How can I create a dynamic Select on an IEnumerable<T> at runtime?
-
19-04-2021 - |
Question
Given that I have an IEnumerable<T>
, where T
is any object, how can I select a specific property from it, given that I know the name of the one of the property names at run time as a string?
For example:
var externalIEnumerable = DataPassedFromConsumingCode(); // `IEnumerable<T>`
string knownPropertyName = "Foo";
var fooSelect = externalIEnumerable.Select(...);
In essence, I'm obviously just doing externalIEnumerable.Select(x=> x.Foo);
, but I need to perform this Select
at runtime, when I don't have control over when it's initially created.
--
ANSWER: Based on AlanT's answer, here's what I actually did:
public Expression<Func<TItem, object>> SelectExpression<TItem>(string fieldName)
{
var param = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TItem), "item");
var field = Expression.Property(param, fieldName);
return Expression.Lambda<Func<TItem, object>>(field,
new ParameterExpression[] { param });
}
I kept it as an Expression, because calling Compile
caused the IQueryable to be Enumerated, which meant the database was hit unnecessarily. So, to use it, I just do the following:
string primaryKey = _map.GetPrimaryKeys(typeof(TOriginator)).Single();
var primaryKeyExpression = SelectExpression<TOriginator>(primaryKey);
var primaryKeyResults = query.Select(primaryKeyExpression).ToList();
Solution
It is possible to do this using an Expression
e.g.
private class Foo {
public string Bar { get; set; }
}
private IEnumerable<Foo> SomeFoos = new List<Foo>() {
new Foo{Bar = "Jan"},
new Foo{Bar = "Feb"},
new Foo{Bar = "Mar"},
new Foo{Bar = "Apr"},
};
[TestMethod]
public void GetDynamicProperty() {
var expr = SelectExpression<Foo, string>("Bar");
var propValues = SomeFoos.Select(expr);
Assert.IsTrue(new[] { "Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr" }.SequenceEqual(propValues));
}
public static Func<TItem, TField> SelectExpression<TItem, TField>(string fieldName) {
var param = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TItem), "item");
var field = Expression.Property(param, fieldName);
return Expression.Lambda<Func<TItem, TField>>(field, new ParameterExpression[] { param }).Compile();
}
hth,
Alan.
OTHER TIPS
The dynamic linq library allows you to specify predicates and projections on the fly and may fit your use case-
You can dynamically build an Expression<Func<T, U>>
.