like<TKey>(Expression<Func<TEntity, TKey>> predicate, string text) {
return context.Like(predicate, text);
}
Use
IQueryable<CountryEntity> result = countryRepository
.Like(k => k.Name, "%Bra[sz]il%") /*Use Sync*/
.Where(w => w.DateRegister < DateTime.Now) /*Example*/
.Take(10); /*Example*/
Or
IEnumerable<CountryEntity> result = await countryRepository
.LikeAsync(k => k.Name, "%Bra[sz]il%", cancellationToken); /*Use Async*/
Or
IQueryable<CountryEntity> result = context.Countries
.Like(k => k.Name, "%Bra[sz]il%")
.Where(w => w.Name != null); /*Example*/
Or
List<CountryEntity> result2 = await context.Countries
.Like(k => k.Name, "%Bra[sz]il%")
.Where(w => w.Name != null) /*Example*/
.ToListAsync(); /*Use Async*/
Or
IEnumerable<CountryEntity> result3 = await context.Countries
.Where(w => w.Name != null)
.LikeAsync(k => k.Name, "%Bra[sz]il%", cancellationToken); /*Use Async*/
public static class StringEx
{
public static bool Contains(this String str, string[] Arr, StringComparison comp)
{
if (Arr != null)
{
foreach (string s in Arr)
{
if (str.IndexOf(s, comp)>=0)
{ return true; }
}
}
return false;
}
public static bool Contains(this String str,string[] Arr)
{
if (Arr != null)
{
foreach (string s in Arr)
{
if (str.Contains(s))
{ return true; }
}
}
return false;
}
}
var portCode = Database.DischargePorts
.Single(p => p.PortName.Contains( new string[] {"BALTIMORE"}, StringComparison.CurrentCultureIgnoreCase) ))
.PortCode;
Just add to string object extention methods.
public static class StringEx
{
public static bool Contains(this String str, string[] Arr, StringComparison comp)
{
if (Arr != null)
{
foreach (string s in Arr)
{
if (str.IndexOf(s, comp)>=0)
{ return true; }
}
}
return false;
}
public static bool Contains(this String str,string[] Arr)
{
if (Arr != null)
{
foreach (string s in Arr)
{
if (str.Contains(s))
{ return true; }
}
}
return false;
}
}
usage:
use namespase that contains this class;
var sPortCode = Database.DischargePorts
.Where(p => p.PortName.Contains(new string [] {"BALTIMORE"}, StringComparison.CurrentCultureIgnoreCase) )
.Single().PortCode;
#adobrzyc had this great custom LIKE function - I just wanted to share the IEnumerable version of it.
public static class LinqEx
{
private static readonly MethodInfo ContainsMethod = typeof(string).GetMethod("Contains");
private static readonly MethodInfo StartsWithMethod = typeof(string).GetMethod("StartsWith", new[] { typeof(string) });
private static readonly MethodInfo EndsWithMethod = typeof(string).GetMethod("EndsWith", new[] { typeof(string) });
private static Func<TSource, bool> LikeExpression<TSource, TMember>(Expression<Func<TSource, TMember>> property, string value)
{
var param = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TSource), "t");
var propertyInfo = GetPropertyInfo(property);
var member = Expression.Property(param, propertyInfo.Name);
var startWith = value.StartsWith("%");
var endsWith = value.EndsWith("%");
if (startWith)
value = value.Remove(0, 1);
if (endsWith)
value = value.Remove(value.Length - 1, 1);
var constant = Expression.Constant(value);
Expression exp;
if (endsWith && startWith)
{
exp = Expression.Call(member, ContainsMethod, constant);
}
else if (startWith)
{
exp = Expression.Call(member, EndsWithMethod, constant);
}
else if (endsWith)
{
exp = Expression.Call(member, StartsWithMethod, constant);
}
else
{
exp = Expression.Equal(member, constant);
}
return Expression.Lambda<Func<TSource, bool>>(exp, param).Compile();
}
public static IEnumerable<TSource> Like<TSource, TMember>(this IEnumerable<TSource> source, Expression<Func<TSource, TMember>> parameter, string value)
{
return source.Where(LikeExpression(parameter, value));
}
private static PropertyInfo GetPropertyInfo(Expression expression)
{
var lambda = expression as LambdaExpression;
if (lambda == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException("expression");
MemberExpression memberExpr = null;
switch (lambda.Body.NodeType)
{
case ExpressionType.Convert:
memberExpr = ((UnaryExpression)lambda.Body).Operand as MemberExpression;
break;
case ExpressionType.MemberAccess:
memberExpr = lambda.Body as MemberExpression;
break;
}
if (memberExpr == null)
throw new InvalidOperationException("Specified expression is invalid. Unable to determine property info from expression.");
var output = memberExpr.Member as PropertyInfo;
if (output == null)
throw new InvalidOperationException("Specified expression is invalid. Unable to determine property info from expression.");
return output;
}
}
Great custom LIKE function by #adobrzycdon't work for me in LINQPad.
Here version which work in LINQPad (tested on LINQPad 5 and LINQPad 6)
Code
void Main()
{
var users = from au in ApplicationUsers
select au;
users.Like(u => u.UserName, "Ada Byron").Dump();
users.Like(u => u.UserName, "%yro%").Dump();
users.Like(u => u.UserName, "% Byron").Dump();
users.Like(u => u.UserName, "Ada %").Dump();
users.Like(u => u.UserName, "%yro%").Like(u => u.UserName, "Ada %").Dump();
// => SQL =>
// DECLARE #p0 NVarChar(1000) = 'Ada %'
// DECLARE #p1 NVarChar(1000) = '%yro%'
// SELECT [t0].[UserName], ...
// FROM [ApplicationUsers] AS [t0]
// WHERE ([t0].[UserName] LIKE #p0) AND ([t0].[UserName] LIKE #p1)
}
// based on LinqEx by adobrzyc (https://stackoverflow.com/a/35636138/1351740)
public static class LinqExFork
{
private static readonly MethodInfo ContainsMethod = typeof(string).GetMethod("Contains", new[] { typeof(string) });
private static readonly MethodInfo StartsWithMethod = typeof(string).GetMethod("StartsWith", new[] { typeof(string) });
private static readonly MethodInfo EndsWithMethod = typeof(string).GetMethod("EndsWith", new[] { typeof(string) });
public static Expression<Func<TSource, bool>> LikeExpression<TSource, TMember>(Expression<Func<TSource, TMember>> property, string value)
{
var param = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TSource), "t");
var memberInfo = GetMemberInfo(property);
MemberExpression member;
if (memberInfo is PropertyInfo)
member = Expression.Property(param, memberInfo.Name);
else if (memberInfo is FieldInfo)
member = Expression.Field(param, memberInfo.Name);
else
throw new InvalidOperationException("Unable to determine propery or field info from expression.");
var startWith = value.StartsWith("%");
if (startWith)
value = value.Remove(0, 1);
var endsWith = value.EndsWith("%");
if (endsWith)
value = value.Remove(value.Length - 1, 1);
var constant = Expression.Constant(value);
Expression exp;
if (endsWith && startWith)
exp = Expression.Call(member, ContainsMethod, constant);
else if (startWith)
exp = Expression.Call(member, EndsWithMethod, constant);
else if (endsWith)
exp = Expression.Call(member, StartsWithMethod, constant);
else
exp = Expression.Equal(member, constant);
return Expression.Lambda<Func<TSource, bool>>(exp, param);
}
public static IQueryable<TSource> Like<TSource, TMember>(this IQueryable<TSource> source, Expression<Func<TSource, TMember>> parameter, string value)
{
return source.Where(LikeExpression(parameter, value));
}
private static MemberInfo GetMemberInfo(Expression expression)
{
var lambda = expression as LambdaExpression;
if (lambda == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException("expression");
MemberExpression memberExpr = null;
switch (lambda.Body.NodeType)
{
case ExpressionType.Convert:
memberExpr = ((UnaryExpression)lambda.Body).Operand as MemberExpression;
break;
case ExpressionType.MemberAccess:
memberExpr = lambda.Body as MemberExpression;
break;
}
if (memberExpr == null)
throw new InvalidOperationException("Specified expression is invalid. Unable to determine member info from expression.");
var output = memberExpr.Member as MemberInfo;
if (output == null)
throw new InvalidOperationException("Specified expression is invalid. Unable to determine member info from expression.");
return output;
}
}
Related
is there a short way,
I don't want to use "if state" for every situation
what do you think
Description : type of query is IQueryable
public class OrderFilter{
public string SearchValue { get => _searchValue.ToLower(); set => _searchValue = value; }
public string[] SearchColumns { get; set; }
}
if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(orderFilter.SearchValue))
if (orderFilter.SearchColumns.Contains("warehouse"))
query = query.Where(x => x.Warehouse.Description.Contains(orderFilter.SearchValue));
if (orderFilter.SearchColumns.Contains("date"))
query = query.Where(x => x.Date.Contains(orderFilter.SearchValue));
if (orderFilter.SearchColumns.Contains("warehouse") && orderFilter.SearchColumns.Contains("date"))
query = query.Where(x => x.OrderNo.Contains(orderFilter.SearchValue)
|| x.Warehouse.Description.Contains(orderFilter.SearchValue)
|| x.Client.Description.Contains(orderFilter.SearchValue)
|| x.Date.ToString().Contains(orderFilter.SearchValue)
|| x.Salesman.Username.Contains(orderFilter.SearchValue)
);
}
Access nested properties with dynamic lambda using Linq.Expression
found the answer I was looking for
public class LambdaHelper
{
public Expression<Func<TSource, bool>> MultiSearchOrder<TSource>(string[] columns, string value)
{
ParameterExpression parameter = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TSource), "x"); // x=> . ... demektir. parametre
MethodInfo containsMethod = typeof(String).GetMethod("Contains", new Type[] { typeof(String) });
Expression dynamiclambda = null;
MethodCallExpression call = null;
foreach (var propertyName in columns)
{
MemberExpression propertyAccess = NestedExpressionProperty(parameter, propertyName);
call = Expression.Call(propertyAccess, containsMethod, Expression.Constant(value));
if (null == dynamiclambda)
{
dynamiclambda = call;
}
else
{
dynamiclambda = Expression.Or(dynamiclambda, call);
}
}
Expression<Func<TSource, bool>> predicate = Expression.Lambda<Func<TSource, bool>>(dynamiclambda, parameter);
return predicate;
}
private MemberExpression NestedExpressionProperty(Expression expression, string propertyName)
{
string[] parts = propertyName.Split('.');
int partsL = parts.Length;
return (partsL > 1)
?
Expression.Property(
NestedExpressionProperty(
expression,
parts.Take(partsL - 1)
.Aggregate((a, i) => a + "." + i)
),
parts[partsL - 1])
:
Expression.Property(expression, propertyName);
}
I think you add one property (SearchKey) that property contains of all properties value that used for search in writing time and you using this property instead of OR for example :
savingTime: SearhKey="OrderNo.value Warehouse.Description.Value ...."
Searching Time:
if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(orderFilter.SearchValue))
{
query = query.Where(x =>
x.SearchKey.Contains(orderFilter.SearchValue) );
}
you can do an extension o OrderFilter and reuse it :
public static bool HasAny<TSource>(this OrderFilter filter, IEnumerable<TSource> source)
{
if(filter == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(filter));
if(filter.SearchColumns == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(filter.SearchColumns));
if(string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(filter.SearchValue))
throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(filter.SearchValue));
if(source == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(source));
var properties = typeof(TSource).GetProperties().Where(x=> filter.SearchColumns.Any(s=> s.IndexOf(x.Name, StringComparison.InvariantCultureIgnoreCase) > 0));
foreach(var item in source)
{
foreach(var property in properties)
{
var value = property.GetValue(item)?.ToString();
if(value?.Equals(filter.SearchValue , StringComparison.InvariantCultureIgnoreCase) == true)
{
return true;
}
}
}
return false;
}
now you can do this :
var isValueExists = orderFilter.HasAny(query);
This question already has answers here:
Dynamic LINQ OrderBy on IEnumerable<T> / IQueryable<T>
(24 answers)
Closed 2 years ago.
How do I specify the argument passed to orderby using a value I take as a parameter?
Ex:
List<Student> existingStudends = new List<Student>{ new Student {...}, new Student {...}}
Currently implementation:
List<Student> orderbyAddress = existingStudends.OrderBy(c => c.Address).ToList();
Instead of c.Address, how can I take that as a parameter?
Example
string param = "City";
List<Student> orderbyAddress = existingStudends.OrderByDescending(c => param).ToList();
You can use a little bit of reflection to construct the expression tree as follows (this is an extension method):
public static IQueryable<TEntity> OrderBy<TEntity>(this IQueryable<TEntity> source, string orderByProperty,
bool desc)
{
string command = desc ? "OrderByDescending" : "OrderBy";
var type = typeof(TEntity);
var property = type.GetProperty(orderByProperty);
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(type, "p");
var propertyAccess = Expression.MakeMemberAccess(parameter, property);
var orderByExpression = Expression.Lambda(propertyAccess, parameter);
var resultExpression = Expression.Call(typeof(Queryable), command, new Type[] { type, property.PropertyType },
source.Expression, Expression.Quote(orderByExpression));
return source.Provider.CreateQuery<TEntity>(resultExpression);
}
orderByProperty is the Property name you want to order by and if pass true as parameter for desc, will sort in descending order; otherwise, will sort in ascending order.
Now you should be able to do existingStudents.OrderBy("City",true); or existingStudents.OrderBy("City",false);
Here's a possiblity using reflection...
var param = "Address";
var propertyInfo = typeof(Student).GetProperty(param);
var orderByAddress = items.OrderBy(x => propertyInfo.GetValue(x, null));
To expand on the answer by #Icarus: if you want the return type of the extension method to be an IOrderedQueryable instead of an IQueryable, you can simply cast the result as follows:
public static IOrderedQueryable<TEntity> OrderBy<TEntity>(this IQueryable<TEntity> source, string orderByProperty, bool desc)
{
string command = desc ? "OrderByDescending" : "OrderBy";
var type = typeof(TEntity);
var property = type.GetProperty(orderByProperty);
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(type, "p");
var propertyAccess = Expression.MakeMemberAccess(parameter, property);
var orderByExpression = Expression.Lambda(propertyAccess, parameter);
var resultExpression = Expression.Call(typeof(Queryable), command, new Type[] { type, property.PropertyType },
source.Expression, Expression.Quote(orderByExpression));
return (IOrderedQueryable<TEntity>)source.Provider.CreateQuery<TEntity>(resultExpression);
}
1) Install System.Linq.Dynamic
2) Add the following code
public static class OrderUtils
{
public static string ToStringForOrdering<T, TKey>(this Expression<Func<T, TKey>> expression, bool isDesc = false)
{
var str = expression.Body.ToString();
var param = expression.Parameters.First().Name;
str = str.Replace("Convert(", "(").Replace(param + ".", "");
return str + (isDesc ? " descending" : "");
}
}
3) Write your switch for selecting of Lambda function
public static class SortHelper
{
public static Expression<Func<UserApp, object>> UserApp(string orderProperty)
{
orderProperty = orderProperty?.ToLowerInvariant();
switch (orderProperty)
{
case "firstname":
return x => x.PersonalInfo.FirstName;
case "lastname":
return x => x.PersonalInfo.LastName;
case "fullname":
return x => x.PersonalInfo.FirstName + x.PersonalInfo.LastName;
case "email":
return x => x.Email;
}
}
}
4) Use your helpers
Dbset.OrderBy(SortHelper.UserApp("firstname").ToStringForOrdering())
5) You can use it with pagging (PagedList)
public virtual IPagedList<T> GetPage<TOrder>(Page page, Expression<Func<T, bool>> where, Expression<Func<T, TOrder>> order, bool isDesc = false,
params Expression<Func<T, object>>[] includes)
{
var orderedQueryable = Dbset.OrderBy(order.ToStringForOrdering(isDesc));
var query = orderedQueryable.Where(where).GetPage(page);
query = AppendIncludes(query, includes);
var results = query.ToList();
var total = Dbset.Count(where);
return new StaticPagedList<T>(results, page.PageNumber, page.PageSize, total);
}
Explanation
System.Linq.Dynamic allows us to set string value in OrderBy method. But inside this extension the string will be parsed to Lambda. So I thought it would work if we will parse Lambda to string and give it to OrderBy method. And it works!
Here's something I came up with for dealing with a conditional Descending. You could combine this with other methods of generating the keySelector func dynamically.
public static IOrderedQueryable<TSource> OrderBy<TSource, TKey>(this IQueryable<TSource> source,
System.Linq.Expressions.Expression<Func<TSource, TKey>> keySelector,
System.ComponentModel.ListSortDirection sortOrder
)
{
if (sortOrder == System.ComponentModel.ListSortDirection.Ascending)
return source.OrderBy(keySelector);
else
return source.OrderByDescending(keySelector);
}
Usage:
//imagine this is some parameter
var direction = System.ComponentModel.ListSortDirection.Ascending;
query = query.OrderBy(ec => ec.MyColumnName, direction);
Notice this allows you to chain this .OrderBy extension with a new parameter onto any IQueryable.
// perhaps passed in as a request of user to change sort order
// var direction = System.ComponentModel.ListSortDirection.Ascending;
query = context.Orders
.Where(o => o.Status == OrderStatus.Paid)
.OrderBy(ec => ec.OrderPaidUtc, direction);
private Func<T, object> GetOrderByExpression<T>(string sortColumn)
{
Func<T, object> orderByExpr = null;
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(sortColumn))
{
Type sponsorResultType = typeof(T);
if (sponsorResultType.GetProperties().Any(prop => prop.Name == sortColumn))
{
System.Reflection.PropertyInfo pinfo = sponsorResultType.GetProperty(sortColumn);
orderByExpr = (data => pinfo.GetValue(data, null));
}
}
return orderByExpr;
}
public List<T> OrderByDir<T>(IEnumerable<T> source, string dir, Func<T, object> OrderByColumn)
{
return dir.ToUpper() == "ASC" ? source.OrderBy(OrderByColumn).ToList() : source.OrderByDescending(OrderByColumn).ToList();``
}
// Call the code like below
var orderByExpression= GetOrderByExpression<SearchResultsType>(sort);
var data = OrderByDir<SponsorSearchResults>(resultRecords, SortDirectionString, orderByExpression);
This doesn't let you pass a string, as you asked for in your question, but it might still work for you.
The OrderByDescending method takes a Func<TSource, TKey>, so you can rewrite your function this way:
List<Student> QueryStudents<TKey>(Func<Student, TKey> orderBy)
{
return existingStudents.OrderByDescending(orderBy).ToList();
}
There are other overloads for OrderByDescending as well that take a Expression<Func<TSource, TKey>>, and/or a IComparer<TKey>. You could also look into those and see if they provide you anything of use.
The only solution that worked for me was posted here https://gist.github.com/neoGeneva/1878868 by neoGeneva.
I will re-post his code because it works well and I wouldn't want it to be lost in the interwebs!
public static IQueryable<T> OrderBy<T>(this IQueryable<T> source, string sortExpression)
{
if (source == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException("source", "source is null.");
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(sortExpression))
throw new ArgumentException("sortExpression is null or empty.", "sortExpression");
var parts = sortExpression.Split(' ');
var isDescending = false;
var propertyName = "";
var tType = typeof(T);
if (parts.Length > 0 && parts[0] != "")
{
propertyName = parts[0];
if (parts.Length > 1)
{
isDescending = parts[1].ToLower().Contains("esc");
}
PropertyInfo prop = tType.GetProperty(propertyName);
if (prop == null)
{
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format("No property '{0}' on type '{1}'", propertyName, tType.Name));
}
var funcType = typeof(Func<,>)
.MakeGenericType(tType, prop.PropertyType);
var lambdaBuilder = typeof(Expression)
.GetMethods()
.First(x => x.Name == "Lambda" && x.ContainsGenericParameters && x.GetParameters().Length == 2)
.MakeGenericMethod(funcType);
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(tType);
var propExpress = Expression.Property(parameter, prop);
var sortLambda = lambdaBuilder
.Invoke(null, new object[] { propExpress, new ParameterExpression[] { parameter } });
var sorter = typeof(Queryable)
.GetMethods()
.FirstOrDefault(x => x.Name == (isDescending ? "OrderByDescending" : "OrderBy") && x.GetParameters().Length == 2)
.MakeGenericMethod(new[] { tType, prop.PropertyType });
return (IQueryable<T>)sorter
.Invoke(null, new object[] { source, sortLambda });
}
return source;
}
Add the nugget package Dynamite to your code
Add the namespace Dynamite.Extensions
Eg : using Dynamite.Extensions;
Give Order by query like any SQL query
Eg : students.OrderBy(" City DESC, Address").ToList();
To extend the response of #Icarus: if you want to sort by two fields I could perform the following function (for one field the response of Icarius works very well).
public static IQueryable<T> OrderByDynamic<T>(this IQueryable<T> q, string SortField1, string SortField2, bool Ascending)
{
var param = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T), "p");
var body = GetBodyExp(SortField1, SortField2, param);
var exp = Expression.Lambda(body, param);
string method = Ascending ? "OrderBy" : "OrderByDescending";
Type[] types = new Type[] { q.ElementType, exp.Body.Type };
var mce = Expression.Call(typeof(Queryable), method, types, q.Expression, exp);
return q.Provider.CreateQuery<T>(mce);
}
This is the function that the body returns for the lambda expression, it works with string and int, but it is enough to add more types to make it work according to the need of each programmer
public static NewExpression GetBodyExp(string field1, string field2, ParameterExpression Parametro)
{
// SE OBTIENE LOS NOMBRES DE LOS TIPOS DE VARIABLE
string TypeName1 = Expression.Property(Parametro, field1).Type.Name;
string TypeName2 = Expression.Property(Parametro, field2).Type.Name;
// SE DECLARA EL TIPO ANONIMO SEGUN LOS TIPOS DE VARIABLES
Type TypeAnonymous = null;
if (TypeName1 == "String")
{
string var1 = "0";
if (TypeName2 == "Int32")
{
int var2 = 0;
var example = new { var1, var2 };
TypeAnonymous = example.GetType();
}
if (TypeName2 == "String")
{
string var2 = "0";
var example = new { var1, var2 };
TypeAnonymous = example.GetType();
}
}
if (TypeName1 == "Int32")
{
int var1 = 0;
if (TypeName2 == "Int32")
{
string var2 = "0";
var example = new { var1, var2 };
TypeAnonymous = example.GetType();
}
if (TypeName2 == "String")
{
string var2 = "0";
var example = new { var1, var2 };
TypeAnonymous = example.GetType();
}
}
//se declaran los TIPOS NECESARIOS PARA GENERAR EL BODY DE LA EXPRESION LAMBDA
MemberExpression[] args = new[] { Expression.PropertyOrField(Parametro, field1), Expression.PropertyOrField(Parametro, field2) };
ConstructorInfo CInfo = TypeAnonymous.GetConstructors()[0];
IEnumerable<MemberInfo> a = TypeAnonymous.GetMembers().Where(m => m.MemberType == MemberTypes.Property);
//BODY
NewExpression body = Expression.New(CInfo, args, TypeAnonymous.GetMembers().Where(m => m.MemberType == MemberTypes.Property));
return body;
}
to use it the following is done
IQueryable<MyClass> IqMyClass= context.MyClass.AsQueryable();
List<MyClass> ListMyClass= IqMyClass.OrderByDynamic("UserName", "IdMyClass", true).ToList();
if there is a better way to do this, it would be great if they share it
I managed to solve it thanks to: How can I make a Multiple property lambda expression with Linq
New Answer : this is a more complete answer that supports multiple columns for order by like SQL. Example : .OrderBy("FirstName,Age DESC") :
namespace Utility;
public static class QueryExtension
{
public static IQueryable<TEntity> OrderBy<TEntity>(this IQueryable<TEntity> source, string orderByProperty, bool desc, bool isThenBy = false)
{
string command = isThenBy ? (desc ? "ThenByDescending" : "ThenBy") : (desc ? "OrderByDescending" : "OrderBy");
var type = typeof(TEntity);
var property = type.GetProperty(orderByProperty);
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(type, "p");
var propertyAccess = Expression.MakeMemberAccess(parameter, property);
var orderByExpression = Expression.Lambda(propertyAccess, parameter);
var resultExpression = Expression.Call(typeof(Queryable), command, new Type[] { type, property.PropertyType },
source.Expression, Expression.Quote(orderByExpression));
return source.Provider.CreateQuery<TEntity>(resultExpression);
}
public static IQueryable<TEntity> OrderBy<TEntity>(this IQueryable<TEntity> source, string sqlOrderByList)
{
var ordebyItems = sqlOrderByList.Trim().Split(',');
IQueryable<TEntity> result = source;
bool useThenBy = false;
foreach (var item in ordebyItems)
{
var splt = item.Trim().Split(' ');
result = result.OrderBy(splt[0].Trim(), (splt.Length > 1 && splt[1].Trim().ToLower() == "desc"), useThenBy);
if (useThenBy)
useThenBy = true;
}
return result;
}
}
The second function iterates over orderby columns and uses the first one.
Use it like this :
using Utility;
...
public void MyMethod()
{
var query = _dbContext.Person.AsQueryable();
query.OrderBy("FirstName,Age DESC");
}
I'm way late to the party but none of these solutions worked for me. I was eager to try System.Linq.Dynamic, but I couldn't find that on Nuget, maybe depreciated? Either way...
Here is a solutions I came up with. I needed to dynamically use a mixture of OrderBy, OrderByDescending and OrderBy > ThenBy.
I simply created an extension method for my list object, a bit hacky I know... I wouldn't recommend this if it were something I was doing a lot of, but it's good for a one off.
List<Employee> Employees = GetAllEmployees();
foreach(Employee oEmployee in Employees.ApplyDynamicSort(eEmployeeSort))
{
//do stuff
}
public static IOrderedEnumerable<Employee> ApplyDynamicSort(this List<Employee> lEmployees, Enums.EmployeeSort eEmployeeSort)
{
switch (eEmployeeSort)
{
case Enums.EmployeeSort.Name_ASC:
return lEmployees.OrderBy(x => x.Name);
case Enums.EmployeeSort.Name_DESC:
return lEmployees.OrderByDescending(x => x.Name);
case Enums.EmployeeSort.Department_ASC_Salary_DESC:
return lEmployees.OrderBy(x => x.Department).ThenByDescending(y => y.Salary);
default:
return lEmployees.OrderBy(x => x.Name);
}
}
This question already has answers here:
Dynamic LINQ OrderBy on IEnumerable<T> / IQueryable<T>
(24 answers)
Closed 2 years ago.
How do I specify the argument passed to orderby using a value I take as a parameter?
Ex:
List<Student> existingStudends = new List<Student>{ new Student {...}, new Student {...}}
Currently implementation:
List<Student> orderbyAddress = existingStudends.OrderBy(c => c.Address).ToList();
Instead of c.Address, how can I take that as a parameter?
Example
string param = "City";
List<Student> orderbyAddress = existingStudends.OrderByDescending(c => param).ToList();
You can use a little bit of reflection to construct the expression tree as follows (this is an extension method):
public static IQueryable<TEntity> OrderBy<TEntity>(this IQueryable<TEntity> source, string orderByProperty,
bool desc)
{
string command = desc ? "OrderByDescending" : "OrderBy";
var type = typeof(TEntity);
var property = type.GetProperty(orderByProperty);
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(type, "p");
var propertyAccess = Expression.MakeMemberAccess(parameter, property);
var orderByExpression = Expression.Lambda(propertyAccess, parameter);
var resultExpression = Expression.Call(typeof(Queryable), command, new Type[] { type, property.PropertyType },
source.Expression, Expression.Quote(orderByExpression));
return source.Provider.CreateQuery<TEntity>(resultExpression);
}
orderByProperty is the Property name you want to order by and if pass true as parameter for desc, will sort in descending order; otherwise, will sort in ascending order.
Now you should be able to do existingStudents.OrderBy("City",true); or existingStudents.OrderBy("City",false);
Here's a possiblity using reflection...
var param = "Address";
var propertyInfo = typeof(Student).GetProperty(param);
var orderByAddress = items.OrderBy(x => propertyInfo.GetValue(x, null));
To expand on the answer by #Icarus: if you want the return type of the extension method to be an IOrderedQueryable instead of an IQueryable, you can simply cast the result as follows:
public static IOrderedQueryable<TEntity> OrderBy<TEntity>(this IQueryable<TEntity> source, string orderByProperty, bool desc)
{
string command = desc ? "OrderByDescending" : "OrderBy";
var type = typeof(TEntity);
var property = type.GetProperty(orderByProperty);
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(type, "p");
var propertyAccess = Expression.MakeMemberAccess(parameter, property);
var orderByExpression = Expression.Lambda(propertyAccess, parameter);
var resultExpression = Expression.Call(typeof(Queryable), command, new Type[] { type, property.PropertyType },
source.Expression, Expression.Quote(orderByExpression));
return (IOrderedQueryable<TEntity>)source.Provider.CreateQuery<TEntity>(resultExpression);
}
1) Install System.Linq.Dynamic
2) Add the following code
public static class OrderUtils
{
public static string ToStringForOrdering<T, TKey>(this Expression<Func<T, TKey>> expression, bool isDesc = false)
{
var str = expression.Body.ToString();
var param = expression.Parameters.First().Name;
str = str.Replace("Convert(", "(").Replace(param + ".", "");
return str + (isDesc ? " descending" : "");
}
}
3) Write your switch for selecting of Lambda function
public static class SortHelper
{
public static Expression<Func<UserApp, object>> UserApp(string orderProperty)
{
orderProperty = orderProperty?.ToLowerInvariant();
switch (orderProperty)
{
case "firstname":
return x => x.PersonalInfo.FirstName;
case "lastname":
return x => x.PersonalInfo.LastName;
case "fullname":
return x => x.PersonalInfo.FirstName + x.PersonalInfo.LastName;
case "email":
return x => x.Email;
}
}
}
4) Use your helpers
Dbset.OrderBy(SortHelper.UserApp("firstname").ToStringForOrdering())
5) You can use it with pagging (PagedList)
public virtual IPagedList<T> GetPage<TOrder>(Page page, Expression<Func<T, bool>> where, Expression<Func<T, TOrder>> order, bool isDesc = false,
params Expression<Func<T, object>>[] includes)
{
var orderedQueryable = Dbset.OrderBy(order.ToStringForOrdering(isDesc));
var query = orderedQueryable.Where(where).GetPage(page);
query = AppendIncludes(query, includes);
var results = query.ToList();
var total = Dbset.Count(where);
return new StaticPagedList<T>(results, page.PageNumber, page.PageSize, total);
}
Explanation
System.Linq.Dynamic allows us to set string value in OrderBy method. But inside this extension the string will be parsed to Lambda. So I thought it would work if we will parse Lambda to string and give it to OrderBy method. And it works!
Here's something I came up with for dealing with a conditional Descending. You could combine this with other methods of generating the keySelector func dynamically.
public static IOrderedQueryable<TSource> OrderBy<TSource, TKey>(this IQueryable<TSource> source,
System.Linq.Expressions.Expression<Func<TSource, TKey>> keySelector,
System.ComponentModel.ListSortDirection sortOrder
)
{
if (sortOrder == System.ComponentModel.ListSortDirection.Ascending)
return source.OrderBy(keySelector);
else
return source.OrderByDescending(keySelector);
}
Usage:
//imagine this is some parameter
var direction = System.ComponentModel.ListSortDirection.Ascending;
query = query.OrderBy(ec => ec.MyColumnName, direction);
Notice this allows you to chain this .OrderBy extension with a new parameter onto any IQueryable.
// perhaps passed in as a request of user to change sort order
// var direction = System.ComponentModel.ListSortDirection.Ascending;
query = context.Orders
.Where(o => o.Status == OrderStatus.Paid)
.OrderBy(ec => ec.OrderPaidUtc, direction);
private Func<T, object> GetOrderByExpression<T>(string sortColumn)
{
Func<T, object> orderByExpr = null;
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(sortColumn))
{
Type sponsorResultType = typeof(T);
if (sponsorResultType.GetProperties().Any(prop => prop.Name == sortColumn))
{
System.Reflection.PropertyInfo pinfo = sponsorResultType.GetProperty(sortColumn);
orderByExpr = (data => pinfo.GetValue(data, null));
}
}
return orderByExpr;
}
public List<T> OrderByDir<T>(IEnumerable<T> source, string dir, Func<T, object> OrderByColumn)
{
return dir.ToUpper() == "ASC" ? source.OrderBy(OrderByColumn).ToList() : source.OrderByDescending(OrderByColumn).ToList();``
}
// Call the code like below
var orderByExpression= GetOrderByExpression<SearchResultsType>(sort);
var data = OrderByDir<SponsorSearchResults>(resultRecords, SortDirectionString, orderByExpression);
This doesn't let you pass a string, as you asked for in your question, but it might still work for you.
The OrderByDescending method takes a Func<TSource, TKey>, so you can rewrite your function this way:
List<Student> QueryStudents<TKey>(Func<Student, TKey> orderBy)
{
return existingStudents.OrderByDescending(orderBy).ToList();
}
There are other overloads for OrderByDescending as well that take a Expression<Func<TSource, TKey>>, and/or a IComparer<TKey>. You could also look into those and see if they provide you anything of use.
The only solution that worked for me was posted here https://gist.github.com/neoGeneva/1878868 by neoGeneva.
I will re-post his code because it works well and I wouldn't want it to be lost in the interwebs!
public static IQueryable<T> OrderBy<T>(this IQueryable<T> source, string sortExpression)
{
if (source == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException("source", "source is null.");
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(sortExpression))
throw new ArgumentException("sortExpression is null or empty.", "sortExpression");
var parts = sortExpression.Split(' ');
var isDescending = false;
var propertyName = "";
var tType = typeof(T);
if (parts.Length > 0 && parts[0] != "")
{
propertyName = parts[0];
if (parts.Length > 1)
{
isDescending = parts[1].ToLower().Contains("esc");
}
PropertyInfo prop = tType.GetProperty(propertyName);
if (prop == null)
{
throw new ArgumentException(string.Format("No property '{0}' on type '{1}'", propertyName, tType.Name));
}
var funcType = typeof(Func<,>)
.MakeGenericType(tType, prop.PropertyType);
var lambdaBuilder = typeof(Expression)
.GetMethods()
.First(x => x.Name == "Lambda" && x.ContainsGenericParameters && x.GetParameters().Length == 2)
.MakeGenericMethod(funcType);
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(tType);
var propExpress = Expression.Property(parameter, prop);
var sortLambda = lambdaBuilder
.Invoke(null, new object[] { propExpress, new ParameterExpression[] { parameter } });
var sorter = typeof(Queryable)
.GetMethods()
.FirstOrDefault(x => x.Name == (isDescending ? "OrderByDescending" : "OrderBy") && x.GetParameters().Length == 2)
.MakeGenericMethod(new[] { tType, prop.PropertyType });
return (IQueryable<T>)sorter
.Invoke(null, new object[] { source, sortLambda });
}
return source;
}
Add the nugget package Dynamite to your code
Add the namespace Dynamite.Extensions
Eg : using Dynamite.Extensions;
Give Order by query like any SQL query
Eg : students.OrderBy(" City DESC, Address").ToList();
To extend the response of #Icarus: if you want to sort by two fields I could perform the following function (for one field the response of Icarius works very well).
public static IQueryable<T> OrderByDynamic<T>(this IQueryable<T> q, string SortField1, string SortField2, bool Ascending)
{
var param = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T), "p");
var body = GetBodyExp(SortField1, SortField2, param);
var exp = Expression.Lambda(body, param);
string method = Ascending ? "OrderBy" : "OrderByDescending";
Type[] types = new Type[] { q.ElementType, exp.Body.Type };
var mce = Expression.Call(typeof(Queryable), method, types, q.Expression, exp);
return q.Provider.CreateQuery<T>(mce);
}
This is the function that the body returns for the lambda expression, it works with string and int, but it is enough to add more types to make it work according to the need of each programmer
public static NewExpression GetBodyExp(string field1, string field2, ParameterExpression Parametro)
{
// SE OBTIENE LOS NOMBRES DE LOS TIPOS DE VARIABLE
string TypeName1 = Expression.Property(Parametro, field1).Type.Name;
string TypeName2 = Expression.Property(Parametro, field2).Type.Name;
// SE DECLARA EL TIPO ANONIMO SEGUN LOS TIPOS DE VARIABLES
Type TypeAnonymous = null;
if (TypeName1 == "String")
{
string var1 = "0";
if (TypeName2 == "Int32")
{
int var2 = 0;
var example = new { var1, var2 };
TypeAnonymous = example.GetType();
}
if (TypeName2 == "String")
{
string var2 = "0";
var example = new { var1, var2 };
TypeAnonymous = example.GetType();
}
}
if (TypeName1 == "Int32")
{
int var1 = 0;
if (TypeName2 == "Int32")
{
string var2 = "0";
var example = new { var1, var2 };
TypeAnonymous = example.GetType();
}
if (TypeName2 == "String")
{
string var2 = "0";
var example = new { var1, var2 };
TypeAnonymous = example.GetType();
}
}
//se declaran los TIPOS NECESARIOS PARA GENERAR EL BODY DE LA EXPRESION LAMBDA
MemberExpression[] args = new[] { Expression.PropertyOrField(Parametro, field1), Expression.PropertyOrField(Parametro, field2) };
ConstructorInfo CInfo = TypeAnonymous.GetConstructors()[0];
IEnumerable<MemberInfo> a = TypeAnonymous.GetMembers().Where(m => m.MemberType == MemberTypes.Property);
//BODY
NewExpression body = Expression.New(CInfo, args, TypeAnonymous.GetMembers().Where(m => m.MemberType == MemberTypes.Property));
return body;
}
to use it the following is done
IQueryable<MyClass> IqMyClass= context.MyClass.AsQueryable();
List<MyClass> ListMyClass= IqMyClass.OrderByDynamic("UserName", "IdMyClass", true).ToList();
if there is a better way to do this, it would be great if they share it
I managed to solve it thanks to: How can I make a Multiple property lambda expression with Linq
New Answer : this is a more complete answer that supports multiple columns for order by like SQL. Example : .OrderBy("FirstName,Age DESC") :
namespace Utility;
public static class QueryExtension
{
public static IQueryable<TEntity> OrderBy<TEntity>(this IQueryable<TEntity> source, string orderByProperty, bool desc, bool isThenBy = false)
{
string command = isThenBy ? (desc ? "ThenByDescending" : "ThenBy") : (desc ? "OrderByDescending" : "OrderBy");
var type = typeof(TEntity);
var property = type.GetProperty(orderByProperty);
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(type, "p");
var propertyAccess = Expression.MakeMemberAccess(parameter, property);
var orderByExpression = Expression.Lambda(propertyAccess, parameter);
var resultExpression = Expression.Call(typeof(Queryable), command, new Type[] { type, property.PropertyType },
source.Expression, Expression.Quote(orderByExpression));
return source.Provider.CreateQuery<TEntity>(resultExpression);
}
public static IQueryable<TEntity> OrderBy<TEntity>(this IQueryable<TEntity> source, string sqlOrderByList)
{
var ordebyItems = sqlOrderByList.Trim().Split(',');
IQueryable<TEntity> result = source;
bool useThenBy = false;
foreach (var item in ordebyItems)
{
var splt = item.Trim().Split(' ');
result = result.OrderBy(splt[0].Trim(), (splt.Length > 1 && splt[1].Trim().ToLower() == "desc"), useThenBy);
if (useThenBy)
useThenBy = true;
}
return result;
}
}
The second function iterates over orderby columns and uses the first one.
Use it like this :
using Utility;
...
public void MyMethod()
{
var query = _dbContext.Person.AsQueryable();
query.OrderBy("FirstName,Age DESC");
}
I'm way late to the party but none of these solutions worked for me. I was eager to try System.Linq.Dynamic, but I couldn't find that on Nuget, maybe depreciated? Either way...
Here is a solutions I came up with. I needed to dynamically use a mixture of OrderBy, OrderByDescending and OrderBy > ThenBy.
I simply created an extension method for my list object, a bit hacky I know... I wouldn't recommend this if it were something I was doing a lot of, but it's good for a one off.
List<Employee> Employees = GetAllEmployees();
foreach(Employee oEmployee in Employees.ApplyDynamicSort(eEmployeeSort))
{
//do stuff
}
public static IOrderedEnumerable<Employee> ApplyDynamicSort(this List<Employee> lEmployees, Enums.EmployeeSort eEmployeeSort)
{
switch (eEmployeeSort)
{
case Enums.EmployeeSort.Name_ASC:
return lEmployees.OrderBy(x => x.Name);
case Enums.EmployeeSort.Name_DESC:
return lEmployees.OrderByDescending(x => x.Name);
case Enums.EmployeeSort.Department_ASC_Salary_DESC:
return lEmployees.OrderBy(x => x.Department).ThenByDescending(y => y.Salary);
default:
return lEmployees.OrderBy(x => x.Name);
}
}
I have this sql statement
SELECT userID from users WHERE
(name='name1' AND username='username1') OR
(name='name2' AND username='username2') OR
(name='name3' AND username='username3') OR
..........
(name='nameN' AND username='usernameN')
How can I implement this statement with entity framework using LINQ?
You can use a beautiful thing called PredicateBuilder. Use it like this
var pr = PredicateBuilder.False<User>();
foreach (var name in names)
{
pr = pr.Or(x => x.Name == name && x.Username == name);
}
return query.AsExpandable().Where(pr);
Expression<Func<User, bool>> whereExpression = null;
foreach (var name in names)
{
Expression<Func<User, bool>> e1 = u => u.Name == name;
Expression<Func<User, bool>> andExpression = e1.And(u => u.Username == name);
whereExpression = whereExpression == null
? andExpression
: whereExpression.Or(andExpression);
}
return query.Where(whereExpression);
This helper may help you.
public static class ExpressionExtensions
{
public static Expression<Func<T, bool>> And<T>(
this Expression<Func<T, bool>> leftExpression,
Expression<Func<T, bool>> rightExpression)
{
if (leftExpression == null) return rightExpression;
if (rightExpression == null) return leftExpression;
var paramExpr = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T));
var exprBody = Expression.And(leftExpression.Body, rightExpression.Body);
exprBody = (BinaryExpression)new ParameterReplacer(paramExpr)
.Visit(exprBody);
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(exprBody, paramExpr);
}
public static Expression<Func<T, bool>> Or<T>(
this Expression<Func<T, bool>> leftExpression,
Expression<Func<T, bool>> rightExpression)
{
if (leftExpression == null) return rightExpression;
if (rightExpression == null) return leftExpression;
var paramExpr = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T));
var exprBody = Expression.Or(leftExpression.Body, rightExpression.Body);
exprBody = (BinaryExpression)new ParameterReplacer(paramExpr)
.Visit(exprBody);
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(exprBody, paramExpr);
}
}
and:
class ParameterReplacer : ExpressionVisitor
{
private readonly ParameterExpression _parameter;
protected override Expression VisitParameter(ParameterExpression node)
{
return base.VisitParameter(_parameter);
}
internal ParameterReplacer(ParameterExpression parameter)
{
_parameter = parameter;
}
}
NOTE: this is modified from something I have so it might not work out of the box. But it would be a good starting point.
public static IQueryable<TEntity> Where<TEntity>(
this IQueryable<TEntity> source,
IEnumerable<WhereSpecifier> orClauses) where TEntity : class
{
if (!orClauses.Any()) return source.Where(t => false);
Type type = typeof (TEntity);
ParameterExpression parameter = null;
Expression predicate = Expression.Constant(false, typeof (bool));
ParameterExpression whereEnt = Expression.Parameter(type, "WhereEnt");
foreach (WhereSpecifier orClause in orClauses)
{
Expression selector;
if (orClause.Selector != null) {
selector = orClause.Selector;
parameter = orClause.Parameter;
}
else
{
parameter = whereEnt;
Type selectorResultType;
selector = GenerateSelector<TEntity>(parameter, orClause.Column,
out selectorResultType);
}
Expression clause = selector.CallMethod(orClause.Method,
MakeConstant(selector.Type, orClause.Value), orClause.Modifiers);
predicate = Expression.Or(predicate, clause);
}
var lambda = Expression.Lambda(predicate, whereEnt);
var resultExp = Expression.Call(typeof (Queryable), "Where", new[] {type},
source.Expression, Expression.Quote(lambda));
return source.Provider.CreateQuery<TEntity>(resultExp);
}
GenerateSelector:
public static Expression GenerateSelector<TEntity>(
ParameterExpression parameter, string propertyName,
out Type resultType) where TEntity : class
{
// create the selector part, but support child properties
PropertyInfo property;
Expression propertyAccess;
if (propertyName.Contains('.'))
{
// support to be sorted on child fields.
String[] childProperties = propertyName.Split('.');
property = typeof (TEntity).GetProperty(childProperties[0]);
propertyAccess = Expression.MakeMemberAccess(parameter, property);
for (int i = 1; i < childProperties.Length; i++)
{
property = property.PropertyType.GetProperty(childProperties[i]);
propertyAccess = Expression
.MakeMemberAccess(propertyAccess, property);
}
}
else
{
property = typeof (TEntity).GetProperty(propertyName);
propertyAccess = Expression.MakeMemberAccess(parameter, property);
}
resultType = property.PropertyType;
return propertyAccess;
}
WHereSpecifier:
public class WhereSpecifier
{
public WhereSpecifier(string column, CheckMethod method, string value,
CheckMethodModifiers modifiers)
{
Modifiers = modifiers;
Value = value;
Column = column;
Method = method;
}
public WhereSpecifier(string column, CheckMethod method, string value)
: this(column, method, value, CheckMethodModifiers.None)
{
}
public Expression Selector { get; set; }
public ParameterExpression Parameter { get; set; }
public string Column { get; set; }
public CheckMethod Method { get; set; }
public CheckMethodModifiers Modifiers { get; set; }
public string Value { get; set; }
}
Usage:
var column = typeof(TEntity).Name + "ID";
var where = from id in SelectedIds
select new WhereSpecifier(column, CheckMethod.Equal, id.ToString());
return GetTable().Where(where);
I tried #Egor Pavlikhin solution but i got "The LINQ expression node type 'Invoke' is not supported in LINQ to Entities.".
According to this you can use PredicateExtensions :
var predicate = PredicateExtensions.Begin<User>();
foreach (var name in names)
{
pr = pr.Or(x => x.Name == name);
}
return _context.Users.Where(predicate);
Don't forget that entity framework also understands entity sql, so you can do this part of the query in a string. Building a string up is pretty convenient when you have dynamic stuff you need to do.
I had to construct the predicate for the 'Where' clause dynamically based on User Interface selections. 'System.Dynamic.Linq' allows to predicates from strings.
foreach (var name in names)
{
query = query.Where("Name=#0 And UserName=#1", name, name);
}
return query;
'System.Dynamic.Linq' is available as a nuget package. Check out Scott Guthrie's introduction to the topic here.
i found this way it is too simple :
var query = context.InvoiceHeader.Where( i => i.DateInvoice >= model.datedu && i.DateInvoice <= model.dateau).AsQueryable();
if(model.name != null)
{
query = query.Where(i => i.InvoiceNum.Equals(model.name));
}
if (model.status != 0 )
{
query = query.Where(i => i.REF_InvoiceStatusRecId == model.status);
}
if (model.paiements != 0)
{
query = query.Where(i => i.REF_PaymentTermRecId == model.paiements);
}
query = query.AsQueryable().OrderByDescending(x => x.RecId);
Given a class structure like this:
public class GrandParent
{
public Parent Parent { get; set;}
}
public class Parent
{
public Child Child { get; set;}
}
public class Child
{
public string Name { get; set;}
}
and the following method signature:
Expression<Func<TOuter, TInner>> Combine (Expression<Func<TOuter, TMiddle>>> first, Expression<Func<TMiddle, TInner>> second);
How can I implement said method so that I can call it like this:
Expression<Func<GrandParent, Parent>>> myFirst = gp => gp.Parent;
Expression<Func<Parent, string>> mySecond = p => p.Child.Name;
Expression<Func<GrandParent, string>> output = Combine(myFirst, mySecond);
such that output ends up as:
gp => gp.Parent.Child.Name
Is this possible?
The contents of each Func will only ever be a MemberAccess. I'd rather not end up with output being a nested function call.
Thanks
OK; pretty long snippet, but here's a starter for an expression-rewriter; it doesn't handle a few cases yet (I'll fix it later), but it works for the example given and a lot of others:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Linq.Expressions;
using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
public class GrandParent
{
public Parent Parent { get; set; }
}
public class Parent
{
public Child Child { get; set; }
public string Method(string s) { return s + "abc"; }
}
public class Child
{
public string Name { get; set; }
}
public static class ExpressionUtils
{
public static Expression<Func<T1, T3>> Combine<T1, T2, T3>(
this Expression<Func<T1, T2>> outer, Expression<Func<T2, T3>> inner, bool inline)
{
var invoke = Expression.Invoke(inner, outer.Body);
Expression body = inline ? new ExpressionRewriter().AutoInline(invoke) : invoke;
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T1, T3>>(body, outer.Parameters);
}
}
public class ExpressionRewriter
{
internal Expression AutoInline(InvocationExpression expression)
{
isLocked = true;
if(expression == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("expression");
LambdaExpression lambda = (LambdaExpression)expression.Expression;
ExpressionRewriter childScope = new ExpressionRewriter(this);
var lambdaParams = lambda.Parameters;
var invokeArgs = expression.Arguments;
if (lambdaParams.Count != invokeArgs.Count) throw new InvalidOperationException("Lambda/invoke mismatch");
for(int i = 0 ; i < lambdaParams.Count; i++) {
childScope.Subst(lambdaParams[i], invokeArgs[i]);
}
return childScope.Apply(lambda.Body);
}
public ExpressionRewriter()
{
subst = new Dictionary<Expression, Expression>();
}
private ExpressionRewriter(ExpressionRewriter parent)
{
if (parent == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("parent");
subst = new Dictionary<Expression, Expression>(parent.subst);
inline = parent.inline;
}
private bool isLocked, inline;
private readonly Dictionary<Expression, Expression> subst;
private void CheckLocked() {
if(isLocked) throw new InvalidOperationException(
"You cannot alter the rewriter after Apply has been called");
}
public ExpressionRewriter Subst(Expression from,
Expression to)
{
CheckLocked();
subst.Add(from, to);
return this;
}
public ExpressionRewriter Inline() {
CheckLocked();
inline = true;
return this;
}
public Expression Apply(Expression expression)
{
isLocked = true;
return Walk(expression) ?? expression;
}
private static IEnumerable<Expression> CoalesceTerms(
IEnumerable<Expression> sourceWithNulls, IEnumerable<Expression> replacements)
{
if(sourceWithNulls != null && replacements != null) {
using(var left = sourceWithNulls.GetEnumerator())
using (var right = replacements.GetEnumerator())
{
while (left.MoveNext() && right.MoveNext())
{
yield return left.Current ?? right.Current;
}
}
}
}
private Expression[] Walk(IEnumerable<Expression> expressions) {
if(expressions == null) return null;
return expressions.Select(expr => Walk(expr)).ToArray();
}
private static bool HasValue(Expression[] expressions)
{
return expressions != null && expressions.Any(expr => expr != null);
}
// returns null if no need to rewrite that branch, otherwise
// returns a re-written branch
private Expression Walk(Expression expression)
{
if (expression == null) return null;
Expression tmp;
if (subst.TryGetValue(expression, out tmp)) return tmp;
switch(expression.NodeType) {
case ExpressionType.Constant:
case ExpressionType.Parameter:
{
return expression; // never a need to rewrite if not already matched
}
case ExpressionType.MemberAccess:
{
MemberExpression me = (MemberExpression)expression;
Expression target = Walk(me.Expression);
return target == null ? null : Expression.MakeMemberAccess(target, me.Member);
}
case ExpressionType.Add:
case ExpressionType.Divide:
case ExpressionType.Multiply:
case ExpressionType.Subtract:
case ExpressionType.AddChecked:
case ExpressionType.MultiplyChecked:
case ExpressionType.SubtractChecked:
case ExpressionType.And:
case ExpressionType.Or:
case ExpressionType.ExclusiveOr:
case ExpressionType.Equal:
case ExpressionType.NotEqual:
case ExpressionType.AndAlso:
case ExpressionType.OrElse:
case ExpressionType.Power:
case ExpressionType.Modulo:
case ExpressionType.GreaterThan:
case ExpressionType.GreaterThanOrEqual:
case ExpressionType.LessThan:
case ExpressionType.LessThanOrEqual:
case ExpressionType.LeftShift:
case ExpressionType.RightShift:
case ExpressionType.Coalesce:
case ExpressionType.ArrayIndex:
{
BinaryExpression binExp = (BinaryExpression)expression;
Expression left = Walk(binExp.Left), right = Walk(binExp.Right);
return (left == null && right == null) ? null : Expression.MakeBinary(
binExp.NodeType, left ?? binExp.Left, right ?? binExp.Right, binExp.IsLiftedToNull,
binExp.Method, binExp.Conversion);
}
case ExpressionType.Not:
case ExpressionType.UnaryPlus:
case ExpressionType.Negate:
case ExpressionType.NegateChecked:
case ExpressionType.Convert:
case ExpressionType.ConvertChecked:
case ExpressionType.TypeAs:
case ExpressionType.ArrayLength:
{
UnaryExpression unExp = (UnaryExpression)expression;
Expression operand = Walk(unExp.Operand);
return operand == null ? null : Expression.MakeUnary(unExp.NodeType, operand,
unExp.Type, unExp.Method);
}
case ExpressionType.Conditional:
{
ConditionalExpression ce = (ConditionalExpression)expression;
Expression test = Walk(ce.Test), ifTrue = Walk(ce.IfTrue), ifFalse = Walk(ce.IfFalse);
if (test == null && ifTrue == null && ifFalse == null) return null;
return Expression.Condition(test ?? ce.Test, ifTrue ?? ce.IfTrue, ifFalse ?? ce.IfFalse);
}
case ExpressionType.Call:
{
MethodCallExpression mce = (MethodCallExpression)expression;
Expression instance = Walk(mce.Object);
Expression[] args = Walk(mce.Arguments);
if (instance == null && !HasValue(args)) return null;
return Expression.Call(instance, mce.Method, CoalesceTerms(args, mce.Arguments));
}
case ExpressionType.TypeIs:
{
TypeBinaryExpression tbe = (TypeBinaryExpression)expression;
tmp = Walk(tbe.Expression);
return tmp == null ? null : Expression.TypeIs(tmp, tbe.TypeOperand);
}
case ExpressionType.New:
{
NewExpression ne = (NewExpression)expression;
Expression[] args = Walk(ne.Arguments);
if (HasValue(args)) return null;
return ne.Members == null ? Expression.New(ne.Constructor, CoalesceTerms(args, ne.Arguments))
: Expression.New(ne.Constructor, CoalesceTerms(args, ne.Arguments), ne.Members);
}
case ExpressionType.ListInit:
{
ListInitExpression lie = (ListInitExpression)expression;
NewExpression ctor = (NewExpression)Walk(lie.NewExpression);
var inits = lie.Initializers.Select(init => new
{
Original = init,
NewArgs = Walk(init.Arguments)
}).ToArray();
if (ctor == null && !inits.Any(init => HasValue(init.NewArgs))) return null;
ElementInit[] initArr = inits.Select(init => Expression.ElementInit(
init.Original.AddMethod, CoalesceTerms(init.NewArgs, init.Original.Arguments))).ToArray();
return Expression.ListInit(ctor ?? lie.NewExpression, initArr);
}
case ExpressionType.NewArrayBounds:
case ExpressionType.NewArrayInit:
/* not quite right... leave as not-implemented for now
{
NewArrayExpression nae = (NewArrayExpression)expression;
Expression[] expr = Walk(nae.Expressions);
if (!HasValue(expr)) return null;
return expression.NodeType == ExpressionType.NewArrayBounds
? Expression.NewArrayBounds(nae.Type, CoalesceTerms(expr, nae.Expressions))
: Expression.NewArrayInit(nae.Type, CoalesceTerms(expr, nae.Expressions));
}*/
case ExpressionType.Invoke:
case ExpressionType.Lambda:
case ExpressionType.MemberInit:
case ExpressionType.Quote:
throw new NotImplementedException("Not implemented: " + expression.NodeType);
default:
throw new NotSupportedException("Not supported: " + expression.NodeType);
}
}
}
static class Program
{
static void Main()
{
Expression<Func<GrandParent, Parent>> myFirst = gp => gp.Parent;
Expression<Func<Parent, string>> mySecond = p => p.Child.Name;
Expression<Func<GrandParent, string>> outputWithInline = myFirst.Combine(mySecond, false);
Expression<Func<GrandParent, string>> outputWithoutInline = myFirst.Combine(mySecond, true);
Expression<Func<GrandParent, string>> call =
ExpressionUtils.Combine<GrandParent, Parent, string>(
gp => gp.Parent, p => p.Method(p.Child.Name), true);
unchecked
{
Expression<Func<double, double>> mathUnchecked =
ExpressionUtils.Combine<double, double, double>(x => (x * x) + x, x => x - (x / x), true);
}
checked
{
Expression<Func<double, double>> mathChecked =
ExpressionUtils.Combine<double, double, double>(x => x - (x * x) , x => (x / x) + x, true);
}
Expression<Func<int,int>> bitwise =
ExpressionUtils.Combine<int, int, int>(x => (x & 0x01) | 0x03, x => x ^ 0xFF, true);
Expression<Func<int, bool>> logical =
ExpressionUtils.Combine<int, bool, bool>(x => x == 123, x => x != false, true);
Expression<Func<int[][], int>> arrayAccess =
ExpressionUtils.Combine<int[][], int[], int>(x => x[0], x => x[0], true);
Expression<Func<string, bool>> isTest =
ExpressionUtils.Combine<string,object,bool>(s=>s, s=> s is Regex, true);
Expression<Func<List<int>>> f = () => new List<int>(new int[] { 1, 1, 1 }.Length);
Expression<Func<string, Regex>> asTest =
ExpressionUtils.Combine<string, object, Regex>(s => s, s => s as Regex, true);
var initTest = ExpressionUtils.Combine<int, int[], List<int>>(i => new[] {i,i,i},
arr => new List<int>(arr.Length), true);
var anonAndListTest = ExpressionUtils.Combine<int, int, List<int>>(
i => new { age = i }.age, i => new List<int> {i, i}, true);
/*
var arrBoundsInit = ExpressionUtils.Combine<int, int[], int[]>(
i => new int[i], arr => new int[arr[0]] , true);
var arrInit = ExpressionUtils.Combine<int, int, int[]>(
i => i, i => new int[1] { i }, true);*/
}
}
I am assuming that your goal is to obtain the expression tree that you would have obtained, had you actually compiled the "combined" lambda. It's much easier to construct a new expression tree that simply invokes the given expression trees appropriately, but I assume that's not what you want.
extract the body of first, cast it to MemberExpression. Call this firstBody.
extract the body of second, call this secondBody
extract the parameter of first. Call this firstParam.
extract the parameter of second. Call this secondParam.
Now, the hard part. Write a visitor pattern implementation which searches through secondBody looking for the single usage of secondParam. (This will be much easier if you know that it's only member access expressions, but you can solve the problem in general.) When you find it, construct a new expression of the same type as its parent, substituting in firstBody for the parameter. Continue to rebuild the transformed tree on the way back out; remember, all you have to rebuild is the "spine" of the tree that contains the parameter reference.
the result of the visitor pass will be a rewritten secondBody with no occurrences of secondParam, only occurences of expressions involving firstParam.
construct a new lambda expression with that body as its body, and firstParam as its param.
and you're done!
Matt Warren's blog might be a good thing for you to read. He designed and implemented all this stuff and has written a lot about ways to rewrite expression trees effectively. (I only did the compiler end of things.)
UPDATE:
As this related answer points out, in .NET 4 there is now a base class for expression rewriters that makes this sort of thing a lot easier.
I'm not sure what you mean by it not being a nested function call, but this will do the trick - with an example:
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Linq.Expressions;
class Test
{
static Expression<Func<TOuter, TInner>> Combine<TOuter, TMiddle, TInner>
(Expression<Func<TOuter, TMiddle>> first,
Expression<Func<TMiddle, TInner>> second)
{
var parameter = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TOuter), "x");
var firstInvoke = Expression.Invoke(first, new[] { parameter });
var secondInvoke = Expression.Invoke(second, new[] { firstInvoke} );
return Expression.Lambda<Func<TOuter, TInner>>(secondInvoke, parameter);
}
static void Main()
{
Expression<Func<int, string>> first = x => (x + 1).ToString();
Expression<Func<string, StringReader>> second = y => new StringReader(y);
Expression<Func<int, StringReader>> output = Combine(first, second);
Func<int, StringReader> compiled = output.Compile();
var reader = compiled(10);
Console.WriteLine(reader.ReadToEnd());
}
}
I don't know how efficient the generated code will be compared with a single lambda expression, but I suspect it won't be too bad.
For a complete solution have a look at LINQKit:
Expression<Func<GrandParent, string>> output = gp => mySecond.Invoke(myFirst.Invoke(gp));
output = output.Expand().Expand();
output.ToString() prints out
gp => gp.Parent.Child.Name
whereas Jon Skeet's solution yields
x => Invoke(p => p.Child.Name,Invoke(gp => gp.Parent,x))
I guess that's what you're referring to as 'nested function calls'.
Try this:
public static Expression<Func<TOuter, TInner>> Combine<TOuter, TMiddle, TInner>(
Expression<Func<TOuter, TMiddle>> first,
Expression<Func<TMiddle, TInner>> second)
{
return x => second.Compile()(first.Compile()(x));
}
and the usage:
Expression<Func<GrandParent, Parent>> myFirst = gp => gp.Parent;
Expression<Func<Parent, string>> mySecond = p => p.Child.Name;
Expression<Func<GrandParent, string>> output = Combine(myFirst, mySecond);
var grandParent = new GrandParent
{
Parent = new Parent
{
Child = new Child
{
Name = "child name"
}
}
};
var childName = output.Compile()(grandParent);
Console.WriteLine(childName); // prints "child name"
public static Expression<Func<T, TResult>> And<T, TResult>(this Expression<Func<T, TResult>> expr1, Expression<Func<T, TResult>> expr2)
{
var invokedExpr = Expression.Invoke(expr2, expr1.Parameters.Cast<Expression>());
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, TResult>>(Expression.AndAlso(expr1.Body, invokedExpr), expr1.Parameters);
}
public static Expression<Func<T, bool>> Or<T>(this Expression<Func<T, bool>> expr1, Expression<Func<T, bool>> expr2)
{
var invokedExpr = Expression.Invoke(expr2, expr1.Parameters.Cast<Expression>());
return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(Expression.OrElse(expr1.Body, invokedExpr), expr1.Parameters);
}
After a half-day's digging came up with the following solution (much simpler than the accepted answer):
For generic lambda composition:
public static Expression<Func<X, Z>> Compose<X, Y, Z>(Expression<Func<Y, Z>> f, Expression<Func<X, Y>> g)
{
return Expression.Lambda<Func<X, Z>>(Expression.Invoke(f, Expression.Invoke(g, g.Parameters[0])), g.Parameters);
}
This combines two expressions in one, i.e. applies the first expression to the result of the second.
So if we have f(y) and g(x), combine(f,g)(x) === f(g(x))
Transitive and associative, so the combinator can be chained
More specifically, for property access (needed for MVC/EF):
public static Expression<Func<X, Z>> Property<X, Y, Z>(Expression<Func<X, Y>> fObj, Expression<Func<Y, Z>> fProp)
{
return Expression.Lambda<Func<X, Z>>(Expression.Property(fObj.Body, (fProp.Body as MemberExpression).Member as PropertyInfo), fObj.Parameters);
}
Note: fProp must be a simple property access expression, such as x => x.Prop.
fObj can be any expression (but must be MVC-compatible)
With a toolkit called Layer Over LINQ, there's an extension method that does exactly this, combines two expressions to create a new one suitable for use in LINQ to Entities.
Expression<Func<GrandParent, Parent>>> myFirst = gp => gp.Parent;
Expression<Func<Parent, string>> mySecond = p => p.Child.Name;
Expression<Func<GrandParent, string>> output = myFirst.Chain(mySecond);