How to: Query Complex Types

This topic shows how to execute a query that returns entity type objects that contain a complex type property. For more information about complex types, see Complex Type Objects and How to: Create and Modify Complex Types.

To run the code in this example

1. Add the AdventureWorks Sales Model to your project and configure your project to use the Entity Framework. For more information, see How to: Use the Entity Data Model Wizard.

2. In the code page for your application, add the following using statements (Imports in Visual Basic):

   Imports System
   Imports System.Collections.Generic
   Imports System.Collections
   Imports System.Data.Common
   Imports System.Data
   Imports System.IO
   Imports System.Data.SqlClient
   Imports System.Data.EntityClient
   Imports System.Data.Metadata.Edm
   

   using System;
   using System.Collections.Generic;
   using System.Collections;
   using System.Data.Common;
   using System.Data;
   using System.IO;
   using System.Data.SqlClient;
   using System.Data.EntityClient;
   using System.Data.Metadata.Edm;
   

3. Double click the .edmx file to display the model in the Model Browser window of the Entity Designer.

4. On the Entity Designer surface, select the Email and Phone properties of the Contact entity type, then right-click and select Refactor into New Complex Type. A new complex type with the selected Email and Phone properties is added to the Model Browser.

5. Rename the new type to EmailPhone. Rename the property in the Contact entity type to EmailPhoneComplexType.

   For information about creating and modifying complex types by using the Entity Data Model Wizard, see How to: Refactor Existing Properties into a Complex Type Property (Entity Data Model Tools) andHow to: Create and Modify Complex Types.

Example

The following example executes a query that returns a collection of Contacts. The Contact type contains a complex type property, EmailPhoneComplexProperty, that consists of an EmailAddress property and a Phone property. The example outputs the ContactID property and the values of the EmailPhoneComplexType complex type.

Using context As New AdventureWorksEntities()
    Dim contacts = From contact In context.Contacts _
            Where contact.ContactID = 3 _
            Select contact

    For Each contact As Contact In contacts
        Console.WriteLine("Contact Id: " & contact.ContactID)
        Console.WriteLine("Contact's email: " & contact.EmailPhoneComplexProperty.EmailAddress)
        Console.WriteLine("Contact's phone#: " & contact.EmailPhoneComplexProperty.Phone)
    Next
End Using

using (AdventureWorksEntities context =
    new AdventureWorksEntities())
{
    var contacts =
        from contact in context.Contacts
        where contact.ContactID == 3
        select contact;

    foreach (Contact contact in contacts)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Contact Id: " + contact.ContactID);
        Console.WriteLine("Contact's email: " + contact.EmailPhoneComplexProperty.EmailAddress);
        Console.WriteLine("Contact's phone#: " + contact.EmailPhoneComplexProperty.Phone);
    }
}

See Also

Reference