MVC, problem with Mapper passing ViewModel to CreateView - asp.net-mvc

Question

I need some help. I'm using ASP.NET MVC which I am beginner in.
I'm writing an application with a database and 3 tables (2 tables are just for parent child drop downs, and third is for saving data from dropdowns and fill other forms).
I am using Entity Framework with SQL to connect my database to ASP.NET MVC with autogenerated models from database.
I manually make ViewModel of all three tables and their fields and I need to pass all data to 1 view (Create View)
Here is my code from Home controller where I am getting error.
[HttpPost]
[ValidateAntiForgeryToken]
public ActionResult Create(CountryStateContactsViewModel csvm)
{
if (!ModelState.IsValid)
{
return View(csvm);
}
// Error happens here
Contact contactModel = Mapper.Map<CountryStateContactsViewModel, Contact>(csvm);
db.Contacts.Add(contactModel);
db.SaveChanges();
return RedirectToAction("Index");
}
This is the error I get:
An object reference is required for the non-static field, method, or property 'Mapper.Map<CountryStateContactsViewModel, Contact>(CountryStateContactsViewModel)

Answer 1

In order to use AutoMapper , first you should CreateMap between your classes.
public class ContactProfile {
public AutoMapperProfile() {
CreateMap<CountryStateContactsViewModel,Contact>();
}
}
public class AutoMapperConfiguration {
public static void Initialize() {
Mapper.Initialize(cfg = > {
cfg.AddProfile(new ContactProfile());
});
}
}
And finally in your Global.asax:
AutoMapperConfiguration.Initialize()

Answer 2

According to OP comments there is no AutoMapper configuration, and without it AutoMapper cannot resolve mappings.
Define an interface to abstract the mapping methods:
public interface IMappingService
{
TDest Map<TSrc, TDest>(TSrc source) where TDest : class;
TDest Map<TSrc, TDest>(TSrc source, TDest dest) where TDest : class;
}
Implement the interface:
public class MappingService : IMappingService
{
private MapperConfiguration mapperConfiguration;
private IMapper mapper;
public MappingService()
{
mapperConfiguration = new MapperConfiguration(cfg =>
{
// Define here your mapping profiles...
cfg.AddProfile<ViewModelToDomainMappingProfile>();
cfg.AddProfile<DomainToViewModelMappingProfile>();
});
// You may not want to assert that your config is valid, and that's ok.
mapperConfiguration.AssertConfigurationIsValid();
mapper = mapperConfiguration.CreateMapper();
}
public TDest Map<TSrc, TDest>(TSrc source) where TDest : class
{
return mapper.Map<TSrc, TDest>(source);
}
public TDest Map<TSrc, TDest>(TSrc source, TDest dest) where TDest : class
{
return mapper.Map(source, dest);
}
}
Now you have to define your profiles (example):
public class ViewModelToDomainProfile: Profile
{
public ViewModelToDomainProfile()
{
CreateMap<CountryStateContactsViewModel, Contact>();
}
}
public class DomainToViewModelProfile: Profile
{
public DomainToViewModelProfile()
{
CreateMap<CountryStateContactsViewModel, Contact>();
}
}
Finally, inject your IMappingService in your controller:
private readonly IMappingService _mappingService;
public HomeController(IMappingService mappingService) {
_mappingService = mappingService;
}
And use it like so:
_mappingService.Map<CountryStateContactsViewModel, Contact>(viewModel);
I like this solution because it encapsulates everything nicely.
EDIT: #Arsalan Valoojerdi was faster than me. But, this way you have two different approaches.
Note: Do not forget to define your dependency to IMappingService on your IoC container (eg. Ninject).