Working with joins in LINQ used to feel like writing a small novel. Between join into, DefaultIfEmpty(), and projection logic, left joins in C# weren’t always pretty — until now. .NET 10 introduces a sleek new way to handle left joins that looks and feels just right for modern developers.
Let’s explore the before vs after!
Key Benefits of .LeftJoin in .NET 10 (Made Simple)
Cleaner and easier to write — looks more like regular SQL joins, which makes it familiar.
More readable code — no need to use complicated join into and DefaultIfEmpty() tricks.
Handles nulls better — uses lambdas to work with data that might not be there safely.
Simpler result creation — you can easily use both items (like user and order) in the result.
Built into LINQ — works with lists, queries, and other collection types.
When Should You Use This?
- When you want SQL-like clarity in your LINQ joins.
- In modern .NET applications, clean, short, and easy-to-maintain code is the priority.
- Ideal for scenarios like joining users with their optional orders, products with optional tags, etc.
Conclusion
The new .LeftJoin() method in .NET 10 helps write LINQ left joins that are cleaner, shorter, and more maintainable. If you're building applications with relational data, this feature is a must-try to modernize and simplify your LINQ queries.
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