Apply properties values from one object to another of the same type automatically?

Question

Given 2 objects A and B of type T, I want to assign the properties' values in A to the same properties in B without doing an explicit assignment for each property.

I want to save code like this:

b.Nombre = a.Nombre;
b.Descripcion = a.Descripcion;
b.Imagen = a.Imagen;
b.Activo = a.Activo;

doing something like

a.ApplyProperties(b);

Is it possible?

Answer 1

Because I believe Jon's version is a tad too complicated and and Steve's version is too simple, and I like Daniel's idea of an extension class.

Plus a Generic version is pretty but unnecessary as all items are objects.

I would like to volunteer my lean and mean version. Credits to all the above. :D

Code:

using System;
using System.Reflection;
/// <summary>
/// A static class for reflection type functions
/// </summary>
public static class Reflection
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Extension for 'Object' that copies the properties to a destination object.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="source">The source.</param>
    /// <param name="destination">The destination.</param>
    public static void CopyProperties(this object source, object destination)
    {
        // If any this null throw an exception
        if (source == null || destination == null)
            throw new Exception("Source or/and Destination Objects are null");
            // Getting the Types of the objects
        Type typeDest = destination.GetType();
        Type typeSrc = source.GetType();

        // Iterate the Properties of the source instance and  
        // populate them from their desination counterparts  
        PropertyInfo[] srcProps = typeSrc.GetProperties();
        foreach (PropertyInfo srcProp in srcProps)
        {
            if (!srcProp.CanRead)
            {
                continue;
            }
            PropertyInfo targetProperty = typeDest.GetProperty(srcProp.Name);
            if (targetProperty == null)
            {
                continue;
            }
            if (!targetProperty.CanWrite)
            {
                continue;
            }
            if (targetProperty.GetSetMethod(true) != null && targetProperty.GetSetMethod(true).IsPrivate)
            {
                continue;
            }
            if ((targetProperty.GetSetMethod().Attributes & MethodAttributes.Static) != 0)
            {
                continue;
            }
            if (!targetProperty.PropertyType.IsAssignableFrom(srcProp.PropertyType))
            {
                continue;
            }
            // Passed all tests, lets set the value
            targetProperty.SetValue(destination, srcProp.GetValue(source, null), null);
        }
    }
}

Usage:

/// <summary>
/// ExampleCopyObject
/// </summary>
/// <returns></returns>
public object ExampleCopyObject()
{
    object destObject = new object();
    this.CopyProperties(destObject); // inside a class you want to copy from

    Reflection.CopyProperties(this, destObject); // Same as above but directly calling the function

    TestClass srcClass = new TestClass();
    TestStruct destStruct = new TestStruct();
    srcClass.CopyProperties(destStruct); // using the extension directly on a object

    Reflection.CopyProperties(srcClass, destObject); // Same as above but directly calling the function

    //so on and so forth.... your imagination is the limits :D
    return srcClass;
}

public class TestClass
{
    public string Blah { get; set; }
}
public struct TestStruct
{
    public string Blah { get; set; }
}

As I was bored and a linq version was suggested by a comment

using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Reflection;
/// <summary>
/// A static class for reflection type functions
/// </summary>
public static class Reflection
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Extension for 'Object' that copies the properties to a destination object.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="source">The source.</param>
    /// <param name="destination">The destination.</param>
    public static void CopyProperties(this object source, object destination)
    {
        // If any this null throw an exception
        if (source == null || destination == null)
            throw new Exception("Source or/and Destination Objects are null");
        // Getting the Types of the objects
        Type typeDest = destination.GetType();
        Type typeSrc = source.GetType();
        // Collect all the valid properties to map
        var results = from srcProp in typeSrc.GetProperties()
                                    let targetProperty = typeDest.GetProperty(srcProp.Name)
                                    where srcProp.CanRead
                                    && targetProperty != null
                                    && (targetProperty.GetSetMethod(true) != null && !targetProperty.GetSetMethod(true).IsPrivate)
                                    && (targetProperty.GetSetMethod().Attributes & MethodAttributes.Static) == 0
                                    && targetProperty.PropertyType.IsAssignableFrom(srcProp.PropertyType)
                                    select new { sourceProperty = srcProp, targetProperty = targetProperty };
        //map the properties
        foreach (var props in results)
        {
            props.targetProperty.SetValue(destination, props.sourceProperty.GetValue(source, null), null);
        }
    }
}