Build an OR query expression progressively [duplicate]

Question

In LINQ one can build a LINQ query progressively as follows:

var context = new AdventureWorksDataContext();
// Step 1
var query = context.Customers.Where(d => d.CustomerType == "Individual");
// Step 2
query = query.Where(d => d.TerritoryID == 3);

The above query would yield an equivalent SQL statement with a WHERE clause comprising of two predicates combined together by an AND logical operator like the following:

SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE CustomerType = 'Individual' AND TerritoryID = 3

Can one build a LINQ query to yield an equivalent SQL statement, progressively, such that the resulting query has a WHERE clause with the predicates combined together by an OR logical operator as follows?

SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE CustomerType = 'Individual' OR TerritoryID = 3

Answer 1

You would need to construct the filters first, and then combine the filters into a single lambda that you can use as the composed query:

var filters = new List<Expression<Func<YourType, bool>>>();
filters.Add(d => d.TerritoryID == 3);
filters.Add(d => d.CustomerType == "Individual");
...

var lambda = AnyOf(filters.ToArray());
// this is: d => d.TerrotoryID == 3 || d.CustomerType == "Individual";

var data = src.Where(lambda);

Using:

static Expression<Func<T,bool>> AnyOf<T>(
          params Expression<Func<T,bool>>[] expressions)
{
    if (expressions == null || expressions.Length == 0) return x => false;
    if (expressions.Length == 1) return expressions[0];

    var body = expressions[0].Body;
    var param = expressions[0].Parameters.Single();
    for (int i = 1; i < expressions.Length; i++)
    {
        var expr = expressions[i];
        var swappedParam = new SwapVisitor(expr.Parameters.Single(), param)
                            .Visit(expr.Body);
        body = Expression.OrElse(body, swappedParam);
    }
    return Expression.Lambda<Func<T, bool>>(body, param);
}
class SwapVisitor : ExpressionVisitor
{
    private readonly Expression from, to;
    public SwapVisitor(Expression from, Expression to){
        this.from = from;
        this.to = to;
    }
    public override Expression Visit(Expression node)
    {
        return node == from ? to : base.Visit(node);
    }
}

Answer 2

if you want it in two steps, you can use union:

var context = new AdventureWorksDataContext();
// Step 1
var query = context.Customers.Where(d => d.CustomerType == "Individual");
// step2 
query = query.Union(context.Customers.Where(d => d.TerritoryID == 3));