.NET Core 6 improvements in LINQ: An essential guide for 2023

Microsoft launched the .NET framework 3.5 in 2007, which offered a tremendous feature called 'Language Integrated Query'. This has completely changed the style of .NET development by shortening development time. LINQ simplifies functionality and allows developers to query database objects and collections using arrow functions using libraries such as Entity Framework Core.

The frequent improvements to LINQ enable great capabilities that were previously unimaginable. The same goes with the upcoming release of .NET 6 which comes with really interesting LINQ capabilities.

Before we get into details of .NET Core 6 LINQ updates, let’s look at the essentials of LINQ and .NET Core 6.

What is .NET Core 6?

The new .NET Core 6 is a free, open-source platform with extraordinary capabilities. These capabilities simplify bespoke software development and allow to create a variety of applications including websites, desktop apps, mobile apps, Microservices, APIs, gaming apps, cloud services, and even IoT-based ones. The framework supports cross-platform interoperability and is quick, lightweight, and flexible.

Planning to hire dedicated .NET Core developers?

What are the new features of .NET Core 6?

The .NET unification that began with .NET 5 is now complete with .NET 6, which can be used for a variety of platforms including web development and cloud application development, Desktop, IoT, and Mobile app development.

Let understand what is .NET core 6 and what new features are added by Microsoft.

Fig: .NET – a unified development platform

The ecosystem offers,

• Simplified development: The new language features in C# 10 enabled developers to write less code while creating websites. In addition, it made it easier to create smaller, quicker microservices and minimal APIs.
• Better performance: You will benefit from decreased computing expenses if you use cloud services because .NET 6 is a full-stack web framework.
• Ultimate productivity: With the help of updated git tooling, intelligent code editing, durable diagnostic and testing tools, and improved team collaboration, .NET 6 increases efficiency. Besides, Visual Studio 2022 provides fine support for hot reload.

Read More: What's New in .NET 7: A Quick Overview of Key Features and Updates

This is how .NET 6 works, how it is used, and how Microsoft built it. Next, we'll look at LINQ and how it is used, as well as how .NET Core 6 has improved LINQ.

What is LINQ? What is the purpose of LinQ?

The acronym for LINQ is ‘Language Integrated Query’. With fabulous integration capabilities, it helps to provide access to queries directly into the C# language.

How to use LINQ with .NET Core?

The following command adds the NuGet package for LINQ once the project has been successfully built with the necessary class libraries in .NET Core.

Adding LINQ NuGet package on .NET Core

The above screenshot is from Ubuntu OS. However, the command remains the same for the Windows OS as well.

The command to run in the CLI is

Add the dotnet package System. Linq.

When the installation of the package is finished, open the .csproj file and you'll find that an item package has been added.

Next, you need to add a reference to “System.Linq;” Namespace for the .cs file.

Now try to run the following code:

using. System;
using.System.Linq;
namespace CSharpSampleProjects
{
   Class Program
    {
   Static void Mai(string [] args)
  {
     Int[] arr={1,2,3};
    Var query = arr.Select()n => n*10;
    For each(var item in query)
    {
       Console,writeLine(item);
    }
               }
       }
}

Output

Looking for an eminent .NET development company ? Your search ends here!

How to use LinQ with ASP.NET?

Objects are responsible for connecting to data access components - called the Data Access Layer (DAL). Here we must consider three points:

• Not all data required in an application is stored in a single source. The source can be a relational database, some business object, an XML file, or a web service.
• The data accessed is not directly used but needs to be sorted, ordered, grouped, replaced, etc.
• Accessing an in-memory object is easier and less expensive than accessing data from a database or XML file.

LINQ will be fully integrated with the next release of Visual Studio (code-name: Orcas) and will include some very cool framework and tool support (including full IntelliSense and designer support).

The LINQ team published the CTP drop of LINQ recently, which works well with Visual Studio 2005 and enables you to start learning about it right away.

Upcoming improvements to LINQ in .NET Core 6

“Ordefault” value for default methods

The Enumerable.FirstOrDefault to a method returns a sequence's first element, or a default value if there are no items in the sequence. You can also override the default value for the SingleOrDefault and LastOrDefault methods.

List<int> list1 = new() { 1, 2, 3 };
int item1 = list1.FirstOrDefault(i => i == 4, -1);
Console.WriteLine(item1); // -1

List<string> list2 = new() { "Item1" };
string item2 = list2.SingleOrDefault(i => i == "Item2", "Not found");
Console.WriteLine(item2); // Not found
</string></int>

Read More: Cutting-edge Technologies for Custom Software Development in 2022

A new Chunk method

With the launch of the new Enumerable.chunk extension method in .NET Core 6, you are no longer required to implement the requirement to divide elements of the sequence into chunks.

<int><string>
IEnumerable<int> numbers = Enumerable.Range(1, 505);
IEnumerable<int[]> chunks = numbers.Chunk(100);

foreach (int[] chunk in chunks)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"{chunk.First()}...{chunk.Last()}");
}

//  Output:
//  1...100
//  101...200
//  201...300
//  301...400
//  401...500
//  501...505

</int[]></int></string></int>

New *By methods

Another crucial feature that gets added in .NET Core 6 is the new Enumerable.By* methods. It makes use of a 'key selector' and compares elements for further process.

Take a look at the new methods listed below.

• MaxBy
• MinBy
• DistinctBy
• IntersectBy
• ExceptBy
• UnionBy

<int><string><int><int[]>
List<product> products = new()
{
    new() { Name = "Product1", Price = 100 },
    new() { Name = "Product2", Price = 5 },
    new() { Name = "Product3", Price = 50 },
};

Product theCheapestProduct = products.MinBy(x => x.Price);
Product theMostExpensiveProduct = products.MaxBy(x => x.Price);
Console.WriteLine(theCheapestProduct);
// Output: Product { Name = Product2, Price = 5 }
Console.WriteLine(theMostExpensiveProduct);
// Output: Product { Name = Product1, Price = 100 }

record Product
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public decimal Price { get; set; }
}



</product></int[]></int></string></int>

Searching for the best custom software development company?

Three-way Zip method

The three-way zip method (Enumerable.Zip extension method) produces the tuple with the element from the two given sequences. Now, with .NET 6 developers can combine tuples from three sequences and send them to the extension method.

<int><string><int><int[]><product>

int[] numbers = { 1, 2, 3, 4, };
string[] months = { "Jan", "Feb", "Mar" };
string[] seasons = { "Winter", "Winter", "Spring" };

var test = numbers.Zip(months).Zip(seasons);

foreach ((int, string, string) zipped in numbers.Zip(months, seasons))
{
    Console.WriteLine($"{zipped.Item1} {zipped.Item2} {zipped.Item3}");
}
// Output:
// 1 Jan Winter
// 2 Feb Winter
// 3 Mar Spring


</product></int[]></int></string></int>

Index support in the ElementAt the method

The new unary to the prefix "hat" operator () is supported by the C# compiler thanks to the introduction of the Index struct in .NET Core 3.0. Now, in .NET 6, Enumerable.ElementAt method would be used to index “from the end” of the collection.

<int><string><int><int[]><product>
IEnumerable<int> numbers = new int[] { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 };
int last = numbers.ElementAt(^0);
Console.WriteLine(last); // 5IEnumerable<int> numbers = new int[] { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 };
int last = numbers.ElementAt(^0);
Console.WriteLine(last); // 5



</int></int></product></int[]></int></string></int>

The Range support in the “Take method”

In .NET Core 3.0, Range support for the struct was added. The function is used by the C# compiler to support the range operator "..". To support the range, .NET 6 makes use of a “Range struct” while code implementation.

<int><string><int><int[]><product><int><int>
IEnumerable<int> numbers = new int[] { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 };

IEnumerable<int> taken1 = numbers.Take(2..4);
foreach (int I in taken1)
    Console.WriteLine(i);
// Output:
// 3
// 4

IEnumerable<int> taken2 = numbers.Take(..3);
foreach (int i in taken2)
    Console.WriteLine(i);
// Output:
// 1
// 2
// 3

IEnumerable<int> taken3 = numbers.Take(3..);
foreach (int i in taken3)
    Console.WriteLine(i);
// Output:
// 4
// 5


</int></int></int></int></int></int></product></int[]></int></string></int>

Read More: What's New in .NET 7: A Quick Overview of Key Features and Updates

The .NET 6 Avoiding Enumeration with TryGetNonEnumeratedCount

The .NET 6 introduces a new Enumerable.TryGetNonEnumerated to the method. It tries to determine the number of elements in the sequence without forcing an enumeration. This method can be used with IQueryable while calling Enumerable.Count that you don't want to evaluate the entire query.

<int><string><int><int[]><product><int><int><int><int><int><int>
IEnumerable<int> numbers = GetNumbers();
TryGetNonEnumeratedCount(numbers);
// Output: Could not get a count of numbers without enumerating the sequence 

IEnumerable<int> enumeratedNumbers = numbers.ToList();

var test = enumeratedNumbers.ElementAt(-1);

TryGetNonEnumeratedCount(enumeratedNumbers);
// Output: Count: 5

void TryGetNonEnumeratedCount(IEnumerable<int> numbers)
{
    if (numbers.TryGetNonEnumeratedCount(out int count))
        Console.WriteLine($"Count: {count}");
    else
        Console.WriteLine("Could not get a count of numbers without enumerating the sequence");
}

IEnumerable<int> GetNumbers()
{
    yield return 1;
    yield return 2;
    yield return 3;
    yield return 4;
    yield return 5;
}



</int></int></int></int></int></int></int></int></int></int></product></int[]></int></string></int>

Conclusion

Every version of the .NET framework has included some incredible features and libraries. The same goes with .NET Core 6 as well. The continuous LINQ updates have greatly streamlined web development and enabled amazing potential. Not just that, but these .NET 6 community-driven features will assist developers in reducing code and enhancing code quality.

In this blog, we discussed the anticipated improvements to LINQ in the .NET Core 6, and how will it simplify the software development process.