gistfile1.txt

 public class Sensor
    { 
        public int Id { get; set; }
        public string Name { get; set; }
        public string Location { get; set; }
    
        public List<Channel> Channels { get; set; }
    }
    
    public class Channel
    {
        public int Id { get; set; }
        public string Name { get; set; }
    
        public List<Reading> Readings { get; set; }
    }
    
    public class SensorDTO
    {
        public int Id { get; set; }
        public string Name { get; set; }
        public List<ChannelDTO> Channels { get; set; }
    }
    
        private Expression<Func<Sensor, SensorDTO>> CreateProjection(IEnumerable<Column> columns)
        {
            var selectParam = Expression.Parameter(typeof(Sensor), "s");
            var row = Expression.New(typeof(SensorDTO));
            var bindings = new List<MemberAssignment>();

            foreach (var column in columns)
            {
                Expression body = selectParam;
                var destProperty = column.Property;

                if (column.Property.Contains('.'))
                {
                    destProperty = destProperty.Replace(".", "");

                    var propertyParts = column.Property.Split('.');

                    foreach (var member in propertyParts)
                    {
                        body = Expression.Property(body, member); // property with nested type mapping. e.g: Sensor.SubType.Name => SensorDTO.SubTypeName

                        if (body.Type.GetGenericTypeDefinition().IsAssignableFrom(typeof(ICollection<>))) // This is a collection, we need to project something on this nested property.
                        {
                            // something something here about projecting nested List<T> onto the DTO.
                        }

                    }
                }
                else
                {
                    var mi = typeof(Sensor).GetProperty(column.Property); // one to one mapping - e.g. Sensor.Id => SensorDTO.Id
                    body = Expression.Property(body, mi);
                }

                var destinationProperty = typeof(SensorDTO).GetProperty(destProperty);
                var binding = Expression.Bind(destinationProperty, body);

                bindings.Add(binding);
            }

            var init = Expression.MemberInit(row, bindings);

            return Expression.Lambda<Func<Sensor, SensorDTO>>(init, selectParam);
        }

        private class Column
        {
            public string Property { get; set; }
        }