Scaffold-dbcontext Strings for Database-First in .NET Core

When working with Entity Framework Core in ASP.NET Core applications, generating DbContext and models is a crucial step. In this blog post, we'll explore three methods to simplify this process: using scaffolding commands, adhering to standard practices, and leveraging EF Core Power Tools in Visual Studio.
In this guide, we'll delve into the following three approaches to facilitate DbContext and model generation:

1. Scaffolding Command in the console.
2. Using standard methods.
3. Utilizing EF Core Power Tools.

Method 1. Scaffolding Command

Step 1. Execute scaffolding command in Tools -- > NuGet Package Manager -- > Package Manager Console.

Step 2. Add the connection string directly.

scaffold-dbcontext -provider Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer -connection "Data Source=(Server);Initial Catalog=(Database Name);UserId=(Username);Password=(Password);TrustServerCertificate=true;"  -OutputDir Models

C#

Step 3. Scaffold DbContext and models using the Scaffold-DbContext command.

Method 2. Standard Practices

Step 1. Add connection string in app.settings.json.

{
  "ConnectionStrings": {
    "DefaultConnection": "Data Source=(Server Name);Initial Catalog=(Database Name);user id=(Username for connection on db);password=(Password);TrustServerCertificate=True;"
  }
}

C#

Step 2. Manually create a DbContext file. The class name should be ("DatabaseName"+Context.cs).
  

• NuGet Packages  Required
  • Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore
  • Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServe
  • Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Tools

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;

namespace BackEnd.Models //solution name models
{

    //**The class name should be ("DatabaseName"+Context.cs)**
    // database name  = TryDbApproch.
    // class name  = TryDbApprochContext.cs.

    public class TryDbApprochContext : DbContext
    {
        public TryDbApprochContext(DbContextOptions<TryDbApprochContext> options)
            : base(options)
        {
        }

}

C#

Step 3. Configure DbContext and connection string in program.cs.

var connectionString = builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection");

builder.Services.AddDbContext<TryDbApprochContext>(options =>
        options.UseSqlServer(connectionString));

C#

or

var connectionString = builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection");

builder.Services.AddDbContext<TryDbApprochContext>(options => options.UseSqlServer(connectionString, serverOptions =>
{
    serverOptions.EnableRetryOnFailure(
        maxRetryCount: 3,       // Maximum number of retry attempts
        maxRetryDelay: TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30), // Maximum delay between retries
        errorNumbersToAdd: null); // Specific error numbers to retry on (null retries on all transient errors)
}));

C#

Step 4. Scaffold DbContext and models using the Scaffold-DbContext command.

Scaffold-DbContext "Name=DefaultConnection" Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer -OutputDir Models -f

C#

Step 5. Paste the Scaffold string in the Tools -- > NuGet Package Manager -- > Package Manager Console. To generate models and DbContext files for the project.

Method 3. EF Core Power Tools

Reverse Engineer acts like Entity Data Model, where it generates the tables of our database as Entity Classes in the code and also Db Context class based upon our Database.

Step 1. Install EF Core Power Tools extension in Visual Studio. Path = "Extension --> Manage Extensions... --> Search == EF Core Power Tools -->  Install ".

Step 2. Right-click on Project. There, you will find an option installed, EF Core Power Tools.

Click on Reverse Engineer there you will find the Db Connection Option.

 

Step 3. Click on Add to connect with the Database Server.

Step 4. Test the connection with the SQL server.

• Provide the SQL Server name in the Text Box and find whether you are using Windows or SQL Authentication.
• Select the Database Under the Select or enter the database. 
• Click on Test Connection to check where the connection is configured in a proper way.
• Click on OK.
  

Step 5. That's done! The Connection with the database will show in the selected DropDown  -> Click on OK.

Step 6. Select the Tables which you want to include in your project and click on OK.

Step 7. By default, it will add the DB name as the Context name, which you can change if you want and also it will select Entitytypes & DbContext by default.

Step 8. You will get a confirmation, as shown below. Press "OK".

Step 9. Finally. The model Classes with Db Context have been generated automatically. This is how simple it is to work with EF Core Power Tools.

Add Custom SOAP Security Header in .Net Core WebAPI

 To add custom SOAP Security header to SOAP Envelope 

• First add WCF WEB Service reference  using provided WSDL file by right click on project from solution explorer, refrence.cs file will be created
• Add custom security header using IEndpointBehavior and IClientMessageInspector  interface 
• pass client certificate with private  key info to IEndpointBehavior implemntation class to sign and encrypt
• using client certificate IClientMessageInspector class to encrypt and sign, IClientMessageInspector Implement  Custom Message Inspector  that intercepts outgoing requests to sign the SOAP header,         

1.    IClientMessageInspector contains BeforeSendRequest() and AfterReceiveReply() methods

In controller assign values to input request parameters using proxy object

                private OffenderInquiryInterfaceClient _DocClient ; //DOC WCF Client initialization

  var oRequestMetadata = new DOCReqReply.RequestMetadataType();

  var oRequestOffenderEvent = new DOCReqReply.GetOffenderInformationType();

  //RequestMetadata

  oRequestMetadata.UserDefinedTrackingID = string.Format("RequestTrackID-{0}-1-2", DOCINmateNo + DateTime.Now.Second + Guid.NewGuid().ToString());

  oRequestMetadata.RequestDataSourceID = new string[1] { "STATE-DOC" };

  oRequestMetadata.RequestAuthenticatedUserID = HttpContext.Session.GetString("UserName");

  oRequestMetadata.RequestUserEntitlement = new string[1] { "SOAB" };

  oRequestOffenderEvent.RequestMetadata = oRequestMetadata;

//OffenderSearchCriteria

var _oOffenderSearchCriteriaType = new DOCReqReply.OffenderSearchCriteriaType();

var oPersonName = new DOCReqReply.PersonNameType();

var oPersonIdType = new DOCReqReply.IdentificationType();

oPersonIdType.IdentificationID= DOCINmateNo;

  oRequestOffenderEvent.OffenderSearchCriteria = _oOffenderSearchCriteriaType;

 var _Certbasepath = _configuration.GetSection("cert:DOCSerCall_ClientcertBasePath").Value;

 var _CertpfxName = _configuration.GetSection("cert:CertName").Value;

 var _CertPrivateKey = _configuration.GetSection("cert:PrivatekeyPwd").Value;

 X509Certificate2 clientCertificate = new X509Certificate2(_Certbasepath + _CertpfxName, _CertPrivateKey, X509KeyStorageFlags.PersistKeySet);

 //Configuring the HTTPS Binding

 var binding = new BasicHttpsBinding()

 {

     Security = {

                     Mode = BasicHttpsSecurityMode.Transport,

                     Transport = { ClientCredentialType = HttpClientCredentialType.None,   }// Change as needed

                }

 };

 EndpointAddress endpointAddress;

 endpointAddress = new EndpointAddress("https://pa.gov/Inquiry/nquiry/2");

_DocClient = new OffenderInquiryInterfaceClient(binding,endpointAddress);

//Building custom header before sending request

 _DocClient.Endpoint.EndpointBehaviors.Add(new WsSecurityHeaderBehavior(clientCertificate));

 var response = await _DocClient.GetOffenderInformationAsync(oRequestOffenderEvent); 

_____________________________________________________________________________

 IEndpointBehavior

public sealed class WsSecurityHeaderBehavior : IEndpointBehavior

 {

 }

IClientMessageInspector

 public string LastRequestXML { get; private set; }

 public string LastResponseXML { get; private set; }

 public int TimeSpan { get; private set; }

 public int ResponseCode { get; private set; }

 public string URL { get; private set; }

 private Stopwatch stopwatch { get; set; }

 private readonly string _username;

 private readonly string _password;

 private readonly TimeSpan _timeout;

 private readonly X509Certificate2 _certificate;

 //public  string BodyIdentifier = "Body-" + Guid.NewGuid(); // This can be whatever xml Id attribute value value we want

 public string TimeStampId = string.Format("TimeStamp-{0}-1", Guid.NewGuid().ToString());

 public string BodyId = string.Format("Body-{0}-1", Guid.NewGuid().ToString());

 public string SecurityTokenId = string.Format("SecurityToken-{0}-1", Guid.NewGuid().ToString());

 public WsSecurityMessageInspector(string username, string password, TimeSpan timeout, X509Certificate2 certificate)

 {

     this._username = username;

     this._password = password;

     this._timeout = timeout;

     this._certificate = certificate;

 }

  public void AfterReceiveReply(ref System.ServiceModel.Channels.Message reply, object correlationState)

  {

      // stopwatch.Stop();

      LastResponseXML = reply.ToString();

      Log.Warning(LastResponseXML);

      // this.TimeSpan = (int)stopwatch.Elapsed.TotalSeconds;

  }

    public object BeforeSendRequest(ref System.ServiceModel.Channels.Message request, System.ServiceModel.IClientChannel channel)

    {

        // Add the ws-Security header

        request.Headers.Add(new WsSecurityHeader(_certificate, TimeStampId, SecurityTokenId));

        LastRequestXML = request.ToString();

        // Get the entire message as an xml doc, so we can sign the body.

        var signable = GetMessageAsString(request);

        XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();

        doc.PreserveWhitespace = true;

        doc.LoadXml(signable);

        Log.Information(doc.OuterXml);

        XmlNamespaceManager nsmgr = new XmlNamespaceManager(doc.NameTable);

        nsmgr.AddNamespace("s", WsSecurityHeader.SoapEnvelopeNamespace);

        nsmgr.AddNamespace("wsse", WsSecurityHeader.WsseNamespace);

        // The BinarySecrityToken is the element we want to sign.

        var _binarySecToken = doc.SelectSingleNode("//wsse:BinarySecurityToken", nsmgr) as XmlElement;

        var _binarySecToken_id = doc.CreateAttribute("wsu", "Id", WsSecurityHeader.WsseUtilityNamespaceUrl);

        _binarySecToken_id.Value = SecurityTokenId;

        _binarySecToken.Attributes.Append(_binarySecToken_id);

        // The Body is the element we want to sign.

        var body = doc.SelectSingleNode("//s:Body", nsmgr) as XmlElement;

        var body_id = doc.CreateAttribute("wsu", "Id", WsSecurityHeader.WsseUtilityNamespaceUrl);

        body_id.Value = BodyId;

        body.Attributes.Append(body_id);

        var signedXml = new SignedXmlWithUriFix(doc);

        var key = _certificate.GetRSAPrivateKey(); //Private key from client certificate

        signedXml.SigningKey = key;

        signedXml.SignedInfo.CanonicalizationMethod = SignedXml.XmlDsigExcC14NTransformUrl;

        signedXml.SignedInfo.SignatureMethod = SignedXml.XmlDsigRSASHA1Url;

        KeyInfo keyInfo = new KeyInfo();

        KeyInfoX509Data x509data = new KeyInfoX509Data(_certificate);

        keyInfo.AddClause(x509data);

        signedXml.KeyInfo = keyInfo;

        //TIMESTamop Ref

        Reference ref_TimeStamp = new Reference();

        ref_TimeStamp.Uri = "#" + TimeStampId;

        var t0 = new XmlDsigExcC14NTransform();

        ref_TimeStamp.AddTransform(t0);

        ref_TimeStamp.DigestMethod = SignedXml.XmlDsigSHA1Url;

        signedXml.AddReference(ref_TimeStamp);

        //Binary Security token  Ref

        Reference ref_BinarySecurityToken = new Reference();

        ref_BinarySecurityToken.Uri = "#" + SecurityTokenId;

        ref_BinarySecurityToken.AddTransform(t0);

        ref_BinarySecurityToken.DigestMethod = SignedXml.XmlDsigSHA1Url;

        signedXml.AddReference(ref_BinarySecurityToken);

        //BODY Ref

        Reference ref_Body = new Reference();

        ref_Body.Uri = "#" + BodyId;

        ref_Body.AddTransform(t0);

        ref_Body.DigestMethod = SignedXml.XmlDsigSHA1Url;

        signedXml.AddReference(ref_Body);

        signedXml.ComputeSignature();

        XmlElement xmlDigitalSignature = signedXml.GetXml();

        XmlNode info = null;

        for (int i = 0; i < xmlDigitalSignature.ChildNodes.Count; i++)

        {

            var node = xmlDigitalSignature.ChildNodes[i];

            if (node.Name == "KeyInfo")

            {

                info = node;

                break;

            }

        }

        info.RemoveAll();

        //Append security Token Reference

        XmlElement securityTokenReference = doc.CreateElement("wsse", "SecurityTokenReference", "http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd");

        XmlElement reference = doc.CreateElement("wsse", "Reference", "http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd");

        reference.SetAttribute("ValueType", "http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-x509-token-profile-1.0#X509v3");

        reference.SetAttribute("URI", "#" + SecurityTokenId);

        securityTokenReference.AppendChild(reference);

        info.AppendChild(securityTokenReference);

        //Append xmlDigitalSignature

        var nsmgr2 = new XmlNamespaceManager(doc.NameTable);

        nsmgr2.AddNamespace("wsse", "http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd");

        nsmgr2.AddNamespace("s", "http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/");

        var security_node = doc.SelectSingleNode("/s:Envelope/s:Header/wsse:Security", nsmgr2);

        security_node.AppendChild(xmlDigitalSignature);

        var newMessage = CreateMessageFromXmlDocument(request, doc);

        // Log.Information(GetMessageAsString(newMessage));

        request = newMessage;

        return null;

    }

    private string GetMessageAsString(Message msg)

    {

        using (var sw = new StringWriter())

        using (var xw = new XmlTextWriter(sw))

        {

            msg.WriteMessage(xw);

            xw.Close();

            return sw.ToString();

        }

    }

    private Message CreateMessageFromXmlDocument(Message message, XmlDocument doc)

    {

        MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream();

        using (XmlWriter xmlWriter = XmlWriter.Create(ms, new XmlWriterSettings { OmitXmlDeclaration = true, Indent = false }))

        {

            doc.WriteTo(xmlWriter);

            xmlWriter.Flush();

            xmlWriter.Close();

            ms.Position = 0;

        }

        XmlDictionaryReader xdr = XmlDictionaryReader.CreateTextReader(ms, new XmlDictionaryReaderQuotas());

        var newMessage = Message.CreateMessage(xdr, int.MaxValue, message.Version);

        newMessage.Properties.CopyProperties(message.Properties);

        return newMessage;

    }

}

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    /// <summary>

    /// The SignedXml class chokes on a URI prefixed with "#", so we override the GetIdElement here.  The #

    /// is allowed by the XML Signature rfc (rfc3075), so this is really a bug fix for SignedXml.

    /// </summary>

    public class SignedXmlWithUriFix : SignedXml

    {

        public SignedXmlWithUriFix(XmlDocument xml) : base(xml)

        {

        }

        public SignedXmlWithUriFix(XmlElement xmlElement)

            : base(xmlElement)

        {

        }

        public override XmlElement GetIdElement(XmlDocument document, string idValue)

        {

            // check to see if it's a standard ID reference

            XmlElement idElem = base.GetIdElement(document, idValue);

            if (idElem == null)

            {

                XmlNamespaceManager nsManager = new XmlNamespaceManager(document.NameTable);

                nsManager.AddNamespace("wsu", "http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-utility-1.0.xsd");

                idElem = document.SelectSingleNode("//*[@wsu:Id=\"" + idValue + "\"]", nsManager) as XmlElement;

            }

            return idElem;

        }

    }

}

Sample Request

_______________________________________

<s:Envelope xmlns:s=http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/>

       <s:Header>

             <wsse:Security soap:mustUnderstand="1" xmlns:wsse=http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd xmlns:soap=http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/ xmlns:wsu=http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-utility-1.0.xsd>

                    <wsu:Timestamp wsu:Id="TimeStamp-462b7720-6c40-467c-a1b7-3c8cf97bc9cb-1">

                           <wsu:Created>2023-12-26T17:17:59.283Z</wsu:Created>

                           <wsu:Expires>2023-12-26T17:22:59.283Z</wsu:Expires>

                    </wsu:Timestamp>

                    <saml:Assertion wsu:Id="SAML-91cada9b-e05f-4506-abd7-e0e45caedd23-1" Version="2.0" IssueInstant="2023-12-26T17:17:59.283Z" xmlns:saml="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:assertion">

                           <saml:Subject>

                                 <saml:NameID Format="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:1.1:nameid-format:unspecified">SOAB-TASKScheduler</saml:NameID>

                                 <saml:SubjectConfirmation Method="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:cm:bearer"/>

                           </saml:Subject>

                           <saml:AuthnStatement AuthnInstant="2023-12-26T17:17:59.283Z">

                                 <saml:AuthnContext>

                                 <saml:AuthnContextClassRef>urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:ac:classes:unspecified</saml:AuthnContextClassRef>

                                 </saml:AuthnContext>

                           </saml:AuthnStatement>

                           <saml:AttributeStatement>

                                 <saml:Attribute Name="organization">

                                        <saml:AttributeValue>SOAB</saml:AttributeValue>

                                 </saml:Attribute>

                           </saml:AttributeStatement>

                    </saml:Assertion>

                    <wsse:BinarySecurityToken wsu:Id="SecurityToken-47cdbd10-7285-4895-95f3-c0c495612a0a-1" ValueType=http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-x509-token-profile-1.0#X509v3 EncodingType=http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-soap-message-security-1.0#Base64Binary>MIIF2DCCBMCgAwIBAgIQA3I+4IMONzX2</wsse:BinarySecurityToken>

                    <Signature xmlns=http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#>

                           <SignedInfo>

                                 <CanonicalizationMethod Algorithm=http://www.w3.org/2001/10/xml-exc-c14n#/>

                                 <SignatureMethod Algorithm=http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#rsa-sha1/>

                                 <Reference URI="#TimeStamp-462b7720-6c40-467c-a1b7-3c8cf97bc9cb-1">

                                        <Transforms>

                                               <Transform Algorithm=http://www.w3.org/2001/10/xml-exc-c14n#/>

                                        </Transforms>

                                        <DigestMethod Algorithm=http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#sha1/>

                                        <DigestValue>nOn0gosvtJ8MpWiPe2qd0vHTvmM=</DigestValue>

                                 </Reference>

                                 <Reference URI="#SAML-91cada9b-e05f-4506-abd7-e0e45caedd23-1">

                                        <Transforms>

                                               <Transform Algorithm=http://www.w3.org/2001/10/xml-exc-c14n#/>

                                        </Transforms>

                                        <DigestMethod Algorithm=http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#sha1/>

                                        <DigestValue>J0fNSLnxmSMRKNdo0eqDOO+2w4s=</DigestValue>

                                 </Reference>

                                 <Reference URI="#SecurityToken-47cdbd10-7285-4895-95f3-c0c495612a0a-1">

                                        <Transforms>

                                               <Transform Algorithm=http://www.w3.org/2001/10/xml-exc-c14n#/>

                                        </Transforms>

                                        <DigestMethod Algorithm=http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#sha1/>

                                        <DigestValue>tm9NaZ01T/drvdpjgH5dnDLGHtU=</DigestValue>

                                 </Reference>

                                 <Reference URI="#Body-f4c9b7d8-7b0b-4068-aa67-bd565382da28-1">

                                        <Transforms>

                                               <Transform Algorithm=http://www.w3.org/2001/10/xml-exc-c14n#/>

                                        </Transforms>

                                        <DigestMethod Algorithm=http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#sha1/>

                                        <DigestValue>4d4WI+8V40abciJCd1ZqKkQNHvY=</DigestValue>

                                 </Reference>

                           </SignedInfo>

                    <SignatureValue>ikL2RgqWUbX7WEe6TNygawcQFq7qO/zCJnqybNloBAT48Nf7kTlIfLo1jVTxRxZyEffkb8dEbtjv4D3fZcuar9wQsBeFLEA==</SignatureValue>

                           <KeyInfo>

                                 <wsse:SecurityTokenReference>

                                        <wsse:Reference ValueType=http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-x509-token-profile-1.0#X509v3 URI="#SecurityToken-47cdbd10-7285-4895-95f3-c0c495612a0a-1"/>

                                 </wsse:SecurityTokenReference>

                           </KeyInfo>

                    </Signature>

             </wsse:Security>

       </s:Header>

       <s:Body wsu:Id="Body-f4c9b7d8-7b0b-4068-aa67-bd565382da28-1" xmlns:xsi=http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance xmlns:xsd=http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema xmlns:wsu=http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-utility-1.0.xsd>

             <GetOffenderInformation xmlns=http://xyx/OffenderInquiry/1>

                     <RequestMetadata xmlns=http://www.xyz/metadata/1>

                           <UserDefinedTrackingID>UDTID-d175cfe0-779c-4acb-a744-72f644002e08</UserDefinedTrackingID>

                           <RequestDataSourceID>ER</RequestDataSourceID>

                           <RequestAuthenticatedUserID>TEstUser</RequestAuthenticatedUserID>

                         

                    </RequestMetadata>

                    <OffenderSearchCriteria xmlns=http://www.jnet.state.pa.us/niem/JNET/jnet-core/2>

                           <PersonOtherIdentification xmlns=http://release.niem.gov/niem/niem-core/3.0/>

                                  <IdentificationID>DOCINmateNumABCDEF12345</IdentificationID>

                                  <IdentificationCategoryText>INMATEID</IdentificationCategoryText>

                           </PersonOtherIdentification>

                    </OffenderSearchCriteria>

             </GetOffenderInformation>

       </s:Body>

</s:Envelope>