c# - Force reload of entity in Entity Framework after insert/add -

i have project entity, defined as:

public class project {     [key]     public guid projectid { get; set; }     //...     [required, foreignkey("user")]     public guid userid { get; set; }     public virtual user user { get; set; }     } 

in controller, have:

// insert public ihttpactionresult post([frombody] projectdto projectdto) {     return save(projectdto); }  // update public ihttpactionresult post(guid id, [frombody] projectdto projectdto) {     return save(projectdto); }  private ihttpactionresult save(projectdto projectdto) {     if (!modelstate.isvalid)         return badrequest(modelstate);      var isnew = projectdto.projectid == guid.empty;      project project;     if (isnew)     {         project = new project();         var user = usermanager.findbyname(user.identity.name);         projectdto.userid = new guid(user.userid.tostring());          dbcontext.entry(project).state = entitystate.added;     }     else     {         project= dbcontext.projects.find(projectdto.projectid);         if (project == null) return notfound();          dbcontext.entry(project).state = entitystate.modified;     }      // set fields dto user...      dbcontext.savechanges();      // issue:      return ok(project); } 

the issue when newly inserted project returned controller, virtual field user null because hasn't been loaded/populated user data.

on line // issue: tried both of these lines:

if (isnew) {     // try 1 of these 2 lines:     dbcontext.entry(project).reload();     project = dbcontext.projects.find(project.projectid); } 

but both had no effect: assume using find not going database because entity exists in context, returns that. have thought reload have forced full reload of project fk relationships, didn't.

i this:

if (isnew) {     project.user = dbcontext.users.find(project.userid); } 

but doesn't clean i'd like: i'd have each fk i'm returning.

what's best way handle this?

you can detach first, should force reloading upong finding:

dbcontext.entry(project).state = entitystate.detached; project = dbcontext.projects.find(project.projectid); 

if doesn't work, detach using objectcontext instead, stop working on future versions of ef (where dbcontext doesn't use objectcontext):

((iobjectcontextadapter)dbcontext).objectcontext.detach(project);