I would like to save a variable in the controller to be able to use it for all methods so I declared 3 private strings
public class BankAccountController : Controller
{
private string dateF, dateT, accID;
//controller methods
}
Now this method changes their values:
[HttpPost]
public ActionResult Filter(string dateFrom, string dateTo, string accountid)
{
dateF = dateFrom;
dateT = dateTo;
accID = accountid;
//rest of the code
}
I used a breakpoint and the variables are being changed when I call that controller method, however when I call other controller methods such as these below the private strings are being reset to emtpy strings, how can I prevent it from happening?
public ActionResult Print()
{
return new ActionAsPdf(
"PrintFilter", new { dateFrom = dateF, dateTo = dateT, accountid = accID }) { FileName = "Account Transactions.pdf" };
}
public ActionResult PrintFilter(string dateFrom, string dateTo, string accountid)
{
CommonLayer.Account acc = BusinessLayer.AccountManager.Instance.getAccount(Convert.ToInt16(accID));
ViewBag.Account = BusinessLayer.AccountManager.Instance.getAccount(Convert.ToInt16(accountid));
ViewBag.SelectedAccount = Convert.ToInt16(accountid);
List<CommonLayer.Transaction> trans = BusinessLayer.AccountManager.Instance.filter(Convert.ToDateTime(dateFrom), Convert.ToDateTime(dateTo), Convert.ToInt16(accountid));
ViewBag.Transactions = trans;
return View(BusinessLayer.AccountManager.Instance.getAccount(Convert.ToInt16(accountid)));
}
Every request you make a new instance of the controller will be created, therefore you're data is not shared between requests. There's a few things you can do to save the data:
Session["dateF"] = new DateTime(); // save it in the session, (tied to user)
HttpContext.Application["dateF"] = new DateTime(); // save it in application (shared by all users)
You can retrieve the values in the same way. Of course, you could also save it somewhere else, bottom point is, controller-instances are not shared, you need to save it somewhere else.
The following method is very simple, and makes sure the variable is tied to the current user, instead of that it is used in your entire application. All you need to do is type the following code in the controller:
Session["dateF"] = dateFrom;
Session["dateT"] = dateTo;
Session["accID"] = accountid;
and whenever you want to use that variable, for instance you want to give it as an parameter to a method, you just type this:
MyMethod(Session["dateF"].ToString());
That is how you save and use a variable in ASP.NET MVC
You could use a static field in the controller so it's shared between all requests.
private static List<someObject> yourObjectList;
Related
Update I have saved my problem a long time ago. The problem was that I was trying to call the view model on the wrong view method! I was calling the base view method (Document), instead of one of it's derived method (like NewDocument, PDFDocument, etc.) Thus it was only giving me the Documents data, which didn't change. I was looking and using the wrong view method all the time... Stephen, when you asked me
"Why do you create derived classes in a method but then return only the base class"
I couldn't answer the question at the time because I didn't even know myself, until I remember that originally, the method wasn't returning the base class. I only changed it so that it can work with the base view method, which was wrong in the first place!
That's what I get for only getting 3-4 hours of sleep in 3 days. Everything works right now. Thanks.
I'm having a hard time trying to figure out why the data in my view isn't changing after I do a post. Originally I was doing it via return View() and it worked, but since it was a partial view, the page didn't look great, so I was reading up and saw that it was better to do it by Post-Redirect-Get pattern (PRG) and to use an id value to retrieve the values instead of sending the entire model via Tempdata. I even used ModelState.Clear() and that didn't even work. When I debugged the code, the model only has the values from when I first called it.
Here's part of my Get controller:
NewDocument Get Controller
[DocumentAuthenticationFilter]
public ActionResult NewDocument(int? id = null)
{
// This doesn't work. The view keeps on showing the data from View(Services.CreateNewDocument()).
if (id != null)
{
return View(Services.GetdocumentViewModelData(DocEnum.Section.NEW_DOC_INDEX, (int)id));
}
// This works fine
return View(Services.CreateNewDocument());
}
And here's the post that calls the redirect:
NewDocument Post controller
[HttpPost]
[ValidateAntiForgeryToken]
[MultipleButton(Name = "action", Argument = "AddDocuments")]
//[OutputCache(Duration = 30, VaryByParam = "*")]
public ActionResult AddDocumentViewModel(FormCollection frm, DocumentViewModel dvm)
{
try
{
if (ModelState.IsValid)
{
int? DocID = Services.AddingNewDocument(dvm);
// See, I even tried to clear it.
ModelState.Clear();
return base.RedirectToAction("NewDocument", new { id = DocID });
}
else
{
// Display errors in the modal
}
return base.RedirectToAction("NewDocument");
}
And here's the old way I did it:
NewDocument Post controller
[HttpPost]
[ValidateAntiForgeryToken]
[MultipleButton(Name = "action", Argument = "AddDocuments")]
//[OutputCache(Duration = 30, VaryByParam = "*")]
public ActionResult AddDocumentViewModel(FormCollection frm, DocumentViewModel dvm)
{
try
{
if (ModelState.IsValid)
{
Services.AddingNewDocument(ref dvm);
dvm.NewRecordMode = DocEnum.Action.UPDATE;
// It worked, but only the partial view showed, and not the entire view.
return PartialView("_NewDocument", dvm);
}
else
{
// Display errors in the model
}
return base.RedirectToAction("NewDocument");
}
Could it be because I'm using a custom model binding?
My Custom Model Binding
public class BaseClassModelBinder : DefaultModelBinder
{
public override object BindModel(ControllerContext controllerContext, ModelBindingContext bindingContext)
{
var modelType = bindingContext.ModelType;
var modelTypeValue = controllerContext.Controller.ValueProvider.GetValue("ViewModel");
if (modelTypeValue == null)
throw new Exception("View does not contain the needed derived model type name");
var modelTypeName = modelTypeValue.AttemptedValue;
var type = modelType.Assembly.GetTypes().SingleOrDefault(x => x.IsSubclassOf(modelType) && x.Name == modelTypeName);
if (type == null)
{
throw new Exception(String.Format("Derived model type {0} not found", modelTypeName));
}
var instance = bindingContext.Model ?? base.CreateModel(controllerContext, bindingContext, type);
bindingContext.ModelMetadata = ModelMetadataProviders.Current.GetMetadataForType(() => instance, type);
return base.BindModel(controllerContext, bindingContext);
}
}
EDIT: And here's the GetDocumentViewModelData code:
GetDocumentFromViewModelData
public static DocumentViewModel GetDocumentViewModelData(DocEnum.Section docType, int id)
{
switch (docType)
{
case DocEnum.Section.NEW_DOCUMENT_INDEX:
// NewDocumentTypeViewModel is a child to DocumentTypeViewModel
DocumentTypeViewModel nd = NewDocumentService.GetViewModelByID(id);
return nd;
case DocEnum.Section.PDF_DOCUMENT:
DocumentTypeViewModel pdfvm = PDFDocumentService.GetViewModelByID(id);
return pdfvm;
case DocEnum.Section.XLS_DOCUMENT:
DocumentTypeViewModel xlsvm = XLSDocumentService.GetViewModelByID(id);
return xlsvm;
}
return null;
}
Edit: Also adding the GetViewModelByID function
GetViewModelByID
public static DocumentTypeViewModel GetViewModelByID(int id)
{
docEntities db = new docEntities();
NewDocumentTypeViewModel vm = new NewDocumentTypeViewModel();
// Calls a stored procedure called Select_Documents_ByID(id) to get the note entry
// that was submitted.
List<Select_Documents_ByID_Result> prevNotes = db.Select_Documents_ByID(id).ToList();
StringBuilder sNotes = new StringBuilder();
foreach (var note in prevNotes)
{
sNotes.AppendFormat("{0} - {1}: {2}\n\n", note.CreatedDate.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm"), note.username, note.Entry);
}
vm.PreviousNotes = sNotes.ToString();
return vm;
}
Edit: I did a direct creation of the view model inside the Get controller, and it's the same result. when i debugged the view itself, the values from the new view model don't show up. Instead, the values from the initial view model, View(Services.CreateNewDocument()), shows.
[DocumentAuthenticationFilter]
public ActionResult NewDocument(int? id = null)
{
// Right here I created the view model to test thing, but I'm getting the same results. Nothing has changed.
if (id != null)
{
var d = new NewDocumentTypeViewModel(1, "Help!");
// This property is from the base class, DocumentTypeViewModel
d.DocumentTitle = "Testing!";
return View(d);
// Inside the view itself, none of the values in the view model, including the one
// belonging to the base class. It still shows the initial values.
}
// This works fine
// Or maybe not...
return View(Services.CreateNewDocument());
}
Edit: I wanted to see if it was also doing the same thing for the initial call to the view return View(Services.CreateNewDocument()), and decided to change the value for documentTitle in the base class from New Document to a randomly-generated number, after the object has been created.
Here's the code for DocumentTypeViewModel's default constructor:
public DocumentTypeViewModel()
{
DocumentTitle = "New Document";
NewRecordMode = DocEnum.Action.ADD;
DocumentID = 0;
}
And here's the Services.CreateNewDocument() code where I change the DocumentTitle after the View Model has been created.
public DocumentTypeViewModel CreateNewDocument()
{
DocumentTypeViewModel dtvm = new DocumentTypeViewModel();
Random r = new Random();
dtvm.DocumentTitle = r.Next(5, Int32.MaxValue).ToString();
return dtvm;
}
Now in the View, when I call DocumentTitle:
<div class="label-text-group">
#Html.LabelFor(model => model.DocumentTitle)
#Html.EditorFor(model => model.DocumentTitle)
</div>
You would expect to see a randomly-generated number every time the View gets called. Nope, what you would see is "New Document". Weird.
It's seems that Services.GetDocumentViewModelData() is not exactly working correctly. It only carries the values created by the base class' constructor when a view is created, not any values that have been added or changed within GetDocumentViewModelData() itself. Why is that? What's going on? Please help anybody!
I have solved it. Look at the Update section on top. Thanks Stephen.
I'm working with ASP.Net MVC4, I customize my login, this is ok, I would like save this object USER and I can access from differents controllers and differents Areas. I was trying to defined this object as "static" but I can't acces to values of object:
if (Servicio.ValidarUsuario())
{
string Mensaje = "";
Models.AdmUsuario oAdmUsuario = new Models.AdmUsuario();
oAdmUsuario.Au_codusuario = login.UserName;
Servicio.RetornaEntidad<Models.AdmUsuario>(ref Mensaje, "admsis.adm_usuario", oAdmUsuario.getPk(), oAdmUsuario);
***Models.AdmUsuario.UserWeb = oAdmUsuario;***
FormsAuthentication.SetAuthCookie(login.UserName, false);
Session["Modulo"] = null;
Session["Menu"] = null;
return RedirectToAction("index", "raMainReclamo", new { area = "Reclamos" });
}
In the model I define:
public static AdmUsuario UserWeb;
But I can't access to value.
Do you have any idea, how I can to access the values of an object from different controllers in different areas?
You need a way to store the object between requests. You could put the object in Session Memory and pull it back out.
{
// Other Code
Session["AdmUsuario"] = oAdmUsuario;
return RedirectToAction("index", "raMainReclamo", new { area = "Reclamos" });
}
Controller in Reclamos Area
public class raMainReclamoController : Controller
{
public ActionResult Index() {
var oAdmUsuario = Session["AdmUsuario"] as Models.AdmUsuario;
// Other Code
}
}
However, the a more standard approach would be to persist the object to a database and then pull it back out. You could read up on using Entity Framework to access a sql database. I like to use RavenDB for storage as it makes saving objects really easy.
** UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO COMMENTS **
This is just psuedo code as I don't know what you are using to connect to postgres.
{
// Other Code
oAdmUsuario = postgresContext.Store(oAdmUsuario);
postgresContext.SaveChanges();
return RedirectToAction("index", "raMainReclamo", new { area = "Reclamos", id = oAdmnUsuario.Id });
}
Controller in Reclamos Area
public class raMainReclamoController : Controller
{
public ActionResult Index(int id) {
var oAdmUsuario = postgresContext.GetById<Models.AdmUsuario>(id);
// Other Code
}
I am trying to create a dataannotations attribute that controls field visiblity based on settings in a database. The attribute will be used within a system that will be used by multiple clients. Further, the visibility of the field needs to be able to change on the fly. I know I could do an if statement around each field in the view, but I am trying to avoid that and keep the visibility control within the view model as follows:
[Visible(FirstName)]
public string FirstName { get; set; }
I have tried creating this custom attribute that gets the value from a method from a resource class called ResourceType (which is generated using T4 and contains the necessary code to hit the database):
public class VisibleAttribute : Attribute, IMetadataAware
{
/// <summary>
/// Whether this field is visible
/// </summary>
public bool Hidden { get; set; }
public VisibleAttribute(string theFieldName)
{
ResourceType resources = new ResourceType();
Type _resourceType = typeof(ResourceType);
MethodInfo getHidden = _resourceType.GetMethod("IsHidden");
object[] requiredParams = new object[] { theFieldName };
Hidden = (bool)getHidden.Invoke(resources, requiredParams);
}
public void OnMetadataCreated(ModelMetadata metadata)
{
metadata.ShowForEdit = !Hidden;
metadata.HideSurroundingHtml = Hidden;
}
}
Here is an excerpt of the ResourceType class:
public class ResourceType
{
public const string Creditors_SecondaryCreditorsPayOffYesNo_Require = "Prop_Creditors_SecondaryCreditorsPayOffYesNo_Require";
public static string Prop_FieldName_Require
{
get { return GetHiddenOption(FieldName) ? "true" : "false"; }
}
internal static bool GetHiddenOption(string fieldName)
{
< < Logic here to get the option from the database > >
}
I have also tried the same attribute but with the following constructor:
public VisibleAttribute(string theFieldName)
{
ResourceType resources = new ResourceType();
Type _resourceType = typeof(ResourceType);
PropertyInfo getHidden = _resourceType.GetProperty(theFieldName);
Hidden = (bool)getHidden.GetValue
}
The problem I have with these two attempts is that, since the code is in the constructor, it only runs the first time I load the page after an IIS reset. So, any further changes I make to the visibility settings are not reflected without amother IIS reset.
I also tried creating a custom DataAnnotationsModelMetadataProvider that attempts to only load the setting once per page request:
public class EGTDataAnnotationsModelMetadataProvider : DataAnnotationsModelMetadataProvider
{
protected override ModelMetadata CreateMetadata(IEnumerable<Attribute> attributes, Type containerType,
Func<object> modelAccessor, Type modelType, string propertyName)
{
var data = base.CreateMetadata(attributes, containerType, modelAccessor, modelType, propertyName);
var visibleAttributeMetadata = attributes.SingleOrDefault(a => typeof(VisibleAttribute) == a.GetType());
if (visibleAttributeMetadata != null)
{
VisibleAttribute visibleAttribte = (VisibleAttribute)visibleAttributeMetadata;
if (!visibleAttribte.VisibleIsSet)
{
PropertyInfo getHidden = visibleAttribte.ResourceType.GetProperty("Prop_" + WebUtils.RemoveSectionNameSpace(visibleAttribte.SectionName) + "_" + visibleAttribte.FieldName + "_Hide");
visibleAttribte.IsHidden = bool.Parse(getHidden.GetValue(null, null).ToString());
data.HideSurroundingHtml = visibleAttribte.IsHidden;
data.ShowForEdit = !visibleAttribte.IsHidden;
visibleAttribte.VisibleIsSet = true;
}
else
{
data.HideSurroundingHtml = visibleAttribte.IsHidden;
data.ShowForEdit = !visibleAttribte.IsHidden;
}
}
return data;
}
}
One issue I have with the ModelMetadataProvider is that the CreateMetadata method runs many times for a single field during a single request. It is very inefficient code, and a huge decrease in performace, to call the database 5-10+ times per request to get a setting that has not changed since the beginning of the request. If I try to set a flag indicating I've already loaded the setting, I'm back to the same scenario as above where I don't see the setting change until after an IIS reset.
I'm hoping someone can give me some pointers as to what methods I can employ to see the database changes real time. Or am I trying to do the impossible? Thanks in advance.
You could combine the metadata provider approach with caching the value just that single request.
For this you could use the Items dictionary in the current HttpContext. Be careful with this as a redirect will cause the items to be cleared:
string cacheKey = String.Format("IsVisible-{0}", propertyName)
if(!HttpContext.Current.Items.Contains(cacheKey))
HttpContext.Current.Items[cacheKey] = //get setting from db
bool isVisible = (bool)HttpContext.Current.Items[cacheKey];
You can also consider using the ASP .Net Cache in case that you prefer caching the value not just for the current request (Although you mentioned that within your metadata provider you were trying to load the setting once per request)
I have a method which looks like the one below
public List<Rajnikanth> GetRajnis()
{
string username = Utility.Helpers.GetLoggedInUserName();
return _service.GetRajni(username);
}
Utility.Helper is a static class,
public static class Helpers
{
public static String GetLoggedInUserName()
{
string username = "";
if (System.Web.HttpContext.Current.User.Identity.IsAuthenticated)
{
username = ((System.Web.Security.FormsIdentity)HttpContext.Current.User.Identity).Ticket.Name;
}
return username;
}
}
I want to test : GetRajnis()
I want to mock : GetLoggedInUserName()
So my test method looks something like...
[TestMethod]
public void TestGetRajnis()
{
SomeController s = new SomeController(new SomeService());
var data = s.GetRajnis();
Assert.IsNotNull(data);
}
how do I mock the static method GetLoggedInUserName() ?
The Simplest Approach: Override the return value
If you are looking to mock a return value, then this is very simple. You can modify the Utility.Helper class to include a property called OverrideLoggedInUserName. When someone calls GetLogedInUserName(), if the override property is set, it is returned, otherwise the normal code to get the value from the HttpContext is used to get the return value.
public static class Helper
{
// Set this value to override the return value of GetLoggedInUserName().
public static string OverrideLoggedInUserName { get; set; };
public static string GetLoggedInUserName()
{
// Return mocked value if one is specified.
if ( !string.IsNullOrEmpty( OverrideLoggedInUserName ) )
return OverrideLoggedInUserName;
// Normal implementation.
string username = "";
if ( System.Web.HttpContext.Current.User.Identity.IsAuthenticated )
{
username = ( (System.Web.Security.FormsIdentity)HttpContext.Current.User.Identity ).Ticket.Name;
}
return username;
}
}
This will effectively allow you to override the return value, which technically isn't a mock--it's a stub (according to the excellent article Mocks Aren't Stubs by Martin Fowler). This allows you to stub a return value, but won't allow you to assert whether the method was called or not. Anyhow as long as you only want to manipulate the return value this works fine.
Here is how you would use this in a test.
[ TestMethod ]
public void TestGetRajnis()
{
// Set logged in user name to be "Bob".
Helper.OverrideLoggedInUserName = "Bob";
SomeController s = new SomeController( new SomeService() );
var data = s.GetRajnis();
// Any assertions...
}
This design does have one drawback. Because it's a static class, if you set the override value, it remains set until you un-set it. So you must remember to re-set it to null.
A Better Approach: Inject the dependency
A better approach may be to create a class that retrieves the logged in user name, and pass it into the constructor of SomeController. We call this dependency injection. This way, you can inject a mocked instance into it for testing, but pass the real instance (that gets the user from the HttpContext) when not testing. This is a much cleaner and clearer approach. Plus, you can leverage all the power of whatever mocking framework you are using, since they are designed specifically to handle this approach. Here is what that would look like.
// Define interface to get the logged in user name.
public interface ILoggedInUserInfo
{
string GetLoggedInUserName();
}
// Implementation that gets logged in user name from HttpContext.
// This class will be used in production code.
public class LoggedInUserInfo : ILoggedInUserInfo
{
public string GetLoggedInUserName()
{
// This is the same code you had in your example.
string username = "";
if ( System.Web.HttpContext.Current.User.Identity.IsAuthenticated )
{
username = ( (System.Web.Security.FormsIdentity)HttpContext.Current.User.Identity ).Ticket.Name;
}
return username;
}
}
// This controller uses the ILoggedInUserInfo interface
// to get the logged in user name.
public class SomeController
{
private SomeService _service;
private ILoggedInUserInfo _userInfo;
// Constructor allows you inject an object that tells it
// how to get the logged in user info.
public SomeController( SomeService service, ILoggedInUserInfo userInfo )
{
_service = service;
_userInfo = userInfo;
}
public List< Rajnikanth > GetRajnis()
{
// Use the injected object to get the logged in user name.
string username = _userInfo.GetLoggedInUserName();
return _service.GetRajni( username );
}
}
And here is a test using Rhino Mocks to inject a stub object into the controller.
[ TestMethod ]
public void TestGetRajnis()
{
// Create a stub that returns "Bob" as the current logged in user name.
// This code uses Rhino Mocks mocking framework...
var userInfo = MockRepository.GenerateStub< ILoggedInUserInfo >();
userInfo.Stub( x => x.GetLoggedInUserName() ).Return( "Bob" );
SomeController s = new SomeController( new SomeService(), userInfo );
var data = s.GetRajnis();
// Any assertions...
}
The disadvantage here is that you can't just call Helper.GetLoggedInUserName() from anywhere in your code, because it's no longer static. However, you no longer have the need to reset the stubbed username every time you finish a test. Because it's not static, it it automatically reset. You just recreate it for the next test and set a new return value.
I hope this helps.
Get rid of the static class if you are looking for testability. A simple fix for now would be to create a wrapper around the static class. Unless you use something like TypeMock or something equally as powerful, then you cannot alter the logic of a static class. Nor do I suggest it. If you have to stub a static class, it probably should not be a static class.
public class StaticWrapper
{
public virtual String GetLoggedInUserName()
{
Utility.Helpers.GetLoggedInUserName();
}
}
I have an action that returns either a FileContentResult or a NotModifiedResult, which is a custom result type that returns HTTP 304 to indicate that the requested resource has not been modified, like this:
[ReplaceMissingPicture(Picture = "~/Content/Images/nothumbnail.png", MimeType = "image/png")]
public ActionResult Thumbnail(int id)
{
var item = Service.GetItem(id);
var requestTag = Request.Headers["If-None-Match"] ?? string.Empty;
var tag = Convert.ToBase64String(item.Version.ToArray());
if (tag == requestTag)
{
return new NotModifiedResult();
}
if (item.Thumbnail != null)
{
var thumbnail = item.Thumbnail.ToArray();
var mime = item.PictureMime;
Response.AppendHeader("ETag", tag);
return File(thumbnail, mime);
}
else
{
return null;
}
}
This action needs to access the Response object, which is of course not present during testing, so that makes this action untestable. I could add conditional statements around it, so that it runs during testing, but then I can't test for the headers being set correctly.
What would be a solution to this problem?
FYI, the ReplaceMissingPicture filter returns a specific resource in case null was returned from this action, to keep the MapPath() call out of the controller for the very same reason.
The first step would be to create an interface which simplifies the services you need:-
public interface IHeaders
{
public string GetRequestHeader(string headerName);
public void AppendResponseHeader(string headerName, string headerValue);
}
Now create a default implementation:-
public Headers : IHeaders
{
public string GetRequestHeader(string headerName)
{
return HttpContext.Current.Request[headerName];
}
public void AppendResponseHeader(string headerName, string headerValue)
{
HttpContext.Current.Response.AppendHeader(headerName, headerValue);
}
}
Now add a new field to your Controller:-
private IHeaders myHeadersService;
add new constructor to you controller:-
public MyController(IHeaders headersService)
{
myHeadersService = headersService;
}
modify or add the default constructor:-
public MyController()
{
myHeadersService = new Headers();
}
now in your Action code use myHeadersService instead of the Response and Request objects.
In your tests create your own implementation of the IHeaders interface to emulate/test the Action code and pass that implementation when constructing the Controller.
How about creating a subclass of FileResult--say ETagFileResult--that in its ExecuteResult() method sets the ETag header, and then defaults to the base class implementation? You can test that class with a mocked context (as you presumably are with your NotModifiedResult) to be sure that it's doing the right thing. And remove the entire complication from the testing of the controller.
Failing that, it's possible to set a mocked context on the controller in your test (after instantiating the class, before calling the action method). See this question, for instance. But that seems like more work.
(Also, by the way, it looks like you're quoting the tag value twice there: once when tag is set, and once more when you actually set the header....)