Automapper with Child List Property Mapping Issue

Question

I am having following Models

Models

public class Dish
{
    [Required]
    public Int64 ID { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public string Name { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public string Description { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public double Price { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public DateTime From { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public DateTime To { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public bool IsAvailable { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public string MealImage { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public List<Ingredients> Ingredients { get; set; }
}


public class Ingredients
{
    [Required]
    public Int64 ID { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public string Name { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public int Quantity { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public Int64 Dish_ID { get; set; }
    [ForeignKey("Dish_ID")]
    public virtual Dish Dish { get; set; }
}

Following is the ViewModel for them

 public class DishViewModel
{
    public Int64 ID { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public string Name { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public string Description { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public double Price { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public DateTime From { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public DateTime To { get; set; }
    public bool IsAvailable { get; set; }
    public string MealImage { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public string IngredientsData { get; set; }

    public List<IngredientsViewModel> Ingredients { get; set; }
}

 public class IngredientsViewModel
{
    [Required]
    public string Name { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public int Quantity { get; set; }
    [Required]
    public Int64 Dish_ID { get; set; }
}

I am using Automapper for mapping between them. Following is the code that I am using to Map the Dish to DishViewModel

public DishViewModel Create(Dish dish)
    {
        Mapper.Initialize(cfg => cfg.CreateMap<Dish, DishViewModel>()
        .ForMember(s => s.Ingredients, c => c.MapFrom(m => m.Ingredients))
        );
        DishViewModel dishViewModel = Mapper.Map<DishViewModel>(dish);
        return dishViewModel;
    }

I am getting following error in above process

Can anybody please guide me what wrong I am doing in above process.

Thanks

Answer 1

You have to create a Mapping configuration for Ingredients, similar to the Mapping for Dish and DishViewModel

As you can see in the Exception is says Missing map configuration.

Add the config to the Mapper.Initialize

Mapper.Initialize(

    // Here you are only adding one config.

cfg => cfg.CreateMap<Dish, DishViewModel>()
        .ForMember(s => s.Ingredients, c => c.MapFrom(m => m.Ingredients))

        );

Change to this:

Mapper.Initialize(cfg =>
    {
          cfg.CreateMap<Dish, DishViewModel>()
                .ForMember(s => s.Ingredients, c => c.MapFrom(m => m.Ingredients));

           cfg.CreateMap<Ingredients, IngredientsViewModel>();

     });

Also you don't need the following:

.ForMember(s => s.Ingredients, c => c.MapFrom(m => m.Ingredients));

as the name of the properties are same, AutoMapper will automatically Map the Properties.

so you can use this:

Mapper.Initialize(cfg =>
    {
          cfg.CreateMap<Dish, DishViewModel>();

          cfg.CreateMap<Ingredients, IngredientsViewModel>();

     });