I have different configurations all inheriting from a base configuration that are customized in forms. I want all of these to be handled by a single action result.
[HttpPost]
public IActionResult Register(AbstractBaseConfig config)
{
...do some logic...
return View("../Home/Index");
}
However, this is not possible because you cannot base in abstract classes as a parameter to an action result. Is there any work around for this so I don't need a seperate action result for each configuration? (I still want each configuration to be it's own class, I only need access to the base class methods in the action result logic).
Basically you can't, and the reason is that MVC will try to do new AbstractBaseConfig() as part of the Data Binding process (which parses the URL or the Form Post and puts the results in a concrete object). And by definition, doing new AbstractBaseConfig() is impossible for an abstract class.
It also makes sense for other reasons, I will explain why.
You seem to expect that MVC can determine the class from the parameters that are being passed in. That is not how it works, in fact the opposite is true: the Action Method has to specify the exact class, and then the Binder will instantiate that exact class and try to bind its properties.
Suppose you had this:
public abstract class Thing { public int ID { get;set; } }
public class NamedThing : Thing { public string Name { get;set; } }
public class OtherThing : Thing { public string Name { get;set; } }
and suppose it would be allowed to use:
public IActionResult Register(Thing thing)
then what would you expect to be in thing after Data Binding: a Thing object with only the ID set? Or one of the other object types, with Name set, but how would MVC ever be able to know which class you meant?
So for all these reasons, this is not possible.
You could have a base class inherit the abstract class and all your classes inherit from that base class whilst having that base class as your parameter
Take for example
public abstract class ABase
{
public void stuff()
{
var stuff = string.Empty;
stuff = "hello";
}
public virtual void otherstuff()
{
var stuff = string.Empty;
stuff = "hello";
}
}
public class Base : ABase
{
//empty
}
public class Derived : Base
{
public void mystuff()
{
this.stuff();
}
public override void otherstuff()
{
// Custom code
}
}
public ActionResult Register(Base config)
{
}
Related
My theme has some sort of breadcrumb. The controller is always the category. To avoid repeat myself, I want to set it in the constructor of the controller for all actions like this:
class MyController:Controller{
public MyController() {
ViewBag.BreadcrumbCategory = "MyCategory";
}
}
When I access ViewBag.BreadcrumbCategory in the layout-view, its null. In a Action it works:
class MyController:Controller{
public IActionResult DoSomething() {
ViewBag.BreadcrumbCategory = "MyCategory";
}
}
I'm wondering that setting a ViewBag property is not possible in a constructor? It would be annoying and no good practice to have a function called on every action which do this work. In another question using the constructor was an accepted answear, but as I said this doesn't work, at least for ASP.NET Core.
There is an GitHub issue about it and it's stated that this is by design. The answer you linked is about ASP.NET MVC3, the old legacy ASP.NET stack.
ASP.NET Core is written from scratch and uses different concepts, designed for both portability (multiple platforms) as well as for performance and modern practices like built-in support for Dependency Injection.
The last one makes it impossible to set ViewBag in the constructor, because certain properties of the Constructor base class must be injected via Property Injection as you may have noticed that you don't have to pass these dependencies in your derived controllers.
This means, when the Controller's constructor is called, the properties for HttpContext, ControllerContext etc. are not set. They are only set after the constructor is called and there is a valid instance/reference to this object.
And as pointed in the GitHub issues, it won't be fixed because this is by design.
As you can see here, ViewBag has a dependency on ViewData and ViewData is populated after the controller is initialized. If you call ViewBag.Something = "something", then you it will create a new instance of the DynamicViewData class, which will be replaced by the one after the constructor gets initialized.
As #SLaks pointed out, you can use an action filter which you configure per controller.
The following example assumes that you always derive your controllers from Controller base class.
public class BreadCrumbAttribute : IActionFilter
{
private readonly string _name;
public BreadCrumbAttribute(string name)
{
_name = name;
}
public void OnActionExecuting(ActionExecutingContext context)
{
base.OnActionExecuting(context);
var controller = context.Controller as Controller;
if (controller != null)
{
controller.ViewBag.BreadcrumbCategory = _name;
}
}
}
Now you should be able to decorate your controller with it.
[BreadCrumb("MyCategory")]
class MyController:Controller
{
}
I have the same issue and solve it overriding the OnActionExecuted method of the controller:
public override void OnActionExecuted(ActionExecutedContext context)
{
base.OnActionExecuted(context);
ViewBag.Module = "Production";
}
Here is a better way to do this for .NET Core 3.x, use the ResultFilterAttribute:
Create your own custom filter attribute that inherits from ResultFilterAttribute as shown below:
public class PopulateViewBagAttribute : ResultFilterAttribute
{
public PopulateViewBagAttribute()
{
}
public override void OnResultExecuting(ResultExecutingContext context)
{
// context.HttpContext.Response.Headers.Add(_name, new string[] { _value });
(context.Controller as MyController).SetViewBagItems();
base.OnResultExecuting(context);
}
}
You'll need to implement the method SetViewBagItems to populate your ViewBag
public void SetViewBagItems()
{
ViewBag.Orders = Orders;
}
Then Decorate your Controller class with the new attribute:
[PopulateViewBag]
public class ShippingManifestController : Controller
That's all there is to it! If you are populating ViewBags all over the place from your constructor, then you may consider creating a controller base class with the abstract method SetViewBagItems. Then you only need one ResultFilterAttribute class to do all the work.
I want to change my session proviced to statically typed - I just hate typing strings because of many many errors I do.
What technology am I using? ASP.NET MVC via EXT.NET MVC
I was trying to do that using web.config but the problem is that after add session state to it visual is not going to compile my code because of that session should be using strings as keys.
I want to use session by enums such as :
public enum SessionEnum{Model}
public class Bar{
void foo(){
Session[SessionEnum.Model] = "blah";
}
}
I am aware that I can create wrapper converting enums to strings but it's not very satisfying solution for me.
public class StorageWrapper{
public object this[SessionEnum enum]{ get{return Session[enum.toString()]}; //+set
}
What I did was create static object for base class for all of my controllers and then I was able to use it across them but after closing and opening the page again I wasn't able to get values from it. I guess I should serialize them somehow but I have no idea how.
Is there any way to do that?
EDIT
My session now looks like this :
[Serializable]
public abstract class DataWrapper<T> : HttpSessionStateBase
{
Dictionary<T, object> Dictionary { get; set; } = new Dictionary<T, object>();
public object this[T a]
{
get
{
try
{
return Dictionary[a];
}
catch
{
return null;
}
}
set { Dictionary[a] = value; }
}
}
[Serializable]
public class SessionWrapper : DataWrapper<SessionNames>
{}
public enum SessionNames { Model, Login, LastOpenedFile }
It's very simple.
Create a UserSession object which does everything you want (holds your values as enum etc), instantiate it, then put it in the session.
var US = new UserSession();
US.stuff = somestuff;
Session["UserSess"] = US
Then you can just always use Session["UserSess"].stuff;
Mmmm, wouldn't you use static const string instead of an enum?
using System.Web;
public static class SessionEnum
{
public static const string Model = "_Session_Model";
public static const string Login = "_Session_Login";
public static const string LastOpenedFile = "_Session_LastOpenedFile ";
}
class test
{
void test()
{
Session[SessionEnum.Model] = "blah";
}
}
How can I access some ViewBag properties across all my views? I want to have some information like current user name, etc accessible everywhere, but without having to to specifically define the properties in each ActionResult method on my project
The best and straight forward way to accomplish your requirement is to make a Custom Base Controller and inherit your Controller from this Base Controller.
public class MyBaseController : Controller
{
protected override void OnActionExecuting(ActionExecutingContext filterContext)
{
ViewBag.someThing = "someThing"; //Add whatever
base.OnActionExecuting(filterContext);
}
}
Now instead of inheriting Controller class,inherit MyBaseController in your Controller as shown :-
public class MyOtherController : MyBaseController
{
public ActionResult MyOtherAction()
{
//Your Stuff
return View();
}
//Other ActionResults
}
You can achieve what you want in a number of ways, each one with their pros and cons.
1. With a Base Class
public class BaseController : Controller
{
protected override ViewResult View(IView view, object model)
{
this.ViewBag.MyProperty = "value";
return base.View(view, model);
}
}
PROS: Quite simple to implement, few lines of code, highly reusable, can be opted-out at will (see comments below).
CONS: Being forced to derive all your controllers from a base class might have some impact, especially if you have a lot of controllers already in place and/or you need to derive them from other base classes.
2. With a Module
public class ViewBagPropertyModule: Module
{
protected override void AttachToComponentRegistration(IComponentRegistry cr,
IComponentRegistration reg)
{
Type limitType = reg.Activator.LimitType;
if (typeof(Controller).IsAssignableFrom(limitType))
{
registration.Activated += (s, e) =>
{
dynamic viewBag = ((Controller)e.Instance).ViewBag;
viewBag.MyProperty= "value";
};
}
}
}
PROS: None I’m aware of.
CONS: None I’m aware of (except being a bit counterintuitive).
3. With a RegisterController Hook
builder.RegisterControllers(asm)
.OnActivated(e => {
dynamic viewBag = ((Controller)e.Instance).ViewBag;
viewBag.MyProperty = "value";
});
PROS: Fast, secure, reusable: ideal for any IoC design pattern.
CONS: Not always suited for small project and/or simple websites: if you’re not using IoC you’re often not using RegisterController at all.
4. With an ActionFilter attribute
public class MyPropertyActionFilter : ActionFilterAttribute
{
public override void OnResultExecuting(ResultExecutingContext filterContext)
{
filterContext.Controller.ViewBag.MyProperty = "value";
}
}
and then in your Global.asax.cs file:
protected void Application_Start()
{
AreaRegistration.RegisterAllAreas();
GlobalFilters.Filters.Add(new MyPropertyActionFilter(), 0);
}
PROS: Easily the less-obtrusive method amongst those mentioned.
CONS: None I’m aware of.
I also wrote this article on my blog explaining all the above methods.
One way: Create a custom attribute, then you can apply it globally in the FilterConfig. Then you don't have to do anything in your controllers.
public class MyCustomViewActionFilter : ActionFilterAttribute
{
public override void OnActionExecuting(ActionExecutingContext filterContext)
{
dynamic ViewBag = filterContext.Controller.ViewBag;
ViewBag.Id = "123";
ViewBag.Name = "Bob";
}
}
In App_Start/FilterConfig.cs:
public static void RegisterGlobalFilters(GlobalFilterCollection filters)
{
filters.Add(new MyCustomViewActionFilter());
}
Another way if all you need is the User information. You can add the following to the top of your view:
#using Microsoft.AspNet.Identity
Then access your User Name using the following syntax:
#User.Identity.GetUserName()
You can also override the IPrincipal implementation and provide your own properties and methods to add more information you need to render.
UPDATE: looking at MVC 6 in Asp.Net vNext this is actually baked into the framework. http://www.asp.net/vnext/overview/aspnet-vnext/vc#inj
My current solution:
Create a base controller with all needed properties (very useful and advisable).
public abstract class BaseController : Controller {
public string MyProperty { get; set; }
}
Inherits all your controllers, from the base controller.
public class MyController : BaseController {
//you can read your property here
}
In your views, add this line just after the "#model" sentence:
#{ BaseController ctr = ViewContext.Controller as BaseController; }
Now, you can use the property in your view, without populate the ViewBag, without the need of check and cast the ViewBag values, etc.
In the view, you can use an simple inline expression:
#(ctr.MyProperty)
Or do some magic logic...
#{
if(ctr.MyProperty == "whatelse") {
//do ...
}
}
Easy, fast and comfortable.
For Net Core 5 Mvc app:
Create a ActionFilter class first:
public class GlobalSettingFilter : IActionFilter
{
private IConfiguration configuration;
//For example will get data from the configuration object
public GlobalSettingFilter(IConfiguration configuration)
{
this.configuration = configuration;
}
public void OnActionExecuting(ActionExecutingContext context)
{
//Populate the ViewData or ViewBag from your data source
(context.Controller as Controller).ViewData["helpUrl"] = configuration.GetValue<String>("helpUrl");
}
public void OnActionExecuted(ActionExecutedContext context){}
}
Then, on Startup add:
public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
...
services.AddControllersWithViews(options =>
{
options.Filters.Add(new GlobalSettingFilter(Configuration));
});
}
Just for the sake of completeness, to get the configuration object use:
public class Startup
{
public Startup(IConfiguration configuration)
{
Configuration = configuration;
}
public IConfiguration Configuration { get; }
...
}
You can create a base controller that is inherited by all of your controllers, and in this controller (the base one) add:
protected override void OnActionExecuting(ActionExecutingContext filterContext)
{
// Fill your global viewbag variables here
}
Assuming I have an Interface IReportBuilderService and concrete class ReportBuilderService
e.g. public class ReportBuilderService : IReportBuilderService { }
I can start to mock this service with Moq as such
Mock<IReportBuilderService> _reportBuilderServiceMock = new Mock<IReportBuilderService>();
And mock expectations etc on the mock class, ok no problems.
Question: How do I mock the following method signature?
public abstract class ReportBuilder<TReport> where TReport : Report, new()
where a TReport is defined as
public class SomeReport : ReportBuilder<Report>, IMapper{}
And Report class is simply
public class Report { }
In the abstract class ReportBuilder there are a series of Property Get/ Sets, it is the value of these that I’m trying to fake/mock.
But I can’t begin to get the correct mock on this abstract class to start with
Hope this makes sense
Given that your abstract class looks like this:
public abstract class ReportBuilder<TReport> where TReport : Report, new()
{
public abstract Int32 SomeThing { get; set; }
}
there's no problem in mocking it at all:
var m = new Mock<ReportBuilder<Report>>();
m.SetupProperty(r => r.SomeThing, 19);
but note that all your properties have to be virtual or abstract.
So if this is not the case (and you can't or don't want to change this), you could either extract an interface from your base class and use this (if you're willing to change your code accordingly), or simply create a stub/mock by subclassing:
public class StubReportBuilder : ReportBuilder<Report>
{
public override Int32 SomeThing { get { return 42; } set { } }
}
I'm trying to add logging with aspect orientated programming using castle windsor in plain asp.net, i.e. not MVC
I've added a class that implements the IInterceptor interface and an attribute that inherits from Attribute.
public class LogAttribute : Attribute
{
public Level LogLevel { get; set; }
public LogAttribute(Level level)
{
LogLevel = level;
}
}
public class LoggingInterceptor : IInterceptor
{
public void Intercept(IInvocation invocation)
{
MethodInfo mi = invocation.Method;
LogAttribute[] atts = (LogAttribute[])mi.GetCustomAttributes(typeof(LogAttribute), true);
// if method not marked with InternalUseRestricted attribute, then pass on call
if (atts.Length == 0)
{
invocation.Proceed();
}
else
{
ISeiLogger log = LoggerFactory.GetLogger(mi.DeclaringType.ToString());
//assume only one logging attribute
//log on entry
log.LogEnter(atts[0].LogLevel);
//allow code to continue
invocation.Proceed();
//log on exit
log.LogExit(atts[0].LogLevel);
}
}
}
Now in the global.asax.cs I've added the following:
public partial class Global : System.Web.HttpApplication, IoCProvider
{
private void InitializeIoC()
{
container = new WindsorContainer();
container.Install(new Sei.Aspect.AspectInstaller());
}
public IWindsorContainer Container
{
get { return container; }
}
private static Sei.Logging.ISeiLogger log;
private IWindsorContainer container;
public override void Init()
{
base.Init();
InitializeIoC();
}
and I've created an installer class:
public class AspectInstaller : IWindsorInstaller
{
public void Install(IWindsorContainer container, IConfigurationStore store)
{
//container.Register(AllTypes.FromAssembly(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly()).BasedOn<IInterceptor>().Configure(component => component.LifeStyle.PerWebRequest));
container.Register(Component.For<IInterceptor>().ImplementedBy<LoggingInterceptor>().LifeStyle.PerWebRequest);
container.Register(Component.For<IInterceptor>().ImplementedBy<InternalUseRestrictedInterceptor>().LifeStyle.PerWebRequest);
container.Register(Component.For<IInterceptor>().ImplementedBy<CachingInterceptor>().LifeStyle.PerWebRequest);
}
}
I now want to add the attribute to some arbitary page's code behind class and some arbitary virtual method, as in
[Log(Level.Info)]
protected string Login(string username, string password)
{
DoSomething();
}
This obviously doesn't work. Do I need to change the way I'm instantiating the page (its a page's code-behind class) to use a container? Or is it the way I'm registering the interceptors? I want to be able to use the interceptors on any class going forward and not have to tell the container about each and every class that I have in my application.
Short answer: it's not possible.
Long answer: due to the way ASP.NET Web Forms works, it doesn't let anyone interfere with the page instantiation. Some claim that using a custom PageHandlerFactory lets you do IoC, but this only lets you set properties after the page has been instantiated, which is simply not enough for proxying.
So runtime proxy libraries such as DynamicProxy or LinFu can't do anything about this. But you may be able to use compile-time aspect weavers, such as PostSharp.
Alternatively, make your code-behind as slim as possible, deferring actual logic to Windsor-managed components.