Question

When using Entity Framework 4.1, are there alternatives to the naming conventions for Navigation Properties?

For example instead of doing this:

public virtual MyObject MyObject { get; set; }

To be

public virtual MyObject SomeOtherName { get; set; }

UPDATE:

When the [ForeignKey("OldStepId")] and [ForeignKey("NewStepId")] attribute is added, the generated SQL then becomes:

{SELECT 
`Extent1`.`CompletedId`, 
`Extent1`.`OldStepId`, 
`Extent1`.`NewStepId`, 
`Extent1`.`Name`, 
`Extent1`.`Step_StepId`, 
`Extent1`.`Step_StepId1` 
FROM `Completed` AS `Extent1`}

which, the last two columns do not exist.

Answer 1

You can use the Data Annotations or the Fluent API to do this

Attribute Way

public virtual Int32 MyObjectId{get;set;}
[ForeignKey("MyObjectId")]
public virtual MyObject SomeOtherName { get; set; }

Fluent Way

modelBuilder.Entity<Type>()
    .HasRequired(p => p.SomeOtherName)
    .WithMany(d => d.Type)
    .HasForeignKey(p => p.MyObjectId)

RESPONSE TO UPDATE

If you have a List in your MyOjbect class, then you need to mark that List as [InverseProperty("SomeOtherName")]. This might be why you are getting extra columns in your SQL. This keeps two-way relationships from being doubled up by telling the generator where the main column really is.