EF Code First: To Initialize or Not to Initialize Navigation Properties?

EF Code First: Navigation Property Initialization – To Initialize or Not?

In Entity Framework Code First, a common question arises regarding the initialization of navigation properties within your POCO (Plain Old CLR Object) classes. Should you initialize them, or leave them as is? Let's explore the pros and cons.

Collections: A Matter of Style

For collection navigation properties (like ICollection<Address> in a User class), initialization is largely a matter of personal coding style. It doesn't inherently impact the application's business logic. However, some developers prefer lazy initialization to avoid potential NullReferenceException errors and unnecessary object creation.

Reference Properties: Avoid Initialization

Unlike collections, initializing reference navigation properties (e.g., License in a User class) is generally discouraged. Here's why:

• Meaningless Default Objects: Initialization often leads to the creation of empty objects that might have inherent meaning within the application's context.
• Overwrite Issues: EF will not overwrite these initialized properties during object materialization or lazy loading.
• Relationship Fixup Problems: Proper relationship fixup might not occur, resulting in unpopulated navigation properties.

EF Core Considerations

In EF Core, while relationship fixup isn't directly impacted by initialized reference properties in constructors, lazy loading will still not overwrite them. Furthermore, initializing these properties can interfere with the Include method and cause issues when seeding data using HasData.

Recommendation:

To avoid potential complications, it's best practice to not initialize reference navigation properties in your constructors. Collection initialization remains a matter of personal preference.

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