How to Fix the Linq won't return List Issue in C#

Published: 01 April 2025
on channel: vlogize
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Resolve casting issues in LINQ by properly returning List ProfileVM in C-. Learn how to set up your queries to avoid InvalidCastExceptions.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/70029575/ asked by the user 'Bagoes Heikhal' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/13097756/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/70029699/ provided by the user 'Yong Shun' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/8017690/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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How to Fix the Linq won't return List Issue in C-

When working with C-, you might encounter issues where your LINQ queries do not return the expected results. A common problem developers face is when trying to cast the results of a LINQ query to a specific type, leading to errors like System.InvalidCastException. This guide will guide you through resolving this issue by properly structuring your LINQ queries to return a list of the desired type, specifically ProfileVM in this case.

Understanding the Problem

In your current implementation of the GetEmployees() method, you are trying to return an IEnumerable<ProfileVM>. However, the LINQ query that is defined does not return a type that is directly castable to ProfileVM. Instead, it returns an anonymous type, which causes a casting issue and results in an error when you attempt to return it.

Here’s a simplified view of your code that triggers the problem:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

The Solution

To resolve this issue, you need to modify your LINQ query so that it directly creates instances of ProfileVM instead of an anonymous type. Here’s how to do it properly:

Step 1: Modify Your LINQ Query

Change the LINQ select statement to create new instances of ProfileVM. Here is the correct implementation:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 2: Populate All Necessary Properties

When creating an instance of ProfileVM, make sure to populate all relevant fields so that your data transfer object is complete and ready for use in your business logic. Here’s an extended example including additional properties:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Benefits of the Solution

Type Safety: By directly creating ProfileVM objects, you avoid potential casting issues.

Cleaner Code: This approach keeps your code cleaner and makes it easier to understand.

Error Reduction: You reduce the likelihood of runtime errors due to incorrect types being returned.

Conclusion

By modifying your LINQ queries to return concrete types and properly populating your data models, you can effectively resolve the Linq won't return List error. This not only improves reliability but also enhances the clarity of your code. If you encounter similar issues in the future, remember to check if you are working with anonymous types instead of the expected types in your queries.

If you have any other questions or need further clarification on C- or LINQ, feel free to ask!


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