Can't use custom SQLite builds

[cyungmann]

EFCore.Sqlite.NodaTime references Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite, which depends on SQLitePCLRaw.bundle_e_sqlite3. Could this project switch to referencing Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite.Core, which allows using custom SQLite bundles/providers? See also dotnet/efcore#7667

[khellang]

Hey @cyungmann! 👋🏻

I guess we could, but I think we'd have to split the project in two, as this would be a breaking change because user code would need to start calling SQLitePCL.raw.SetProvider() in order to pick the correct provider.

We'd probably have to create a EFCore.Sqlite.NodaTime.Core package that depends on Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite.Core and change the EFCore.Sqlite.NodaTime package to depend on EFCore.Sqlite.NodaTime.Core along with a SQLitePCLRaw bundle package.

Think that would work? 🤔

[cyungmann]

@khellang I'm not sure you actually need two different packages as long as the consuming project is still referencing Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite in some way. I tested this as follows:

1. Modify EFCore.Sqlite.NodaTime.csproj (and EFCore.Sqlite.NodaTime.Tests.csproj) and Directory.Build.targets to reference Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite.Core instead of Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite
2. Create a new console application with a project reference to EFCore.Sqlite.NodaTime.csproj. Run the console application and verify that everything works correctly.

Here is what the csproj looks like for that:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">

  <PropertyGroup>
    <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
    <TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>
    <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite" Version="9.0.6" />
    <PackageReference Include="NodaTime.Serialization.SystemTextJson" Version="1.3.0" />
  </ItemGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <ProjectReference Include="..\EFCore.Sqlite.NodaTime\EFCore.Sqlite.NodaTime.csproj" />
  </ItemGroup>

</Project>

and Program.cs:

using Microsoft.Data.Sqlite;
using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
using NodaTime;
using NodaTime.Serialization.SystemTextJson;

Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");

var tempFile = Path.Join(Path.GetTempPath(), $"{Path.GetRandomFileName()}.db");
{
    await using var fs = File.Create(tempFile);
}
try
{
    var connString = new SqliteConnectionStringBuilder
    {
        DataSource = tempFile,
    }.ConnectionString;
    await using var db = new MyContext(new DbContextOptionsBuilder<MyContext>()
        .UseSqlite(connString, x => x.UseNodaTime())
        .Options);
    await db.Database.EnsureCreatedAsync();

    var widget = new Widget
    {
        Id = 1,
        Created = SystemClock.Instance.GetCurrentInstant(),
        Modified = null,
    };
    db.Widgets.Add(widget);
    await db.SaveChangesAsync();

    widget = await db.Widgets.SingleAsync();
    Console.WriteLine(System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.Serialize(widget, new System.Text.Json.JsonSerializerOptions() { WriteIndented = true }.ConfigureForNodaTime(DateTimeZoneProviders.Tzdb)));
}
finally
{
    File.Delete(tempFile);
}


internal sealed class MyContext : DbContext
{
    public DbSet<Widget> Widgets { get; set; }

    internal MyContext(DbContextOptions<MyContext> options) : base(options) { }
}

internal sealed class Widget
{
    public int Id { get; set; }

    public Instant Created { get; set; }

    public Instant? Modified { get; set; }
}

It appears this is how the NuGet packages EFCore.BulkExtensions.Sqlite and Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite.NetTopologySuite work as well.

However, if the consuming project is relying on this package to transitively pull in Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite, then there may be issues.

[khellang]

However, if the consuming project is relying on this package to transitively pull in Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite, then there may be issues.

Yeah, that's the case I'm worried about. I tried exactly what you did, but didn't explicitly Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite and a bunch of unit tests failed immediately.

If this was a source breaking change, I wouldn't worry as much, but getting runtime errors (albeit at startup) by bumping a minor version of a package sucks. I'm also not super eager om bumping the major and get out of sync with EF Core 😅

[khellang]

After thinking about this more, I think I'm leaning towards just risking the breaking change. I don't think it would be very common to not have a direct reference to Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite, especially since those other projects have done the same. I think doing it this way outweighs the complexity of having two different packages.

Closed with 97e8f87. Should be on NuGet as v9.2.0 soon ✨