Using Application DbContext

Integrate TickerQ entities into your existing application DbContext for shared database connections and unified migrations.

When to Use

Use your application DbContext when:

• You want to share the same database connection pool
• You need to join TickerQ entities with your application entities in queries
• You have existing migrations and prefer to manage everything together
• Your application already has a well-established DbContext setup

Basic Setup

using TickerQ.DependencyInjection;
using TickerQ.EntityFrameworkCore.DependencyInjection;

builder.Services.AddTickerQ(options =>
{
    options.AddOperationalStore<MyApplicationDbContext>(efOptions =>
    {
        efOptions.UseApplicationDbContext<MyApplicationDbContext>(ConfigurationType.UseModelCustomizer);
        efOptions.SetDbContextPoolSize(128);
    });
});

Configuration Types

UseModelCustomizer (Recommended)

Automatically applies TickerQ entity configurations during model building:

options.AddOperationalStore<MyApplicationDbContext>(efOptions =>
{
    efOptions.UseApplicationDbContext<MyApplicationDbContext>(ConfigurationType.UseModelCustomizer);
});

Benefits:

• Automatic configuration application
• No manual model configuration required
• Works seamlessly with migrations

IgnoreModelCustomizer

Use manual configuration in your DbContext's OnModelCreating method:

options.AddOperationalStore<MyApplicationDbContext>(efOptions =>
{
    efOptions.UseApplicationDbContext<MyApplicationDbContext>(ConfigurationType.IgnoreModelCustomizer);
});

Application DbContext Example

public class AppDbContext : DbContext
{
    public AppDbContext(DbContextOptions<AppDbContext> options)
        : base(options) { }
    
    public DbSet<User> Users { get; set; }
    public DbSet<Order> Orders { get; set; }
    // TickerQ entities added automatically via UseModelCustomizer
    
    protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder builder)
    {
        base.OnModelCreating(builder);
        // TickerQ configurations applied automatically
    }
}

Manual Configuration

If you choose ConfigurationType.IgnoreModelCustomizer, manually apply configurations:

public class MyApplicationDbContext : DbContext
{
    public MyApplicationDbContext(DbContextOptions<MyApplicationDbContext> options)
        : base(options) { }
    
    public DbSet<User> Users { get; set; }
    
    protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder builder)
    {
        base.OnModelCreating(builder);
        
        // Apply TickerQ entity configurations manually
        builder.ApplyConfiguration(new TimeTickerConfigurations());
        builder.ApplyConfiguration(new CronTickerConfigurations());
        builder.ApplyConfiguration(new CronTickerOccurrenceConfigurations());
    }
}

Handling Conflicts

If you have other libraries that override IModelCustomizer (e.g., OpenIddict), you may need to:

Option 1: Merge Customizations

Manually merge TickerQ configurations with other customizations in OnModelCreating:

protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder builder)
{
    base.OnModelCreating(builder);
    
    // Apply other library configurations
    // ... 
    
    // Apply TickerQ configurations
    builder.ApplyConfiguration(new TimeTickerConfigurations());
    builder.ApplyConfiguration(new CronTickerConfigurations());
    builder.ApplyConfiguration(new CronTickerOccurrenceConfigurations());
}

Option 2: Use Separate DbContext

Consider using the built-in TickerQDbContext instead if conflicts persist.

Querying Across Entities

With application DbContext, you can query TickerQ entities alongside your application entities:

var userJobs = await _context.Users
    .Where(u => u.Id == userId)
    .SelectMany(u => 
        _context.Set<TimeTickerEntity>()
            .Where(t => t.Request != null && /* parse request for userId */))
    .ToListAsync();

Migrations

Create migrations for your application DbContext (includes TickerQ entities):

dotnet ef migrations add AddTickerQSupport --context MyApplicationDbContext
dotnet ef database update --context MyApplicationDbContext

Best Practices

1. Use Model Customizer: Prefer ConfigurationType.UseModelCustomizer unless you have conflicts
2. Monitor Conflicts: Watch for issues with other IModelCustomizer implementations
3. Separate When Needed: Don't hesitate to use TickerQDbContext if conflicts arise
4. Test Migrations: Always test migrations in development before production

See Also

• Built-in TickerQDbContext - Alternative setup approach
• Custom Entities - Using custom entity types
• Migrations - Database migration guide
• Configuration Reference - Complete API documentation