What is wrong with this statement below

Question

What is wrong with this statment below? I get "; expected" when run it in LinqPad with language setting to "C# Statement".

from p in Products where p.UnitPrice > 50 select new {p.ProductID };

Now seem like if I assign it to any var; I don't get any error. But what I find confusing is the statement below works fine and give me results back although I don't assign it to any variable. Any ideas?

    from p in Products
let spanishOrders = p.OrderDetails.Where ( o=> o.Order.ShipCountry == "Spain")
where spanishOrders.Any()
group new
{
    p.ProductName,
    Orders = spanishOrders.Count(),
    spanishOrders
}
by p.Category.CategoryName

EDIT: It was my bad actually i couldn't run the second example without assigning it to a variable.

Answer 1

LINQ Query expressions are not legal statements in C#. You need to use the expression in a valid statement.

For example, you could use the expression as the right-hand side of an assignment statement:

var expensiveProductIds = from p in Products
                          where p.UnitPrice > 50 
                          select new { p.ProductID };

It does appears to me like you don't really understand what LINQ is all about. What did you expect your naked query expression to do?

EDIT: Take a look at Alex Moore's answer for how to get this to work in LINQPad.

By the way, here's a way to get the results of the query written to console if you still want to stick with the "C# Statement(s)" mode:

var expensiveProductIds = from p in Products
                          where p.UnitPrice > 50 
                          select new { p.ProductID };

expensiveProductIds.Dump();

Answer 2

If you are using "C# Expression" as the Language in the LinqPad language drop down, you have to drop the semi-colon because it's just an expression:

from p in Products where p.UnitPrice > 50 select new {p.ProductID }

If you are using "C# Statement(s)" as the language, you will have to write it out like regular C# code:

var x = (from p in Products where p.UnitPrice > 50 select new {p.ProductID });

LINQPad lets you test both ways, because some queries are easier when you get the statements out of the way.