TableAttribute Class (System.Data.Linq.Mapping)

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Microsoft Visual Studio 2008/.NET Framework 3.5

Other versions are also available for the following:

Microsoft Visual Studio 2010/.NET Framework 4

.NET Framework Class Library

TableAttribute Class

Designates a class as an entity class that is associated with a database table.

Namespace: System.Data.Linq.Mapping
Assembly: System.Data.Linq (in System.Data.Linq.dll)

Syntax

Visual Basic (Declaration)

<AttributeUsageAttribute(AttributeTargets.Class, AllowMultiple := False, Inherited := False)> _
Public NotInheritable Class TableAttribute _
    Inherits Attribute

Visual Basic (Usage)

Dim instance As TableAttribute

[AttributeUsageAttribute(AttributeTargets.Class, AllowMultiple = false, Inherited = false)]
public sealed class TableAttribute : Attribute

Visual C++

[AttributeUsageAttribute(AttributeTargets::Class, AllowMultiple = false, Inherited = false)]
public ref class TableAttribute sealed : public Attribute

JScript

public final class TableAttribute extends Attribute

Remarks

Use this attribute to designate a class as an entity class that is associated with a database table or view. LINQ to SQL treats classes that have the TableAttribute attribute as persistent classes.

LINQ to SQL supports only single-table mapping. That is, an entity class must be mapped to exactly one database table, and you cannot map a database table to multiple classes at the same time.

You can use the Name property of the TableAttribute attribute to specify a name for the table, and you can optionally use the schema name to qualify a table name. If you do not specify a name by using the Name property, the table name is assumed to be the same as the class name.

Schema-qualified Names

You can optionally use the schema name to qualify a table name. By default, the token to the left of the first period in the Name string is considered to be the schema name. The remainder of the name is considered to be the table name. The provider quotes the table name as appropriate. For example, the LINQ to SQL provider for SQL Server makes sure that brackets are used at least where they are needed.

Note:
In some cases, you must explicitly quote attributes because the SQL Server provider cannot auto-quote. The following table shows some examples.

Case	Example: Identifier Name	Example: Expected String in Attributes	Otherwise…
Schema name contains a period	Schema: "A.B" Table: "C"	"[A.B].C"	The first period is assumed to separate the schema name from the table name.
Schema/Table name starts with @	"@SomeName"	"[@SomeName]"	Assumed to be a parameter name.
Schema starts with [ and ends with ]	"[Schema.Table]"	"[[Schema].[Table]]]"	The unquoted identifier resembles a quoted identifier.
Table starts with [ and ends with ]	"[Table]"	"[[Table]]]"	The unquoted identifier resembles a quoted identifier.

Topic	Location
Attribute-Based Mapping	LINQ to SQL
Attribute-Based Mapping	LINQ to SQL
How to: Map Inheritance Hierarchies	LINQ to SQL
How to: Map Inheritance Hierarchies	LINQ to SQL
How to: Represent Tables as Classes	LINQ to SQL
How to: Represent Tables as Classes	LINQ to SQL
The LINQ to SQL Object Model	LINQ to SQL
The LINQ to SQL Object Model	LINQ to SQL

Examples

Visual Basic

<Table(Name:="Customers")> _
Public Class Customer
    ' ...
End Class

[Table(Name = "Customers")]
public class Customer
{
    // ...
}

Inheritance Hierarchy

System..::.Object
System..::.Attribute
System.Data.Linq.Mapping..::.TableAttribute

Thread Safety

Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.

Platforms

Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003

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

Version Information

.NET Framework

Supported in: 3.5

Reference

TableAttribute Members

System.Data.Linq.Mapping Namespace