Where to place AutoMapper.CreateMaps?

🚀 Where to place AutoMapper.CreateMaps?

Are you using AutoMapper in your ASP.NET MVC application and wondering where to place the AutoMapper.CreateMap calls? You've come to the right place! In this blog post, we will address common issues and provide you with easy solutions to this problem. So, let's get started and make your mapping code more efficient! 💪

📍 The Problem

You've probably heard that AutoMapper.CreateMap calls have some overhead, and it's advised to put them elsewhere in your application. But how exactly should you design your application to achieve this? Let's break it down.

📦 Application Structure

First things first, let's understand the structure of your application. You mentioned that you have a web layer, service layer, and data layer, each residing in its separate project. This is a great separation of concerns! 👏

💡 The Solution

To optimize your mapping code and put the AutoMapper.CreateMap calls in just one place, we recommend the following approach:

1. Create a separate project (let's call it "Mapping Configurations") in your solution that will solely handle the AutoMapper configurations.

2. In this "Mapping Configurations" project, create a class (e.g., AutoMapperConfig) responsible for configuring the mappings. Make sure this class is decoupled from both your web and service layers.

3. Now, within the AutoMapperConfig class, you can define your CreateMap calls in the Configure method. This method will be called once during the application startup.

   public static class AutoMapperConfig { public static void Configure() { Mapper.CreateMap<Source, Destination>(); // Add more CreateMap calls as needed... } }

4. In your main application, whether it's the web or service layer, find the appropriate place to call AutoMapperConfig.Configure() during startup. This ensures that the mappings are set up correctly and only executed once.

   • In an ASP.NET MVC project, you can put this call in the Application_Start method of the Global.asax.cs file.

   • In an ASP.NET Core project, you can put this call in the Startup.cs file in the ConfigureServices method.

5. Lastly, don't forget to reference the "Mapping Configurations" project in both your web and service layer projects to access the AutoMapperConfig class.

And there you have it! 🎉 Your AutoMapper.CreateMap calls are now in one place, reducing the overhead and making your mappings more efficient.

🤳 Engage with Us!

We hope this guide helps you optimize your AutoMapper configurations. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out to us in the comments below. We always love hearing from our readers! 😊

So go ahead and implement these changes in your application, and don't forget to share your success stories or any other topics you'd like us to cover in future blog posts.

Happy mapping! 🚀