RA.Utilities.Data.Entities

Version 10.1.2

This release introduces the IEntity marker interface and makes CoreEntity<TKey> implement it, providing a lightweight common contract for entity types.

✨ New Features

• IEntity marker interface: Add a memberless interface that custom entities can implement without inheriting from a supplied base class.

📝 Improvements

• CoreEntity<TKey> implements IEntity: All entity types based on the supplied entity hierarchy now satisfy the marker interface automatically.
• Repository compatibility: The marker supports repository abstractions that accept any entity implementing IEntity, including custom entity hierarchies.

Version 10.1.0

This release introduces generic primary key support across all entity base classes, establishes a new WriteEntity<TKey> abstraction for mutable entities, and cleanly separates creation-only entities from mutable and auditable models.

⚠️ Breaking Changes

• Generic Primary Key (TKey): All entity base classes (CoreEntity<TKey>, BaseEntity<TKey>, WriteEntity<TKey>, AuditableBaseEntity<TKey>, SoftDeleteEntity<TKey>) are now generic over TKey instead of using a hardcoded Guid. Migration: Update all entity declarations to specify their primary key type, e.g. BaseEntity<Guid>.
• BaseEntity<TKey> Streamlined: LastModifiedAt has been removed from BaseEntity<TKey> to optimize it for append-only records. Migration: For mutable entities requiring modification tracking, inherit from WriteEntity<TKey>.
• Inheritance Hierarchy Realignment: AuditableBaseEntity<TKey> and SoftDeleteEntity<TKey> now inherit from WriteEntity<TKey> instead of BaseEntity.

✨ New Features

• WriteEntity<TKey> Base Class: Introduced a dedicated base class inheriting from CoreEntity<TKey> that provides both CreatedAt (DateTime) and LastModifiedAt (DateTime?) timestamps for entities that can be updated.
• Custom Key Types: Entities can now use any identifier type (e.g., Guid, int, long, string).

📝 Improvements

• Standardized XML Documentation: Comprehensive XML doc comments added and refined across all classes and properties, including <typeparam name="TKey"> documentation for improved IntelliSense guidance.

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Version 10.0.1

This release introduces a major architectural refactoring of the base entity classes to provide a more flexible and intuitive inheritance hierarchy.

✨ Key Features

• New CoreEntity Root Class:
  • A new abstract base class, CoreEntity, has been introduced as the root of the hierarchy. It provides a single virtual Id property of type Guid.

🚀 Getting Started (Updated)

To use the package, inherit from the base class that best fits your entity's needs.

Example: Basic Entity with Timestamps

public class Product : BaseEntity
{
    public string Name { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public decimal Price { get; set; }
}

This entity will automatically have Id, CreatedAt, and LastModifiedAt.

Version 10.0.0

Updated version from 10.0.0-rc.2 to 10.0.0, indicating the release candidate phase has ended and the package is now considered stable for production use.

Version 10.0.0-rc.2

This release of RA.Utilities.Data.Entities provides a set of core abstractions and base classes for data entities. It helps solve the problem of boilerplate and inconsistency in data models by providing common interfaces and base classes with standard properties.

✨ Key Features

• IEntity<T> Interface: A core abstraction that defines a contract for any entity with a typed identifier (Id).

• IAuditable Interface: Defines a contract for entities that need auditing fields, including CreatedDate and UpdatedDate.

• BaseEntity<T> Class: An abstract base class that provides a ready-to-use implementation of IEntity<T> and IAuditable. It includes:

  • A typed Id property.
  • CreatedDate (DateTime) and UpdatedDate (DateTime?) properties for auditing.

• BaseEntity Class: A non-generic convenience class that inherits from BaseEntity<Guid>, providing a Guid as the default primary key type.

• Reduced Boilerplate: By inheriting from these base classes, you can significantly reduce repetitive code in your data models.

🚀 Getting Started

To use the package, simply have your entity classes inherit from one of the provided base classes.

Example with a specific key type (int)

public class Product : BaseEntity<int>
{
    public string Name { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public decimal Price { get; set; }
}

Example with the default key type (Guid)

public class Order : BaseEntity
{
    public DateTime OrderDate { get; set; }
}