Which LINQ syntax do you prefer? Fluent or Query Expression

Answer 1

Fluent syntax does seem more powerful indeed, it should also work better for organizing code into small reusable methods.

Answer 2

The fluent interface if there's just a where. If I need a select or orderby, I generally use the Query syntax.

Answer 3

I really like the Fluent syntax and I try to use it where I can, but in certain cases, for example where I use joins, I usually prefer the Query syntax, in those cases I find it easier to read, and I think some people are more familiar to Query (SQL-like) syntax, than lambdas.

Answer 4

While I do understand and like the fluent format , I've stuck to Query for the time being for readability reasons. People just being introduced to LINQ will find Query much more comfortable to read.

Answer 5

Whichever is shorter. For most of what I do lately, that's the fluent interface.

Answer 6

Each style has their pros and cons. Query syntax is nicer when it comes to joins and it has the useful let keyword that makes creating temporary variables inside a query easy.

Fluent syntax on the other hand has a lot more methods and operations that aren't exposed through the query syntax. Also since they are just extension methods you can write your own.

I have found that every time I start writing a LINQ statement using the query syntax I end up having to put it in parenthesis and fall back to using fluent LINQ extension methods. Query syntax just doesn't have enough features to use by itself.

Answer 7

I prefer to use the latter (sometimes called "query comprehension syntax") when I can write the whole expression that way.

var titlesQuery = from e in entries
                  where e.Approved
                  orderby e.Rating
                  select e.Titles;

var title = titlesQuery.FirstOrDefault();

As soon as I have to add (parentheses) and .MethodCalls(), I change.

When I use the former, I usually put one clause per line, like this:

var title = entries
 .Where (e => e.Approved)
 .OrderBy (e => e.Rating)
 .Select (e => e.Title)
 .FirstOrDefault();

I find that a little easier to read.

Answer 8

I prefer the query syntax as I came from traditional web programming using SQL. It is much easier for me to wrap my head around. However, it think I will start to utilize the .Where(lambda) as it is definitely much shorter.

Answer 9

I don't get the query syntax at all. There's just no reason for it in my mind. let can be acheived with .Select and anonymous types. I just think things look much more organized with the "punctuation" in there.

Answer 10

I've been using Linq for about 6 months now. When I first started using it I preferred the query syntax as it's very similar to T-SQL.

But, I'm gradually coming round to the former now, as it's easy to write reusable chunks of code as extension methods and just chain them together. Although I do find putting each clause on it's own line helps a lot with readability.

Answer 11

Neither is better: they serve different needs. Query syntax comes into its own when you want to leverage multiple range variables. This happens in three situations:

• When using the let keyword
• When you have multiple generators (from clauses)
• When doing joins

Here's an example (from the LINQPad samples):

string[] fullNames = { "Anne Williams", "John Fred Smith", "Sue Green" };

var query =
  from fullName in fullNames
  from name in fullName.Split()
  orderby fullName, name
  select name + " came from " + fullName;

Now compare this to the same thing in method syntax:

var query = fullNames
  .SelectMany (fName => fName.Split().Select (name => new { name, fName } ))
  .OrderBy (x => x.fName)
  .ThenBy  (x => x.name)
  .Select  (x => x.name + " came from " + x.fName);

Method syntax, on the other hand, exposes the full gamut of query operators and is more concise with simple queries. You can get the best of both worlds by mixing query and method syntax. This is often done in LINQ to SQL queries:

var query =
  from c in db.Customers
  let totalSpend = c.Purchases.Sum (p => p.Price)    // Method syntax here
  where totalSpend > 1000
  from p in c.Purchases
  select new { p.Description, totalSpend, c.Address.State };

Answer 12

I know this question is tagged with C#, but the Fluent syntax is painfully verbose with VB.NET.

Answer 13

The following site has useful LINQ syntax http://language-integrated-query.com/Linq_Syntax_Fundamentals.aspx