How to add ViewBag property as html class attribute properly? - asp.net

Question

I have this line:
#Html.ActionLink("Discounts", "ListDiscounts", "Product", null, new { #class = ViewBag.Discount })
The ListDiscounts is:
public ViewResult ListDiscounts(int nrProducts = 5)
{
ViewBag.Discount = "selected";
ProductsListViewModel model = new ProductsListViewModel
{
Products = repository.Products
.Where(p => p.Discount != false)
.Take(nrProducts)
};
return View(model);
}
The View that renders the Menu (where my separate Discounts will also be)
#model IEnumerable<string>
#Html.ActionLink("Home", "List", "Product")
#foreach (var link in Model) {
#Html.RouteLink(link, new
{
controller = "Product",
action = "List",
category = link,
page = 1
},
new
{
#class = link == ViewBag.SelectedCategory ? "selected" : null,
})
}
ListDiscounts.cshtml
#model Sportsstore.WebUI.Models.ProductsListViewModel
#{
ViewBag.Title = "ListDiscounts";
}
<h2>Discounts available</h2>
#foreach (var p in Model.Products)
{
Html.RenderPartial("ProductSummary", p);
}
I'm trying to add the selected class to my 'a' element in a view but this doesn't work. The ViewBag property remains empty when I click on that Discounts link.
The View associated with ListDiscounts is not the one where that ActionLink line is from (they're separate with the one that has it being a Partial View) but from what I understand ViewBag features have some sort of a global state so this should work?
Any ideas on what is wrong here?
EDIT: Using MVC 4

Answer 1

I believe there is something you are not showing us that is the problem. Perhaps you only populated the ViewBag in your post method but not your get method. I created a test application that mocks your app very closely and it works fine.
Controller
namespace MvcApplication1.Controllers
{
public class HomeController : Controller
{
public ViewResult Index()
{
ViewBag.Discount = "selected";
return View();
}
[HttpPost]
public ViewResult Index(int nrProducts = 5)
{
var model = new ProductsListViewModel{Products = "stuff"};
ViewBag.Discount = "selected";
return View(model);
}
}
}
View
#model MvcApplication1.Models.ProductsListViewModel
#Html.ActionLink("Discounts", "Index", "Home", null, new { #class = ViewBag.Discount })
#{ Html.RenderPartial("ViewPage1");}
#using (Html.BeginForm())
{
<input type="submit" />
}
Partial
#Html.ActionLink("Discounts", "Index", "Home", null, new { #class = ViewBag.Discount })
When I view the source both links have the class I expected. Also after I click on the link they have the class expected. Thus I believe you are not populating the view bag either on the Get and/or the Post controller method

Answer 2

If you're sure that you have value in the viewbag property instead of
#class = ViewBag.Discount try
#class = #ViewBag.Discount and see if it works

Answer 3

You just try the below code. Change the Viewbag name and try.
#Html.ActionLink("Discounts", "ListDiscounts", "Product", null, new { #class = ViewBag.CssDiscount })
public ViewResult ListDiscounts(int nrProducts = 5)
{
ViewBag.CssDiscount = "selected";
ProductsListViewModel model = new ProductsListViewModel
{
Products = repository.Products
.Where(p => p.Discount != false)
.Take(nrProducts)
};
return View(model);
}