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| 1 | +# Nested SelectExpr (Beta) |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +You can use `SelectExpr` inside another `SelectExpr` to explicitly control the DTO class generation for nested collections. This allows you to create reusable DTOs for nested entities instead of auto-generated DTOs in hash namespaces. |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +## Important Notes |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +### Beta Feature Warning |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +This feature is currently in **beta** (available since v0.6.2). While it works correctly, the API and behavior may change in future versions. Please report any issues on GitHub. |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +### .NET 9+ Recommended |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +This feature is **strongly recommended for .NET 9 or later**. In older .NET versions, type inference may fail for unknown reasons. See [GitHub Issue #211](https://github.com/your-org/linqraft/issues/211) for details. |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +If you must use this feature on older .NET versions: |
| 16 | +* Test thoroughly |
| 17 | +* Watch for type inference errors |
| 18 | +* Consider upgrading to .NET 9+ if possible |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +### Required: Empty Partial Class Declarations |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +To ensure DTOs are generated in the correct location, you **must** declare empty partial class definitions for all explicit DTO types: |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +```csharp |
| 25 | +public class MyService |
| 26 | +{ |
| 27 | + public void GetOrders(IQueryable<Order> query) |
| 28 | + { |
| 29 | + var result = query |
| 30 | + .SelectExpr<Order, OrderDto>(o => new |
| 31 | + { |
| 32 | + o.Id, |
| 33 | + Items = o.OrderItems.SelectExpr<OrderItem, OrderItemDto>(i => new |
| 34 | + { |
| 35 | + i.ProductName, |
| 36 | + }), |
| 37 | + }); |
| 38 | + } |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | + // Empty partial class definitions - REQUIRED |
| 41 | + internal partial class OrderDto; |
| 42 | + internal partial class OrderItemDto; |
| 43 | +} |
| 44 | +``` |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +**Why is this necessary?** |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +The source generator determines where to generate DTOs based on where the empty partial class is declared. Without these declarations: |
| 49 | +- The generator might place DTOs in the wrong namespace |
| 50 | +- DTO generation might fail |
| 51 | +- The generated code might not compile |
| 52 | + |
| 53 | +**Requirements:** |
| 54 | +1. Always declare empty partial class definitions for all explicit DTO types |
| 55 | +2. Place the partial class definitions in the same scope as the `SelectExpr` call |
| 56 | +3. Use the correct access modifier (`public`, `internal`, etc.) |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +## Basic Usage |
| 59 | + |
| 60 | +```csharp |
| 61 | +var result = query |
| 62 | + .SelectExpr<Order, OrderDto>(o => new |
| 63 | + { |
| 64 | + o.Id, |
| 65 | + o.CustomerName, |
| 66 | + // Using SelectExpr - ItemDto is generated in your namespace |
| 67 | + Items = o.OrderItems.SelectExpr<OrderItem, OrderItemDto>(i => new |
| 68 | + { |
| 69 | + i.ProductName, |
| 70 | + i.Quantity, |
| 71 | + }), |
| 72 | + }); |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +// Required partial class declarations |
| 75 | +internal partial class OrderDto; |
| 76 | +internal partial class OrderItemDto; |
| 77 | +``` |
| 78 | + |
| 79 | +**Generated DTOs:** |
| 80 | +```csharp |
| 81 | +namespace MyProject |
| 82 | +{ |
| 83 | + public partial class OrderDto |
| 84 | + { |
| 85 | + public required int Id { get; set; } |
| 86 | + public required string CustomerName { get; set; } |
| 87 | + public required IEnumerable<OrderItemDto> Items { get; set; } |
| 88 | + } |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | + // This DTO is directly accessible and reusable |
| 91 | + public partial class OrderItemDto |
| 92 | + { |
| 93 | + public required string ProductName { get; set; } |
| 94 | + public required int Quantity { get; set; } |
| 95 | + } |
| 96 | +} |
| 97 | +``` |
| 98 | + |
| 99 | +## Multiple Nesting Levels |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | +You can nest `SelectExpr` calls multiple levels deep: |
| 102 | + |
| 103 | +```csharp |
| 104 | +var result = query |
| 105 | + .SelectExpr<Entity, EntityDto>(x => new |
| 106 | + { |
| 107 | + x.Id, |
| 108 | + x.Name, |
| 109 | + Items = x.Items.SelectExpr<Item, ItemDto>(i => new |
| 110 | + { |
| 111 | + i.Id, |
| 112 | + i.Title, |
| 113 | + SubItems = i.SubItems.SelectExpr<SubItem, SubItemDto>(si => new |
| 114 | + { |
| 115 | + si.Id, |
| 116 | + si.Value, |
| 117 | + }), |
| 118 | + }), |
| 119 | + }) |
| 120 | + .ToList(); |
| 121 | + |
| 122 | +// Declare all DTO types |
| 123 | +internal partial class EntityDto; |
| 124 | +internal partial class ItemDto; |
| 125 | +internal partial class SubItemDto; |
| 126 | +``` |
| 127 | + |
| 128 | +## Mixing Select and SelectExpr |
| 129 | + |
| 130 | +You can mix regular `Select` and `SelectExpr` within the same query: |
| 131 | + |
| 132 | +```csharp |
| 133 | +var result = query |
| 134 | + .SelectExpr<Entity, EntityDto>(x => new |
| 135 | + { |
| 136 | + x.Id, |
| 137 | + // Reusable DTO - generated in your namespace |
| 138 | + Items = x.Items.SelectExpr<Item, ItemDto>(i => new |
| 139 | + { |
| 140 | + i.Id, |
| 141 | + // Auto-generated DTO in hash namespace |
| 142 | + SubItems = i.SubItems.Select(si => new { si.Value }), |
| 143 | + }), |
| 144 | + }); |
| 145 | + |
| 146 | +internal partial class EntityDto; |
| 147 | +internal partial class ItemDto; |
| 148 | +// No need to declare SubItemDto - it's auto-generated |
| 149 | +``` |
| 150 | + |
| 151 | +## Collection Types |
| 152 | + |
| 153 | +Nested `SelectExpr` works with various collection types: |
| 154 | + |
| 155 | +```csharp |
| 156 | +var result = query |
| 157 | + .SelectExpr<Entity, EntityDto>(x => new |
| 158 | + { |
| 159 | + // IEnumerable (default) |
| 160 | + ItemsEnumerable = x.Items.SelectExpr<Item, ItemDtoEnumerable>(i => new { i.Id }), |
| 161 | + |
| 162 | + // List |
| 163 | + ItemsList = x.Items.SelectExpr<Item, ItemDtoList>(i => new { i.Id }).ToList(), |
| 164 | + |
| 165 | + // Array |
| 166 | + ItemsArray = x.Items.SelectExpr<Item, ItemDtoArray>(i => new { i.Id }).ToArray(), |
| 167 | + }); |
| 168 | + |
| 169 | +internal partial class EntityDto; |
| 170 | +internal partial class ItemDtoEnumerable; |
| 171 | +internal partial class ItemDtoList; |
| 172 | +internal partial class ItemDtoArray; |
| 173 | +``` |
| 174 | + |
| 175 | +## When to Use Nested SelectExpr |
| 176 | + |
| 177 | +**Use nested `SelectExpr` when:** |
| 178 | +* You need to reuse nested DTOs across multiple queries |
| 179 | +* You want full control over nested DTO naming |
| 180 | +* You need to extend nested DTOs with partial classes |
| 181 | +* You want to reference nested DTOs in your API documentation |
| 182 | + |
| 183 | +**Use regular `Select` when:** |
| 184 | +* The nested DTO is used only once |
| 185 | +* You don't need to reference the nested DTO type |
| 186 | +* You prefer simpler, less verbose code |
| 187 | + |
| 188 | +## Comparison |
| 189 | + |
| 190 | +| Feature | Regular Select | Nested SelectExpr | |
| 191 | +|---------|---------------|-------------------| |
| 192 | +| DTO Location | `LinqraftGenerated_HASH` namespace | Your namespace | |
| 193 | +| Reusability | No | Yes | |
| 194 | +| Declaration Required | No | Yes (empty partial class) | |
| 195 | +| .NET Version | Any | .NET 9+ recommended | |
| 196 | + |
| 197 | +## See Also |
| 198 | + |
| 199 | +* [Usage Patterns](usage-patterns.md) - Overview of all SelectExpr patterns |
| 200 | +* [Nested DTO Naming](nested-dto-naming.md) - Configure nested DTO naming strategy |
| 201 | +* [Partial Classes](partial-classes.md) - Extend generated DTOs |
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