Entity Framework - Why are navigation properties selected?

Question

I have a base repository that looks like this:

public class BaseRepository<T> : IBaseRepository<T> where T : class
{
    private DbContext _context;
    private IDbSet<T> _dbSet;

    protected DbContext Context
    {
        get
        {
            if (_context == null)
            {
                EFUnitOfWork currentUnitOfWork = (EFUnitOfWork)UnitOfWork.Current;
                _context = currentUnitOfWork.Context;
            }

            return _context;
        }
    }

    protected IDbSet<T> DbSet
    {
        get
        {
            if (_dbSet == null)
            {
                _dbSet = Context.Set<T>();
            }

            return _dbSet;
        }
    }

    public void Add(T entity)
    {
        DbSet.Add(entity);
    }

    public void Attach(T entity)
    {
        DbSet.Attach(entity);
    }

    public void Delete(T entity)
    {
        DbSet.Remove(entity);
    }

    public void Update(T entity)
    {
        Context.Entry(entity).State = System.Data.EntityState.Modified;
    }             

    public IQueryable<T> Get(string[] includes=null)
    {
        IQueryable<T> set = DbSet;
        if (includes != null)
        {
            foreach (string include in includes)
            {
                set = set.Include(include);
            }
        }
        return set;
    }

1. User user = _usersRepository.Get().SingleOrDefault(u => u.Username == "gigi"); This returns the user without the Roles property, which is ok.

2. User user = _usersRepository.Get(new string[] { "Roles" }).SingleOrDefault(u => u.Username == "gigi"); This returns the user and the Roles property, which is ok.

3. List<User> users = _usersRepository.Get().Where(u => u.Username.StartsWith("gi")).ToList();

4. List<User> users = _usersRepository.Get(new string[] { "Roles" }).Where(u => u.Username.StartsWith("gi")).ToList();

Query 3 and 4 both return a list of users with the Roles property. Why is query 3 returns Roles?

LE: This is the call, i examine the users collection after the context is disposed.

            List<User> users = _usersRepository.Get().Where(u => u.Username.StartsWith("gi")).ToList();
            UnitOfWork.Current.Dispose();

LE2: I did the same thing separately:

1.         List<User> users;
           using (MyEntities ctx = new MyEntities ())
           {
               users= ctx.Users.ToList();
           }
   

2.             List<User> users;
               using (MyEntities ctx = new MyEntities ())
               {
                   users= ctx.Users.Include("Roles").ToList();
               }
   

In the first case the Roles are not loaded, in the second they are which is ok.

I don't see what i am doing wrong in the repository sample.

LE3: This is the Unit of work

    public class UnitOfWork
    {
        private const string HTTPCONTEXTKEY = "Repository.Key";

        private static IUnitOfWorkFactory _unitOfWorkFactory;
        private static readonly Hashtable _threads = new Hashtable();

        public static IUnitOfWork Current
        {
            get
            {
                IUnitOfWork unitOfWork = GetUnitOfWork();

                if (unitOfWork == null)
                {
                    _unitOfWorkFactory = ObjectFactory.GetInstance<IUnitOfWorkFactory>();
                    unitOfWork = _unitOfWorkFactory.Create();
                    SaveUnitOfWork(unitOfWork);
                }

                return unitOfWork;
            }
        }

        private static IUnitOfWork GetUnitOfWork()
        {
            if (HttpContext.Current != null)
            {
                if (HttpContext.Current.Items.Contains(HTTPCONTEXTKEY))
                {
                    return (IUnitOfWork)HttpContext.Current.Items[HTTPCONTEXTKEY];
                }

                return null;
            }
            else
            {
                Thread thread = Thread.CurrentThread;
                if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(thread.Name))
                {
                    thread.Name = Guid.NewGuid().ToString();
                    return null;
                }
                else
                {
                    lock (_threads.SyncRoot)
                    {
                        return (IUnitOfWork)_threads[Thread.CurrentThread.Name];
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        private static void SaveUnitOfWork(IUnitOfWork unitOfWork)
        {
            if (HttpContext.Current != null)
            {
                HttpContext.Current.Items[HTTPCONTEXTKEY] = unitOfWork;
            }
            else
            {
                lock (_threads.SyncRoot)
                {
                    _threads[Thread.CurrentThread.Name] = unitOfWork;
                }
            }
        }
    }

Answer 1

EF will try to populate as many properties as it can.

If you have loaded a database row into a DbContext, EF will remember that row's data for the lifetime of the DbContext.

Then, when you load any entity that references that row, EF will populate that property with or without an Include clause.

In your case, you are loading ( some of ) the Roles table in Query 2.
When you run Query 3, those rows are populated without an Include because they are already in the DbContext.