Calling a user defined function in a LINQ query - vb.net

Question

I've seen a few pages on the net regarding this, but unfortunately the sample code is in C#. I can't make sense of most of it (and/or run it through a code translator) but I still need help making it work in VB.
My custom function is:
Public Shared Function GetFriendlyTitle(Title As String) As String
Dim ConvertedTitle As String = ""
Try
Dim oRE As Regex = New Regex("[^a-zA-Z0-9\s]")
ConvertedTitle = Trim(oRE.Replace(Title, "")).Replace(" ", "_")
Catch ex As Exception
LogError(ex)
End Try
Return ConvertedTitle
End Function
and here's the function I'm calling to return products:
Public Shared Function GetProductByTypeAndTitle(URLFriendlyTitle As String, ProductType As ProductType)
Try
'don't know why, but the server threw errors if I went c.Type=Type
Dim pt As Integer = CInt([Enum].Parse(GetType(ProductType), [Enum].GetName(GetType(ProductType), ProductType)))
Dim context As LionsSharePressEntities = New LionsSharePressModel.LionsSharePressEntities
return From p In context.Products Where GetFriendlyTitle(p.Title) = URLFriendlyTitle AndAlso p.Type = pt
Catch ex As Exception
LogError(ex)
Return nothing
End Try
End Function
It compiles fine, but hangs when I run it. It's that return line that does it.

Answer 1

Try to add Select statement:
return From p In context.Products
Where GetFriendlyTitle(p.Title) = URLFriendlyTitle
AndAlso p.Type = pt
Select p

Answer 2

This question is a bit old and already seems to have been resolved. But I'm still postings this in hopes that maybe it will help someone out with an alternate solution that has worked for me.
Also please note that I was not in a position to make my function called from w/in my LINQ query "Shared" making my situation slightly different. Which I thought all the more reason to post an alternate answer.
Public Function GetFriendlyTitle(Title As String) As String
Dim ConvertedTitle As String = ""
Try
Dim oRE As Regex = New Regex("[^a-zA-Z0-9\s]")
ConvertedTitle = Trim(oRE.Replace(Title, "")).Replace(" ", "_")
Catch ex As Exception
LogError(ex)
End Try
Return ConvertedTitle
End Function
When I ran into an issue calling a non shared user defined function from w/in a LINQ query this is how I resolved it using the OPs code snippet as an example.
Public Shared Function GetProductByTypeAndTitle(URLFriendlyTitle As String, _
ProductType As ProductType)
Try
'don't know why, but the server threw errors if I went c.Type=Type
Dim pt As Integer = _
CInt([Enum].Parse(GetType(ProductType), _
[Enum].GetName(GetType(ProductType), ProductType)))
Dim context As New LionsSharePressModel.LionsSharePressEntities
'// Here is the lambda that will call your GetFriendlyTitle function
Dim callUserFunc As Func(Of String, String) = _
Function(title As String)
Return GetFriendlyTitle(title)
End Function
'// Now call Invoke on the lambda and pass in the needed param(s) from within your LINQ query
return From p In context.Products _
Where callUserFunc.Invoke(p.Title) = URLFriendlyTitle AndAlso p.Type = pt
'//return From p In context.Products Where GetFriendlyTitle(p.Title) = URLFriendlyTitle AndAlso p.Type = pt
Catch ex As Exception
LogError(ex)
Return nothing
End Try
End Function