Define Foreign Key with Fluent API for entity with no navigation property

Question

I use Entity Framework Code First.

I have a class Post with an association to User:

public class User
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
}

public class Post 
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Text{ get; set; }
    public int UserId { get; set; }
    public virtual User User { get; set; }
}

The code above correctly generates primary key (Id) for User and foreign key (UserId) for Post due to Code First Conventions.

But what if I don't want to have navigation property (User) in Post class? Removing that

public virtual User User { get; set; }

results in foreign key not auto-generated for Post.

Can this be done with Fluent API?

Gert Arnold · Accepted Answer · 2014-07-02 11:10:54Z

3

You can establish the association from the other side:

public class User
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public ICollection<Post> Posts { get; set; }
}

If you don't want a Posts property either the answer is: no, you can't. The reason is that EF must be able to track the association in the object model in order to insert correct foreign key values when inserting Post objects.

Moreover, you wouldn't be able to associate Posts and Users in your code without at least one navigation property.

Addition

And I forgot to mention that, working code-first, EF looks at associations in the class model to create foreign keys in the database.

edited Jul 2, 2014 at 11:10

answered Jul 2, 2014 at 7:46

Gert Arnold

110k36 gold badges218 silver badges319 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

1 Comment

bairog Over a year ago

Thx. My superaim was exactly having no navigation properties. So now I know - it's impossible :)

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Define Foreign Key with Fluent API for entity with no navigation property

1 Answer 1

1 Comment

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

1 Answer 1

1 Comment

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related