.NET

Prerequisites

  • .NET SDK (Core)

Installation

  1. Use the following command to create a new project:

    dotnet new console -o Neo4jAuraExample
  2. Navigate into the newly created directory:

    cd Neo4jAuraExample
  3. Install the .NET Driver using Package Manager:

    dotnet add package Neo4j.Driver

Code example

using Neo4j.Driver;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

public class DriverIntroductionExample : IDisposable
{
    private bool _disposed = false;
    private readonly IDriver _driver;

    ~DriverIntroductionExample() => Dispose(false);

    public DriverIntroductionExample(string uri, string user, string password)
    {
        _driver = GraphDatabase.Driver(uri, AuthTokens.Basic(user, password));
    }

    public async Task CreateFriendship(string person1Name, string person2Name)
    {
        // To learn more about the Cypher syntax, see https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/
        // The Reference Card is also a good resource for keywords https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-refcard/current/
        var query = @"
        MERGE (p1:Person { name: $person1Name })
        MERGE (p2:Person { name: $person2Name })
        MERGE (p1)-[:KNOWS]->(p2)
        RETURN p1, p2";

        await using var session = _driver.AsyncSession(configBuilder => configBuilder.WithDatabase("neo4j"));
        try
        {
            // Write transactions allow the driver to handle retries and transient error
            var writeResults = await session.ExecuteWriteAsync(async tx =>
            {
                var result = await tx.RunAsync(query, new { person1Name, person2Name });
                return await result.ToListAsync();
            });

            foreach (var result in writeResults)
            {
                var person1 = result["p1"].As<INode>().Properties["name"];
                var person2 = result["p2"].As<INode>().Properties["name"];
                Console.WriteLine($"Created friendship between: {person1}, {person2}");
            }
        }
        // Capture any errors along with the query and data for traceability
        catch (Neo4jException ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"{query} - {ex}");
            throw;
        }
    }

    public async Task FindPerson(string personName)
    {
        var query = @"
        MATCH (p:Person)
        WHERE p.name = $name
        RETURN p.name";

        await using var session = _driver.AsyncSession(configBuilder => configBuilder.WithDatabase("neo4j"));
        try
        {
            var readResults = await session.ExecuteReadAsync(async tx =>
            {
                var result = await tx.RunAsync(query, new { name = personName });
                return await result.ToListAsync();
            });

            foreach (var result in readResults)
            {
                Console.WriteLine($"Found person: {result["p.name"].As<String>()}");
            }
        }
        // Capture any errors along with the query and data for traceability
        catch (Neo4jException ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"{query} - {ex}");
            throw;
        }
    }

    public void Dispose()
    {
        Dispose(true);
        GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
    }

    protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing)
    {
        if (_disposed)
            return;

        if (disposing)
        {
            _driver?.Dispose();
        }

        _disposed = true;
    }

    public static async Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Aura queries use an encrypted connection using the "neo4j+s" protocol
        var uri = "neo4j+s://<Bolt url for Neo4j Aura instance>";
        var user = "<Username for Neo4j Aura instance>";
        var password = "<Password for Neo4j Aura instance>";

        using var example = new DriverIntroductionExample(uri, user, password);
        await example.CreateFriendship("Alice", "David");
        await example.FindPerson("Alice");
    }
}

Running the example

Follow the steps below to run the example code:

  1. Copy and paste the code above into a file named Program.cs.

  2. Enter the information for the AuraDB instance you want to connect to by replacing:

    • <Bolt url for Neo4j Aura instance> with the URI.

    • <Username for Neo4j Aura instance> with the username.

    • <Password for Neo4j Aura instance> with the password.

  3. Use the following command to generate an executable:

    dotnet build
  4. Use the following command to run the example code:

    dotnet run

Example walkthrough

The example imports Neo4j.Driver to connect to the Neo4j AuraDB instance.

The Main function calls the following two functions:

  • CreateFriendship creates two 'Person' nodes, Alice and David, and a 'KNOWS' relationship between them using a write transaction.

  • FindPerson finds Alice using a read transaction.

Developing with Neo4j Aura requires the use of Transaction Functions. Transaction Functions enable automatic recovery from transient network errors and enable load balancing.

Make sure to log queries and data sent from your application as it is useful when you encounter errors and can help with debugging. This example catches a Neo4jException.