RA.Utilities.Data.Entities 10.0.1

RA.Utilities.Data.Entities

This package provides a set of abstract base classes for data entities within the RA.Utilities ecosystem. It helps solve the problem of boilerplate and inconsistency in data models by providing a clear inheritance structure with standard properties like Id, CreatedAt, and LastModifiedAt.

The primary goal is to promote consistency and reduce repetitive code when creating data entities for use with an ORM like Entity Framework Core.

Getting started

You can install the package via the .NET CLI:

dotnet add package RA.Utilities.Data.Entities

Or through the NuGet Package Manager in Visual Studio.

✨ Features & Hierarchy

The package provides a clear inheritance hierarchy for your entities. You can choose the base class that best fits your needs.

1. CoreEntity

This is the root abstract class for all entities. It provides a single property.

2. BaseEntity

Inherits from CoreEntity and adds timestamp auditing fields. This is a great starting point for most entities.

3. SoftDeleteEntity

Inherits from BaseEntity and adds support for soft deletion. Instead of permanently deleting a record, you can mark it as deleted.

4. AuditableBaseEntity

Inherits from BaseEntity and adds properties to track which user created or modified the entity.

🚀 Usage Examples

To use the package, have your entity classes inherit from one of the provided base classes.

Example 1: Basic Entity,

For a simple entity that only needs an ID and timestamps, use BaseEntity.

using RA.Utilities.Data.Entities;

public class Product : BaseEntity
{
    public string Name { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string? Description { get; set; }
    public decimal Price { get; set; }
}

When you create an instance of this Product class, it will have the following properties:

• Id (int)
• CreatedDate (DateTime)
• UpdatedDate (DateTime?)
• Name (string)
• Description (string?)
• Price (decimal)

Example 2: Soft-Deletable and Auditable Entity

If you need an entity that supports both soft-deletion and user auditing, you can create a new base class that combines SoftDeleteEntity and AuditableBaseEntity features. First, define a combined base class:

This is a non-generic version that provides a Guid as the primary key type.

using RA.Utilities.Data.Entities;

/// <summary>
/// Represents an entity that supports both soft deletion and user auditing.
/// </summary>
public abstract class AuditableSoftDeleteEntity : AuditableBaseEntity
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets a value indicating whether the entity is marked as deleted.
    /// </summary>
    public bool IsDeleted { get; set; }
}

Then, inherit from your new base class:

public class Order : AuditableSoftDeleteEntity
{
    public DateTime OrderDate { get; set; }
    public decimal TotalAmount { get; set; }
    public Guid CustomerId { get; set; }
}

This Order entity now includes Id, CreatedAt, LastModifiedAt, CreatedBy, LastModifiedBy, and IsDeleted.

Using with Entity Framework Core

These base entities work seamlessly with EF Core. You can configure the properties in your DbContext.

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;

public class AppDbContext : DbContext
{
    public DbSet<Product> Products { get; set; }

    protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
    {
        modelBuilder.Entity<Product>(entity =>
        {
            entity.HasKey(e => e.Id);
            entity.Property(e => e.Name).IsRequired().HasMaxLength(100);
            entity.Property(e => e.Price).HasColumnType("decimal(18,2)");
        });
    }
}

Additional documentation

For more information on how this package fits into the larger RA.Utilities ecosystem, please see the main officiary documentation.

Feedback

If you have suggestions or find a bug, please open an issue in the RA.Utilities GitHub repository. Contributions are welcome!