Entity Framework: Unable to create a constant value of type 'System.Collections.Generic.IList`1'

Question

This has caused me no end of problems today. I have this simple query

var result =
    DataContext.Accommodations.Where(a => 
        (criteria.MinPrice == null || a.AccommodationRates.Any(r => r.From >= criteria.MinPrice)) &&
        (criteria.MaxPrice == null || a.AccommodationRates.Any(r => r.To <= criteria.MaxPrice)) &&
        (criteria.Locations == null || criteria.Locations.Count == 0 || a.AccommodationPlaceJoins.Any(j => criteria.Locations.Contains(j.Place.PlaceName)))
);

The last line of this query is causing me problems

(criteria.Locations == null ||
 criteria.Locations.Count == 0 ||
 a.AccommodationPlaceJoins.Any(j => criteria.Locations.Contains(j.Place.PlaceName)))

The error it gives is

Unable to create a constant value of type 'System.Collections.Generic.IList`1'. Only primitive types ('such as Int32, String, and Guid') are supported in this context.

I'm not even trying to create a list. All I'm trying to do here is bring back accommodations which are associated to a place (where the place name in the Place table which is linked to the Accommodation table via the AccommodationPlaceJoin table) is equal to any one of the place names in criteria.Locations (which is of type IList).

I've tried changing this line to this, but it didn't work.

(criteria.Locations == null ||
 criteria.Locations.Count == 0 ||
 a.AccommodationPlaceJoins.Any(j => criteria.Locations.Any(l => l == j.Place.PlaceName)))

Answer 1

The constant value EF can't create is null for the comparison criteria.Locations == null. You need to split the query into two cases and do the check for the empty list outside of the query, for example like so:

var result = DataContext.Accommodations.Where(a => 
    (criteria.MinPrice == null || 
        a.AccommodationRates.Any(r => r.From >= criteria.MinPrice)) &&
    (criteria.MaxPrice == null ||
        a.AccommodationRates.Any(r => r.To <= criteria.MaxPrice)));

if (criteria.Locations != null && criteria.Locations.Count > 0)
{
    result = result.Where(a => a.AccommodationPlaceJoins
        .Any(j => criteria.Locations.Contains(j.Place.PlaceName)));
}

Edit

BTW: Composing the whole query would make it better readable in my opinion and will simplify the SQL that has to be sent to the database:

IQueryable<Accommodation> result = DataContext.Accommodations;

if (criteria.MinPrice != null)
    result = result.Where(a => a.AccommodationRates
        .Any(r => r.From >= criteria.MinPrice));

if (criteria.MaxPrice != null)
    result = result.Where(a => a.AccommodationRates
        .Any(r => r.To <= criteria.MaxPrice));

if (criteria.Locations != null && criteria.Locations.Count > 0)
    result = result.Where(a => a.AccommodationPlaceJoins
        .Any(j => criteria.Locations.Contains(j.Place.PlaceName)));