AutoMapper, a popular object-to-object mapping library in .NET, can automatically map properties between objects when their structure matches. However, when you need to convert a list of strings to a list of complex objects or vice versa, AutoMapper may not handle it out of the box because it involves custom logic. You can use AutoMapper's custom resolvers to achieve this.
Here's how you can map a list of strings to a list of complex objects using AutoMapper:
1. **Define Your DTOs and AutoMapper Configuration:**
First, create your DTOs and set up AutoMapper profiles. You may also need to configure AutoMapper to use custom resolvers.
```csharp
public class StringToComplexObjectProfile : Profile
{
public StringToComplexObjectProfile()
{
CreateMap<string, ComplexObject>()
.ConvertUsing<StringToComplexObjectConverter>();
CreateMap<List<string>, List<ComplexObject>>()
.ConvertUsing<StringListToComplexObjectListConverter>();
}
}
public class ComplexObject
{
public string Property1 { get; set; }
public int Property2 { get; set; }
}
public class StringToComplexObjectConverter : ITypeConverter<string, ComplexObject>
{
public ComplexObject Convert(string source, ComplexObject destination, ResolutionContext context)
{
// Implement the logic to convert a string to a ComplexObject
// Example: Split the string and assign values to ComplexObject properties
var parts = source.Split(',');
return new ComplexObject
{
Property1 = parts[0],
Property2 = int.Parse(parts[1])
};
}
}
public class StringListToComplexObjectListConverter : ITypeConverter<List<string>, List<ComplexObject>>
{
public List<ComplexObject> Convert(List<string> source, List<ComplexObject> destination, ResolutionContext context)
{
// Convert each string in the list to a ComplexObject
return source.Select(s => context.Mapper.Map<ComplexObject>(s)).ToList();
}
}
```
2. **Mapping with AutoMapper:**
Now, you can use AutoMapper to map a list of strings to a list of complex objects:
```csharp
var config = new MapperConfiguration(cfg => cfg.AddProfile<StringToComplexObjectProfile>());
var mapper = config.CreateMapper();
List<string> stringList = new List<string> { "A,1", "B,2", "C,3" };
List<ComplexObject> complexObjectList = mapper.Map<List<ComplexObject>>(stringList);
```
In this example, we've defined custom mapping logic for converting a string to a complex object and for converting a list of strings to a list of complex objects. When you use AutoMapper's `Map` method, it will apply the defined custom resolvers to perform the conversions. Adjust the conversion logic within the custom converters to fit your specific requirements.