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Constraint Class

Represents a constraint that can be enforced on one or more DataColumn objects.

Namespace:  System.Data
Assembly:  System.Data (in System.Data.dll)
public abstract class Constraint

The Constraint type exposes the following members.

  Name Description
Protected method Supported by the XNA Framework Constraint Initializes a new instance of the Constraint class.
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  Name Description
Protected property Supported by the XNA Framework _DataSet Infrastructure. Gets the DataSet to which this constraint belongs.
Public property Supported by the XNA Framework ConstraintName The name of a constraint in the ConstraintCollection.
Public property Supported by the XNA Framework ExtendedProperties Gets the collection of user-defined constraint properties.
Public property Supported by the XNA Framework Table Gets the DataTable to which the constraint applies.
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  Name Description
Protected method Supported by the XNA Framework CheckStateForProperty Infrastructure. Gets the DataSet to which this constraint belongs.
Public method Supported by the XNA Framework Equals(Object) Determines whether the specified Object is equal to the current Object. (Inherited from Object.)
Protected method Supported by the XNA Framework Finalize Allows an object to try to free resources and perform other cleanup operations before it is reclaimed by garbage collection. (Inherited from Object.)
Public method Supported by the XNA Framework GetHashCode Serves as a hash function for a particular type. (Inherited from Object.)
Public method Supported by the XNA Framework GetType Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object.)
Protected method Supported by the XNA Framework MemberwiseClone Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object.)
Protected method Supported by the XNA Framework SetDataSet Sets the constraint's DataSet.
Public method Supported by the XNA Framework ToString Gets the ConstraintName, if there is one, as a string. (Overrides Object.ToString().)
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A constraint is a rule used to maintain the integrity of the data in the DataTable. For example, when you delete a value that is used in one or more related tables, a ForeignKeyConstraint determines whether the values in the related tables are also deleted, set to null values, set to default values, or whether no action occurs. A UniqueConstraint, on the other hand, just makes sure that all values within a particular table are unique. For more information, see DataTable Constraints (ADO.NET).

A base Constraint constructor is not used. Primary or unique key constraints are created by using the UniqueConstraint constructor, and foreign key constraints are created by using the ForeignKeyConstraint constructor.

The following example examines the collection of constraints for a DataTable and determines whether each constraint is a UniqueConstraint or a ForeignKeyConstraint. The properties of the constraint are then displayed.


private void GetConstraints(DataTable dataTable)
{
    Console.WriteLine();

    // Print the table's name.
    Console.WriteLine("TableName: " + dataTable.TableName);

    // Iterate through the collection and 
    // print each name and type value.
    foreach(Constraint constraint in dataTable.Constraints ) 
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Constraint Name: " 
            + constraint.ConstraintName);
        Console.WriteLine("Type: " 
            + constraint.GetType().ToString());

        // If the constraint is a UniqueConstraint, 
        // print its properties using a function below.
        if(constraint is UniqueConstraint) 
        {
            PrintUniqueConstraintProperties(constraint);
        }
        // If the constraint is a ForeignKeyConstraint, 
        // print its properties using a function below.
        if(constraint is ForeignKeyConstraint) 
        {
            PrintForeigKeyConstraintProperties(constraint);
        }
    }
}

private void PrintUniqueConstraintProperties(
    Constraint constraint)
{
    UniqueConstraint uniqueConstraint;
    uniqueConstraint = (UniqueConstraint) constraint;

    // Get the Columns as an array.
    DataColumn[] columnArray;
    columnArray = uniqueConstraint.Columns;

    // Print each column's name.
    for(int i = 0;i<columnArray.Length ;i++) 
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Column Name: " 
            + columnArray[i].ColumnName);
    }
}

private void PrintForeigKeyConstraintProperties(
    Constraint constraint)
{
    ForeignKeyConstraint fkConstraint;
    fkConstraint = (ForeignKeyConstraint) constraint;

    // Get the Columns as an array.
    DataColumn[] columnArray;
    columnArray = fkConstraint.Columns;

    // Print each column's name.
    for(int i = 0;i<columnArray.Length ;i++) 
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Column Name: " 
            + columnArray[i].ColumnName);
    }
    Console.WriteLine();

    // Get the related columns and print each columns name.
    columnArray = fkConstraint.RelatedColumns ;
    for(int i = 0;i<columnArray.Length ;i++) 
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Related Column Name: " 
            + columnArray[i].ColumnName);
    }
    Console.WriteLine();
}


.NET Framework

Supported in: 4, 3.5, 3.0, 2.0, 1.1, 1.0

.NET Framework Client Profile

Supported in: 4, 3.5 SP1

Windows 7, Windows Vista SP1 or later, Windows XP SP3, Windows XP SP2 x64 Edition, Windows Server 2008 (Server Core not supported), Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core supported with SP1 or later), Windows Server 2003 SP2

The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

This type is safe for multithreaded read operations. You must synchronize any write operations.

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