In an OData 4 service on Web API, what is the proper way to call nested $expand from a .NET client? We are using the OData Client Generator. Back in the prior WCF Data Services with OData 3 service we could call .Expand("Customers/Orders")
. In Web API with OData 4 we can no longer do so and receive the following should you attempt .Expand("Customers/Orders")
:
The query specified in the URI is not valid. Found a path traversing multiple navigation >properties. Please rephrase the query such that each expand path contains only type >segments and navigation properties.
We are able to work around this by calling expand like so: .Expand("Customers($expand=Orders)")
. In non-nested $expand scenarios, I like the lambda support like so .Expand(d => d.Customers)
. Is there a proper way in .NET OData 4 client to call nested expands without the unfortunate magic string of .Expand("Customers($expand=Orders)")
? If not, is there a cleaner string pattern like "Customers/Orders" that would work? Thanks.
In OData v4, it is not valid to expand multi levels, such as what you mentioned in the question: .Expand("Customers/Orders"). I dont think the client will support such API. Here is what in the ABNF http://docs.oasis-open.org/odata/odata/v4.0/os/abnf/odata-abnf-construction-rules.txt:
expand = '$expand' EQ expandItem *( COMMA expandItem )
expandItem = STAR [ ref / OPEN levels CLOSE ]
/ expandPath
[ ref [ OPEN expandRefOption *( SEMI expandRefOption ) CLOSE ]
/ count [ OPEN expandCountOption *( SEMI expandCountOption ) CLOSE ]
/ OPEN expandOption *( SEMI expandOption ) CLOSE
]
expandPath = [ qualifiedEntityTypeName "/" ]
*( ( complexProperty / complexColProperty ) "/" [ qualifiedComplexTypeName "/" ] )
navigationProperty
[ "/" qualifiedEntityTypeName ]