Question

So, i have this object for exemple:

public class User
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }

    public List<Car> Cars { get; set; }
    public List<User> Children { get; set; }
}

public class Car
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Color { get; set; }
}

So, there is a way to update a User object, updating it Children and Cars?
If there isn’t a car in the object to update that there is in the new object, add it, but if there is in the object to update and there isn’t in the new object, remove it from the object to update, and update all attributes for all cars that are matched, and also to the Childrenproperty.

Is it possible?

Answer 1

Yes! It’s possible, here the solution (this solution update all properties, class properties and collection properties, but if there is an class inside, the class needs to inherit of an AbstractEntity):

private void UpdateAllProperties<idType, entityType>(entityType currentEntity, entityType newEntity)
    where idType : IEquatable<idType>
    where entityType : AbstractEntity<idType>
{
    var currentEntityProperties = currentEntity.GetType().GetProperties();
    var newEntityProperties = newEntity.GetType().GetProperties();

    foreach (var currentEntityProperty in currentEntityProperties)
    {
        foreach (var newEntityProperty in newEntityProperties)
        {
            if (newEntityProperty.Name == currentEntityProperty.Name)
            {
                if (currentEntityProperty.PropertyType.BaseType.IsGenericType &&
                    currentEntityProperty.PropertyType.BaseType.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(AbstractEntity<>))
                {
                    var idPropertyType = currentEntityProperty.PropertyType.GetProperty("Id").PropertyType;
                    var entityPropertyType = currentEntityProperty.PropertyType;

                    this.InvokeUpdateAllProperties(currentEntityProperty.GetValue(currentEntity, null),
                                                    newEntityProperty.GetValue(newEntity, null),
                                                    idPropertyType, entityPropertyType);

                    break;
                }
                else if (currentEntityProperty.PropertyType.GetInterfaces().Any(
                            x => x.IsGenericType &&
                                    x.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(ICollection<>)))
                {
                    dynamic currentCollection = currentEntityProperty.GetValue(currentEntity, null);
                    dynamic newCollection = newEntityProperty.GetValue(newEntity, null);

                    this.UpdateCollectionItems(currentEntityProperty, currentCollection, newCollection);

                    dynamic itemsToRemove = Enumerable.ToList(Enumerable.Except(currentCollection, newCollection));
                    dynamic itemsToAdd = Enumerable.ToList(Enumerable.Except(newCollection, currentCollection));
                    dynamic itemsAreEqual = Enumerable.ToList(Enumerable.Intersect(currentCollection, newCollection));

                    for (int i = 0; i < itemsToRemove.Count; i++)
                    {
                        currentCollection.Remove(Enumerable.ElementAt(itemsToRemove, i));
                    }

                    for (int i = 0; i < itemsToAdd.Count; i++)
                    {
                        currentCollection.Add(Enumerable.ElementAt(itemsToAdd, i));
                    }

                    break;
                }
                else
                {
                    currentEntityProperty.SetValue(currentEntity, newEntityProperty.GetValue(newEntity, null), null);

                    break;
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

private void UpdateCollectionItems(PropertyInfo currentEntityProperty, dynamic currentCollection, dynamic newCollection)
{
    var collectionType = currentEntityProperty.PropertyType.GetInterfaces().Where(
                            x => x.IsGenericType &&
                                    x.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(ICollection<>)).First();

    var argumentType = collectionType.GetGenericArguments()[0];

    if (argumentType.BaseType.IsGenericType &&
        argumentType.BaseType.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(AbstractEntity<>))
    {
        foreach (var currentItem in currentCollection)
        {
            foreach (var newItem in newCollection)
            {
                if (currentItem.Equals(newItem))
                {
                    var idPropertyType = currentItem.GetType().GetProperty("Id").PropertyType;
                    var entityPropertyType = currentItem.GetType();

                    this.InvokeUpdateAllProperties(currentItem, newItem, idPropertyType, entityPropertyType);
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

private void InvokeUpdateAllProperties(dynamic currentEntity, dynamic newEntity, dynamic idPropertyType, dynamic entityPropertyType)
{
    var method = this.GetType().GetMethod("UpdateAllProperties", BindingFlags.Instance | BindingFlags.NonPublic);
    var genericMethod = method.MakeGenericMethod(idPropertyType, entityPropertyType);
    genericMethod.Invoke(this, new[] { currentEntity, newEntity });
}

An exemple of the usage:

The AbstractEntity:

public abstract class AbstractEntity<idType>
    where idType : IEquatable<idType>
{
    public idType Id { get; set; }
}

The exemple classes:

public class User : AbstractEntity<int>
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public List<Car> OtherCars { get; set; }
    public Car MainCar { get; set; }

    public bool Equals(Car other)
    {
        if (this.Id == other.Id)
        {
            return true;
        }
        else
        {
            return false;
        }
    }
}

public class Car : AbstractEntity<int>
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Color { get; set; }

    public bool Equals(Car other)
    {
        if (this.Id == other.Id)
        {
            return true;
        }
        else
        {
            return false;
        }
    }
}

Using the method:

User currentUser = new User()
{
    Id = 1,
    Name = "Vinicius",
    OtherCars = new List<Car>()
    {
        new Car()
        {
            Id = 2,
            Name = "Corsa II",
            Color = "Azul"
        },
        new Car()
        {
            Id = 3,
            Name = "Palio",
            Color = "Vermelho"
        },
        new Car()
        {
            Id = 4,
            Name = "Fusca",
            Color = "Azul"
        }
    },
    MainCar = new Car()
    {
        Id = 1,
        Name = "Corsa",
        Color = "Preto"
    }
};

User updatedUser = new User()
{
    Id = 1,
    Name = "Vinicius Ottoni",
    OtherCars = new List<Car>()
    {
        new Car()
        {
            Id = 5,
            Name = "Voyage",
            Color = "Azul"
        },
        new Car()
        {
            Id = 6,
            Name = "Voyage II",
            Color = "Vermelho"
        },
        new Car()
        {
            Id = 4,
            Name = "Fusca",
            Color = "Rosa"
        }
    },
    MainCar = new Car()
    {
        Id = 2,
        Name = "Voyage",
        Color = "Vinho"
    }
};

this.UpdateAllProperties<int, User>(currentUser, updatedUser);