ToString Method Overriding in DataContract in WCF

Question

Even though i have overriden ToString method in the DataContract by returning ActivityType.Code property value in for class ActivityType. I'm still not geting the ActivityType.Code property value on a client for binding the grid.can one let me know how the ToString method be available to Client.

Here is the code base

Data Contract

  [DataContract]
    public class Activity
    {
        [DataMember]
        public ActivityType ActivityTypeId { get; set; }
        [DataMember]
        public string Code { get; set; }
        [DataMember]
        public string Description { get; set; }
        [DataMember]
        public EntityStatus Status { get; set; }

    }
    [DataContract]
    public enum EntityStatus
    {
        [EnumMember]
        Active = 0,
        [EnumMember]
        Inactive = 1
    }

    [DataContract]
    public class ActivityType
    {
        [DataMember]
        public string Code { get; set; }
        [DataMember]
        public string Name { get; set; }
        [DataMember]
        public string Description { get; set; }

        public override string ToString()
        {
            if (Code != null)
            {
                return Code.ToString(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);
            }
            else
            {
                return base.ToString();
            }
        }
    }

Service Implementation

  public class TimeSheetManagementService : ITimeSheetManagementService
    {
        public List<BusinessEntities.Activity> GetActivities()
        {
            TimeSheetManagementDataController controller = new TimeSheetManagementDataController();


            var activities = controller.GetActivities();
            var activitiesresult = activities.Select(activity => new BusinessEntities.Activity()
                                                                     {
                                                                         ActivityTypeId =
                                                                             new BusinessEntities.ActivityType()
                                                                                 {
                                                                                     Code = activity.ActivityType.Code,
                                                                                     Description =
                                                                                         activity.ActivityType.
                                                                                         Description,
                                                                                     Name = activity.ActivityType.Name
                                                                                 },
                                                                         Code = activity.Code,
                                                                         Description = activity.Description,
                                                                         Status =  (EntityStatus)  Enum.Parse(typeof(EntityStatus),Convert.ToString((activity.Status==true)?1:0))
                                                                     });

            return activitiesresult.ToList();
        }
    }

Client Implementation

<asp:GridView ID="GridView1" runat="server" AutoGenerateColumns="False">
            <Columns>
             <asp:BoundField runat="server" DataField="Code"/>

             <asp:BoundField runat="server" DataField="Description"/>

             <asp:BoundField runat="server" DataField="Status"/>

             <asp:BoundField runat="server" DataField="ActivityTypeId"/>
            </Columns>
        </asp:GridView>

Output

  Code Description                   Status    ActivityTypeId
    ACT2    Requirement Feasibility Study Inactive TimeSheetManagementServiceRef.ActivityType
    ACT1    Requirement analysis    Inactive     TimeSheetManagementServiceRef.ActivityType

Answer 1

Data contract is for transporting data - not for transporting logic. When you use add service reference, add web reference, xsd.exe, wsdl.exe or svcutil.exe only properties are described - all your methods declared on server are lost. There are two ways to solve this:

• The ugly way: share the library with data contract between service and client instead of creating a new type on the client through one of the mentioned tools
• Those tools should create partial classes. Your ToString method obviously belongs to the client side because it is related to data presentation so create second partial part of the contract class on the client and declare ToString method in that class.