Modifying the default MVC app to show additional properties - asp.net-mvc

Question

I'm trying to modify the default MVC project so that instead of showing a username, I can display their full name. Eg, the default app shows
Hello <username>! Log off
I added a new property FullName to the ApplicationUser class. The code that shows the name currently is:
#Html.ActionLink("Hello " + User.Identity.GetUserName() + "!", "Manage", "Account", routeValues:=Nothing, htmlAttributes:=New With {.title = "Manage"})
So how can I get lookup that value from the ApplicationUser class and display it here? Additionally, is there a way to cache this? It seems like a waste to perform a lookup for every request.
I also might want to show their email address instead, so I definitely need to use a new property.

Answer 1

I generally like to serialize a user object in the FormsAuthentication cookie when they login and then create a class inheriting from IPrincipal so that my views can read the de-serialized object:
public interface IUserPrincipal : IPrincipal
{
int Id { get; set; }
string FirstName { get; set; }
string LastName { get; set; }
string Username { get; set; }
}
public class UserPrincipal : IUserPrincipal
{
public int Id { get; set; }
public string FirstName { get; set; }
public string LastName { get; set; }
public string Username { get; set; }
public IIdentity Identity { get; private set; }
public UserPrincipal(string Username)
{
this.Identity = new GenericIdentity(Username);
}
}
public class UserPrincipalPoco
{
public int Id { get; set; }
public string FirstName { get; set; }
public string LastName { get; set; }
public string Username { get; set; }
}
and then when authenticating:
public ActionResult Login(LoginViewModel vm, string ReturnUrl)
{
// Check for valid authentication
if (_authenticationService.Authenticate(vm.Username, vm.Password))
{
// Add forms authentication cookie
Response.Cookies.Add(GetFormsAuthenticationCookie(vm.Username));
// Redirect after authentication
}
// Failed authentication, redirect to unauthorized
}
private HttpCookie GetFormsAuthenticationCookie(string Username)
{
var user = _userService.GetUserByUsername(Username);
UserPrincipalPoco pocoModel = new UserPrincipalPoco();
pocoModel.Id = user.Id.Value;
pocoModel.FirstName = user.FirstName;
pocoModel.LastName = user.LastName;
pocoModel.Username = Username;
JavaScriptSerializer serializer = new JavaScriptSerializer();
string userData = serializer.Serialize(pocoModel);
FormsAuthenticationTicket authTicket = new FormsAuthenticationTicket(
1,
Username,
DateTime.Now,
DateTime.Now.AddMinutes(15),
false,
userData);
string encryptedTicket = FormsAuthentication.Encrypt(authTicket);
return new HttpCookie(FormsAuthentication.FormsCookieName, encryptedTicket);
}
and then in global.asax.cs:
protected void Application_PostAuthenticateRequest(Object sender, EventArgs e)
{
HttpCookie authCookie = Request.Cookies[FormsAuthentication.FormsCookieName];
if (authCookie != null)
{
FormsAuthenticationTicket authTicket = FormsAuthentication.Decrypt(authCookie.Value);
JavaScriptSerializer serializer = new JavaScriptSerializer();
UserPrincipalPoco serializeModel = serializer.Deserialize<UserPrincipalPoco>(authTicket.UserData);
UserPrincipal newUser = new UserPrincipal(authTicket.Name);
newUser.Id = serializeModel.Id;
newUser.FirstName = serializeModel.FirstName;
newUser.LastName = serializeModel.LastName;
newUser.Username = serializeModel.Username;
HttpContext.Current.User = newUser;
}
}
Now you need to create a BaseViewPage that inherits from WebViewPage to tell your views to use your UserPrincipal object:
public abstract class BaseViewPage : WebViewPage
{
public virtual new UserPrincipal User
{
get { return base.User as UserPrincipal; }
}
}
public abstract class BaseViewPage<TModel> : WebViewPage<TModel>
{
public virtual new UserPrincipal User
{
get { return base.User as UserPrincipal; }
}
}
and in your Web.config tell your views to always use this BaseViewPage:
<pages pageBaseType="MyNameSpace.Views.BaseViewPage">
Now in my views I can access the user like:
#User.Username
or
#User.FirstName #User.LastName

Answer 2

few ways you can do it.
if the application is not too big, you may cache the user models that log in for a specific period of time so you can pull the entire user info based on the username.
you may save a list if info in User.Identity, including username, firstname, last name etc, separating them with a comma or etc.
a bad way: every time you need the extra info, hit the database and get them.
my opinion: cache the recent users who have been logged in for a specific amount of time. you will be able to create slick solutions using cashing. let me know if you need info.