umbrella-dotnet-scaffold-ef-entity

name	umbrella-dotnet-scaffold-ef-entity
description	Scaffold a new EF Core entity: entity class in Core.Domain, configuration method in DbContext. Follows Umbrella patterns and is front-end agnostic.

Scaffold Entity

Purpose

Create a new EF Core entity class and register it in the DbContext, following the exact patterns used in the target repository.

Discovery (read these before writing anything)

1. List the files in Core\<AppName>.Core.Domain\Entities\ to understand the naming and folder conventions.
2. Read 2-3 existing entity files that are similar in complexity to the one being created.
3. Read the DbContext file (Core\<AppName>.Core.Data\<AppName>DbContext.cs) -- specifically OnModelCreating and the existing Add* private static methods -- to understand registration order and configuration patterns.
4. Read the Domain project .csproj to identify available string-length attributes and which Umbrella packages are referenced.

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Step 1 -- Create the entity class

File location: Core\<AppName>.Core.Domain\Entities\<EntityName>.cs

Rules:

• Namespace: namespace <AppName>.Core.Domain.Entities;
• Declare as public partial class -- always partial, never omit this (required for Umbrella source generation: EF Core interceptors and audit infrastructure)
• Always include public int Id { get; set; } as the primary key
• Choose the correct audit interfaces (see Interface Reference below)
• String properties: always annotate with [ShortStringLength], [MediumStringLength], or [LongStringLength] from <AppName>.Shared.Common.Attributes
• Required string properties: use = null! null-forgiving operator (public string Name { get; set; } = null!;)
• Optional string properties: use nullable type (public string? Description { get; set; })
• Foreign keys: non-nullable int for required FK (public int CareerId { get; set; }), nullable int? for optional FK
• Navigation properties: always nullable (public Career? Career { get; set; })
• Collection navigation properties: List<T>? with nullable annotation (public List<CareerDetail>? Details { get; set; })
• DateTime properties: DateTime (UTC, never local); optional DateTime uses DateTime?
• Enum properties: use the strongly-typed enum type from <AppName>.Shared.Common.Enumerations
• using directives: add only what is needed; check existing entities of the same kind for the exact imports

Minimal example (ICreatedDateAuditEntity):

using <AppName>.Shared.Common.Attributes;
using Umbrella.DataAccess.Abstractions;

namespace <AppName>.Core.Domain.Entities;

public partial class <EntityName> : IEntity<int>, ICreatedDateAuditEntity
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public DateTime CreatedDateUtc { get; set; }

    [ShortStringLength]
    public string Name { get; set; } = null!;
}

---

Step 2 -- Register in the DbContext

File: Core\<AppName>.Core.Data\<AppName>DbContext.cs

Changes required:

1. Add a call to Add<EntityName>(builder); inside OnModelCreating, grouped with logically related entities and in alphabetical order within that group.
2. Add a new private static method at the bottom of the method block, following the same expression-body style as existing methods:

private static void Add<EntityName>(ModelBuilder builder)
    => builder.Entity<<EntityName>>(builder =>
    {
        // configuration here -- see Step 3
    });

Do NOT add a DbSet<T> property. The base UmbrellaIdentityDbContext exposes entity sets without explicit DbSet declarations.

---

Step 3 -- Write the configuration method

Choose the correct setup calls based on which interfaces the entity implements. Always assign discards (_ =) for every builder call.

Primary key

Use SetupNonClusteredPrimaryKey() when a clustered index will be placed on a FK column (which is the common case). Omit it only when the primary key itself should be the clustered index (rare).

_ = builder.SetupNonClusteredPrimaryKey();

Audit properties

Call each method that corresponds to an interface the entity implements. Always use discards.

Entity implements	Configuration call
ICreatedDateAuditEntity	_ = builder.SetupCreatedDateUtcAuditProperty();
IUpdatedDateAuditEntity	_ = builder.SetupUpdatedDateUtcAuditProperty();
ICreatedUserAuditEntity<int>	_ = builder.SetupCreatedByIdAuditProperty<<EntityName>, AppUser, int>();
IUpdatedUserAuditEntity<int>	_ = builder.SetupUpdatedByIdAuditProperty<<EntityName>, AppUser, int>();
IConcurrencyStamp	_ = builder.SetupConcurrencyToken();

When the entity implements all four audit interfaces (i.e. IAuditEntity<int, int> or the equivalent combination of ICreatedDateAuditEntity + IUpdatedDateAuditEntity + ICreatedUserAuditEntity<int> + IUpdatedUserAuditEntity<int>), replace the four individual date/user calls with the single combined helper:

_ = builder.SetupAuditProperties<<EntityName>, AppUser, int>();

Optional DateTime properties

_ = builder.Property(x => x.ReadDateUtc).EnsureUtc();

Relationships

// Required FK -> Cascade
_ = builder.HasOne(x => x.Career!).WithMany().HasForeignKey(x => x.CareerId).OnDelete(DeleteBehavior.Cascade);

// Required FK -> Restrict (use when the parent should not be deleted while children exist)
_ = builder.HasOne(x => x.Sender!).WithMany().HasForeignKey(x => x.SenderId).OnDelete(DeleteBehavior.Restrict);

// Optional FK -> SetNull
_ = builder.HasOne(x => x.Category!).WithMany().HasForeignKey(x => x.CategoryId).OnDelete(DeleteBehavior.SetNull);

Owned collections (JSON storage)

_ = builder.OwnsMany(x => x.Sections, x => x.ToJson());

Indexes

Always add an index on every FK column. Choose clustered carefully -- each table can have only one clustered index.

// Clustered on a single FK (most common for child entities)
_ = builder.HasIndex(x => x.ParentId).IsClustered();

// Clustered composite (use when entity is always queried by both FKs together)
_ = builder.HasIndex(x => new { x.UserId, x.CareerId }).IsClustered();

// Unique clustered composite
_ = builder.HasIndex(x => new { x.UserId, x.CareerId }).IsClustered().IsUnique();

// Filtered index for nullable FK
_ = builder.HasIndex(x => x.OptionalParentId)
    .HasFilter("[OptionalParentId] IS NOT NULL")
    .HasDatabaseName("IX_<EntityName>_OptionalParent");

// Unique non-clustered
_ = builder.HasIndex(x => x.Name).IsUnique();

---

Interface reference

Interface	Properties required	Use when
IEntity<int>	Id	All entities -- always include this
ICreatedDateAuditEntity	CreatedDateUtc	Track when the entity was created
IUpdatedDateAuditEntity	UpdatedDateUtc	Track when the entity was last updated
ICreatedUserAuditEntity<int>	CreatedById	Track which user created the entity
IUpdatedUserAuditEntity<int>	UpdatedById	Track which user last updated the entity
IAuditEntity<int, int>	Id + all four above	Shorthand combining IEntity + all four date and user audit interfaces
IConcurrencyStamp	ConcurrencyStamp	Entity is mutable and requires optimistic concurrency control
IAppTenantEntity	AppTenantId	Entity belongs to a specific application tenant (multi-tenant scenarios)

Common combinations:

Pattern	Interfaces
Append-only log/event	IEntity<int> + ICreatedDateAuditEntity
Append-only with user	IEntity<int> + ICreatedDateAuditEntity + ICreatedUserAuditEntity<int>
Mutable, date audit only	IEntity<int> + ICreatedDateAuditEntity + IUpdatedDateAuditEntity + IConcurrencyStamp
Full audit	IAuditEntity<int, int> + IConcurrencyStamp

IAuditEntity<int, int> is a composite -- do not also add the individual date/user interfaces alongside it, as they are already included.

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Analyzer compatibility

Before finishing, read .ai-shared\bundles\umbrella\analyzer-compatibility.md and build the affected projects with their installed analyzers enabled. Treat diagnostics introduced by the generated or changed code as defects in this workflow.

Verification

After writing the files:

1. Check the entity class compiles -- look for missing using directives by comparing with a similar existing entity.
2. Check OnModelCreating -- confirm the new Add<EntityName>(builder) call is present and the private static method exists.
3. Confirm no DbSet<T> property was added.
4. Confirm every string property has a length attribute.
5. Confirm every navigation property is nullable.
6. Confirm every FK column has an index in the configuration method.