Data Sources

Data type	What does it look for?	Examples
Any object	Properties, Fields, or parameterless methods	Smart.Format("{Prop.ToString}", new{ Prop = 999 })
Dictionary	Keys	Smart.Format("{SomeKey}", new Dictionary<string, object>(){ { "SomeKey", 999 } } )
Dynamics	Works just like Dictionary	Smart.Format("{Prop}", (dynamic)(new { Prop = 999 }))
JObject (JSON)	Finds child elements by name	Smart.Format("{Name}", JObject.Parse("{ 'Name':'John'}"))
XML	Finds child elements by name	Smart.Format("{NodeName}", someXElement)
Default	Looks up arguments by index	Smart.Format("{0}", 999)

JSON

JSON also comes in handy when processing data in a web api application where the argument submitted from the browser to the controller is a JObject. Another scenario is working with queries from SQL Server:

SELECT 'John' AS [FirstName], 'Doe' AS [LastName], 32 AS [Age]
FOR JSON PATH, ROOT('Father')

You can parse the query result into a JObject and give it to SmartFormat as an argument. JObject may be an array for the ListFormatter.

SmartObjects

Note:

The examples below use Dictionaries for simplicity. In the same manner other types than Dictionaries can be used as data sources.

With SmartObjects

• all objects used for Smart.Format can be collected in one place as the first argument
• the format string can be written like each object would be the first argument of Smart.Format
• there is no need to bother from which argument a value should come from

Example:

var d1 = new Dictionary<string,string> { {"myKey", "myValue"} };
var nl = new Dictionary<string,string> { {"2ndKey", "my2ndValue" } };

var smartObj = new SmartObjects();
smartObj.AddRange(new object[] {d1, nl});

Smart.Format("{myKey} {2ndKey} and more...", smartObj);

// result:
// "myValue my2ndValue and more"

More arguments to the format string

Like with string.Format it is possible to use several data sources as parameters to SmartFormat. The conecept however is a bit different:

var dict1 = new Dictionary<string, string>() { {"Name", "John"} };
var dict2 = new Dictionary<string, string>() { { "City", "Washington" } };

var result = Smart.Format("First dictionary: {0:{Name}}, second dictionary: {1:{City}}", dict1, dict2);

// alternative notation:
var result = Smart.Format("First dictionary: {0.Name}, second dictionary: {1.City}", dict1, dict2);

// result:
// "First dictionary: John, second dictionary: Washington"