BragiCodeExtensions

BragiCodeExtensions is a static helper class that provides extension methods and static functions to simplify building and manipulating DataTable objects in Bragi’s code components.

These utilities:

Reduce boilerplate when working with DataTable.
Maintain consistency in table creation, row insertion, and column definition.
Support common primitive and nullable types.

Quick Reference Table

Category	Method	Static/Extension	Returns
Create & Define Tables	`CreateDataTableFromEnumerable<T>`	Static	`DataTable`
	`CreateDataTableForClass<T>`	Static	`DataTable`
	`AddClassPropertiesToDataTable<T>`	Extension	`void`
Add Rows	`AddRow(this DataTable, object)`	Extension	`DataRow`
	`AddRow(this DataTable, DataRow)`	Extension	`DataRow`
	`AddRows(this DataTable, IEnumerable<object>)`	Extension	`IEnumerable<DataRow>`
	`AddRows(this DataTable, IEnumerable<DataRow>)`	Extension	`IEnumerable<DataRow>`
Define Columns	`AddColumn(this DataTable, string, Type)`	Extension	`DataColumn`
	`AddColumnWithLength(this DataTable, string, Type, int?)`	Extension	`DataColumn`

Supported Property Types

The following property types are supported when generating table schemas from classes or objects:

string
Numeric types (int, long, double, float, decimal, etc.) and their nullable forms
bool/bool?
DateTime/DateTime?
char/char?

1. Create and Define Tables from Classes

CreateDataTableFromEnumerable

Purpose:
Creates a DataTable populated with rows from a collection of class instances.

Signature:

public static DataTable CreateDataTableFromEnumerable<T>(
string tableName,
IEnumerable<T> dataToAdd)

Parameters:

tableName (string) — Name of the resulting table (may include schema prefix).
dataToAdd (IEnumerable<T>) — Collection of objects to populate the table.

Returns:
DataTable — New table containing rows mapped from the provided collection.

Throws:

ArgumentNullException — If tableName or dataToAdd is null.

Example:

var employees = new List<Employee>
{
new Employee { Id = 1, Name = "Alice", StartDate = DateTime.UtcNow },
new Employee { Id = 2, Name = "Bob", StartDate = DateTime.UtcNow }
};

DataTable dt = BragiCodeExtensions.CreateDataTableFromEnumerable("dbo.Employees", employees);

CreateDataTableForClass

Purpose:
Creates an empty DataTable for class type T, with columns defined from the class’s supported properties.

Signature:

public static DataTable CreateDataTableForClass<T>(
string schema,
string tableName)

Parameters:

schema (string) — Database schema name (e.g., "dbo").
tableName (string) — Name of the table.

Returns:
DataTable — An empty table with the correct column schema.

Throws:

ArgumentNullException — If schema or tableName is null.

Example:

DataTable dt = BragiCodeExtensions.CreateDataTableForClass<Employee>("dbo", "Employees");

AddClassPropertiesToDataTable

Purpose:
Adds columns to a DataTable for all supported public properties from class type T.

Signature:

public static void AddClassPropertiesToDataTable<T>(this DataTable dt)

Parameters:

dt (DataTable) — Target table.

Returns:
void

Throws:

ArgumentNullException — If dt is null.

Example:

myDataTable.AddClassPropertiesToDataTable<Employee>();

2. Add Rows

AddRow (from object properties)

Purpose:
Adds a row by mapping matching property values from an object to the DataTable columns.

Signature: public static DataRow AddRow(this DataTable dt, object o)

Parameters:

dt (DataTable) — Target table.
o (object) — Source object; property names must match columns.

Returns:
DataRow — The newly added row.

Throws:

ArgumentNullException — If dt or o is null.

Example:

dataTable.AddRow(new Employee { Id = 3, Name = "Charlie" });

AddRow (from DataRow)

Purpose:
Adds an existing DataRow to a DataTable.

Signature:

public static DataRow AddRow(this DataTable dt, DataRow row)

Parameters:

dt (DataTable) — Target table.
row (DataRow) — Existing row to add.

Returns:
DataRow

Throws:

ArgumentNullException — If dt or row is null.

Example: var newRow = otherTable.Rows; dataTable.AddRow(newRow);

AddRows (from objects)

Purpose:
Adds multiple rows from a collection of objects.

Signature:

public static IEnumerable<DataRow> AddRows(this DataTable dt, IEnumerable<object> objects)

Parameters:

dt (DataTable) — Target table.
objects (IEnumerable<object>) — Source objects.

Returns:
IEnumerable<DataRow> — The newly added rows.

Throws:

ArgumentNullException — If dt or objects is null.

Example:

dataTable.AddRows(myListOfEmployees);

AddRows (from DataRow collection)

Purpose:
Adds multiple existing DataRow instances to the DataTable.

Signature:

public static IEnumerable<DataRow> AddRows(this DataTable dt, IEnumerable<DataRow> rows)

Parameters:

dt (DataTable) — Target table.
rows (IEnumerable<DataRow>) — Rows to add.

Returns:
IEnumerable<DataRow>

Throws:

ArgumentNullException — If dt or rows is null.

Example:

dataTable.AddRows(otherTable.AsEnumerable());

3. Define Columns

AddColumn

Purpose:
Adds a column with a given name and data type.

Signature:

public static DataColumn AddColumn(this DataTable dt, string columnName, Type type)

Parameters:

dt (DataTable) — Target table.
columnName (string) — Column name.
type (Type) — Data type.

Returns:
DataColumn

Throws:

ArgumentNullException — If any argument is null.

Example:

dataTable.AddColumn("MyColumn", typeof(string));

AddColumnWithLength

Purpose:
Adds a column with an optional maximum string length.

Signature:

public static DataColumn AddColumnWithLength(
this DataTable dt,
string columnName,
Type type,
int? length)

Parameters:

dt (DataTable) — Target table.
columnName (string) — Column name.
type (Type) — Data type.
length (int?) — Maximum length (if applicable).

Returns:
DataColumn

Throws:

ArgumentNullException — If dt, columnName, or type is null.
ArgumentOutOfRangeException — If length is less than 1 when specified.

Example:

dataTable.AddColumnWithLength("MyText", typeof(string), 255);

09 March 2026