Automapping an array class

Question

I have a destination object as

ArrayOfStudents[]

containing

StudentId, AddressInfo, MarksInfo

The source object is

public class Details
{
   public Student[] Student;

)

The Student class contains

StudentId, AddressInfo, MarksInfo

I want to map Student[] and ArrayOfStudents[]

I tried the following, but didn't work

Map.CreateMap<Student,ArrayOfStudents>()
.ReverseMap();

Map.CreateMap<Details.Student,ArrayOfStudents>()
.ReverseMap();

How should I be mapping this case?

It throws the following are unmapped error

StudentId, AddressInfo, MarksInfo

Answer 1

With Automapper you map one type to another. When you do that, mapping an array of the same types will happen automatically.

In your case, you will create a map between ArrayOfStudents and Student. It'll be a trivial map since the types and the names between both mapped types are the same:

public class MappingProfile : Profile
{
    public MappingProfile()
    {
        this.CreateMap<Student, ArrayOfStudents>();

        this.CreateMap<ArrayOfStudents, Student>();
    }
}

Now, where ever you intend to do the actual mapping (e.g. a RESTful controller), you do something like:

public class MyController
{
    private readonly IMapper mapper;

    public MyController(IMapper mapper)
    {
        this.mapper = mapper;
    }

    // Then in any of your methods:
    [HttpGet]
    public IActionResult MyMethod()
    {
        var objectsToMap = details.Student; // This is an array of Student type.
        var mappedObjects = this.mapper.Map(objectsToMap); // This will be an array of ArrayOfStudents.
        // do what you will with the mapped objects.
    }
}

Idea is, you register the mappings for types (including the types of the members in a type). Then mapping of collections of those types is automatically handled by Automapper.