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CoreEntity

Namespace: RA.Utilities.Data.Entities

This is the root abstract class for all entities. It is meant to be inherited by other entities. This enforces a pattern where every entity in your system must be built upon this common foundation. CoreEntity: The name itself signifies its role. It is the "core" or the absolute minimum that any entity in your system must have.

Properties​

PropertyTypeDescription
IdGuidA virtual property for the entity's unique identifier.

Its Role in the Entity Hierarchy​

The CoreEntity class sits at the very top of your entity inheritance chain. Other, more specialized base classes build upon it. For example, your BaseEntity class inherits from CoreEntity to add timestamping properties:

public abstract class BaseEntity : CoreEntity
{
    public DateTime CreatedAt { get; set; }
    public DateTime? LastModifiedAt { get; set; }
}

This creates a clear and logical hierarchy:

    1. CoreEntity: Provides the Id.
    1. BaseEntity: Inherits Id and adds CreatedAt and LastModifiedAt.
    1. AuditableBaseEntity or SoftDeleteEntity: Inherit from BaseEntity and add even more specific functionality.

🧠 Summary of Purpose​

The CoreEntity class enforces a fundamental design principle in your data model:

  • Consistency: Every entity has a primary key with the same name (Id) and type (Guid).
  • Reusability: It eliminates the need to declare an Id property in every single entity class, adhering to the Don't Repeat Yourself (DRY) principle.
  • Architectural Foundation: It serves as the root of the entity hierarchy, providing a stable base upon which more complex entities can be built.

By starting with this simple, abstract class, you create a clean, predictable, and scalable data model for your entire application.