In this article describe the concept of code first approach in entity framework in c#. Here we give the simple example of code first approach in entity framework in c#.

The Microsoft Entity Framework is an Object Relational Mapping (ORM) tool that enables you to generate a data access layer from a database automatically. The Entity Framework enables you to avoid the tedious work of building your data access classes by hand. In Code First approach we avoid working with the Visual Designer of Entity Framework. We can say, the EDMX file is excluded from the solution. So now, we have complete control over the context class as well as the entity classes.

Code-First approach allows you to define model classes as per the Domain requirements via POCOs ("plain-old" CLR objects). Hence, you have complete control over the classes being written or Implemented. Code First Migrations allow you to create a new database or to update existing database based on your model classes by using Package Manager Console exist within Visual Studio 2013 or Visual Studio 2012.

Here we understand by the example of code first approach in entity framework and define the steps to add entity framework.

Step 1

Let’s create a console application as EFCodeFirstExample:

Open visual studio-> New-> Project-> Console Application.

Step 2

Install the Entity Framework:

Solution explorer -> Right Click -> Manage Nuget Packages…  or

Install by package manager console by following command: Install-Package EntityFramework -Version 6.1.0

I describe here graphical:

Step 3

You can search online search or get first entity framework. Here describe in the

screen shot.

 Step 4

In the last accept license acceptance of Entity framework

Step 4

Once done, you can see from the project references that the reference to

“EntityFramework” is added.

We can also add the namespace reference to Entity framework.

using System.Data.Entity;

Step 5

Let’s start with coding part. We will create 2 simple classes (POCO) to understand

the code first approach namely “Blog” and “Post”. 

Creating the Blog class in the following:

public class Blog
    {
        public int BlogID { get; set; }
        public string Name { get; set; }
        public virtual List<Post> Posts  { get; set; }
    }
 

Creating the Post class in the following:

public class Post
    {
        public int PostID { get; set; }
        public string Title { get; set; }
        public string Content { get; set; }
        public int BlogID { get; set; }
        public virtual Blog Blog { get; set; }
    }
 

Step 6

We have created the “BlogID” and “PostID” are both the primary keys in the respective table (the tables are created when the application is running).

Virtual properties (virtual List<Post> Posts and virtual Blog Blog) are marked for lazy loading, which means when we try to access them, entity framework will load the associated data. Those are called navigation properties, which means they will create foreign key constraints in the DB.

Here we create the class of Context as BloggerContext that is derived from the

DbContext class:

public class BloggerContext : DbContext
    {
        public BloggerContext()
            : base(nameOrConnectionString:"Data Source=MINDSTICK-2\\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=BloggerContext;Integrated Security=True;")
        {
        }
 
        public DbSet<Blog> Blogs { get; set; }
        public DbSet<Post> Posts { get; set; }
    }
 

Here we give the connection string in the BloggerContext class and give database

name which is not already exist in sql server. DbSet create table Blogs and Posts

tables.

Step 7

Here we create the main class for run the code which all the created:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Data.Entity;
 
namespace EFCodeFirstExample
{
    public class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            using (var db = new BloggerContext())
            {
                // Create and save a new Blog
                Console.WriteLine("Please enter blog name:");
                string blogName = Console.ReadLine();
 
                Blog blog = new Blog();
                blog.BlogID = 1;
                blog.Name = blogName;
                db.Blogs.Add(blog);
                db.SaveChanges();
 
 
                // List all available blogs in the DB
                Console.WriteLine("All blogs in the DB:");
                foreach (var item in db.Blogs.ToList())
                {
                    Console.WriteLine(item.Name);
                }
                Console.ReadLine();
            }
        }
    }
    public class Post
    {
        public int PostID { get; set; }
        public string Title { get; set; }
        public string Content { get; set; }
        public int BlogID { get; set; }
        public virtual Blog Blog { get; set; }
    }
    public class Blog
    {
        public int BlogID { get; set; }
        public string Name { get; set; }
        public virtual List<Post> Posts  { get; set; }
    }
    public class BloggerContext : DbContext
    {
        public BloggerContext()
            : base(nameOrConnectionString:"Data Source=.\\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=BloggerContext;Integrated Security=True;")
        {
        }
 
        public DbSet<Blog> Blogs { get; set; }
        public DbSet<Post> Posts { get; set; }
    }
} 

Run the application:

In this output ‘test1’ are first time added and ‘Entity Framework Blog’ second time run then added into database ‘BloggerContext’ in ‘Blogs’ table. The tables are created after run first time program. If you did not want to give the connection string then it will also create database as default EFCodeFirstExample. BloggerContext that means namespace.context_class_name.

Here we show the database in the sql server:

If the SQLServer does not installed then its create database visual studio LocalDb or

integrated sqlserver.

Step 8

If you any need to change table schema, then in such case, we need to change out

classes which in turn update our DB. To do this we have a feature in Entity

Framework called Code First Migrations, or Migrations.

Consider the following class:

public class Blog
    {
        public int BlogID { get; set; }
        public string Name { get; set; }
        public DateTime DateCreated { get; set; }
        public virtual List<Post> Posts  { get; set; }
    }
 

To update this change in our DB, we need to enable Code First Migrations for our

BloggerContext. Open the “Package Manager Console” from the solution and run

the command. Enable-Migrations

Step 9

This command will add 2 files in the project named “Configuration.cs” (This file

contains the settings that Migrations will use for migrating BloggerContext) and

“201405271226104_InitialCreate.cs” (it represents the changes that have already

been applied to the database).

And run the command in the package manager console for changing the

database: ‘Add-Migration AddDateCreated’ that create a file

‘201405271437404_AddDateCreated.cs’.

Step 10

Run the ‘Update-Database’ command in Package Manager Console. This

command will apply any pending migrations to the database. You can use the ‘–

Verbose’ switch when calling Update-Database to see the SQL that is being

executed

against the database.

Here the sql server database update show:

I hope in this article we will try to understand the code first approach in entity

framework using console application in c#.