Rendering image(stream object) using jquery - asp.net-mvc

Question

Just wondering, how can I bind an image (stream) returned by an action method in an ajax call to an image element using jquery.
JavaScript:
$(document).ready($(function () {
$(':input').change(function () {
// object
var Person = {
Name: 'Scott',
Address: 'Redmond'
};
// Function for invoking the action method and binding the stream back
ShowImage(Person);
});
}));
function ShowImage(Person) {
$.ajax({
url: '/Person/GetPersonImage',
type: "Post",
data: JSON.stringify(Person),
datatype: "json",
contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
success: function (data) {
// idImgPerson is the id of the image tag
$('#idImgPerson')
.attr("src", data);
},
error: function () {
alert('Error');
}
});
Action method:
public FileContentResult GetPersonImage(Person person)
{
// Get the image
byte[] myByte = SomeCompnent.GetPersonImage(person);
return File(myByte, "image/png");
}
Problem:
The Action method is returning the stream, but it is not getting rendered on the page.
I am I missing some thing here...
Thanks for looking in to it.

Answer 1

So I was working on this today and ran into your question, which helped (and hurt) me. Here is what I found:
Like Eben mentioned you cant have the json data type. but thats only part of the problem. When you try to $('#idImgPerson').attr("src", data); as in your code you will just set the src attribute to the bytes returned by the call do the GetPersonImage() method.
I ended up using a partial view:
Using the standard mvc3 template
Index.cshtml (excerpt):
<h3>Using jquery ajax with partial views</h3>
<div id="JqueryAjax">
<input class="myButton" data-url='#Url.Action("GetImagesPartial","Home")' name="Button1" type="button" value="button" />
Create the partial view which makes reference to the action that provides the image:
#model string
<div>
<img id="penguinsImgActionJquery" alt="Image Missing" width="100" height="100"
src="#Url.Action("GetPersonImage", "Home", new { someString=Model })" />
<br />
<label>#Model</label>
</div>
HomeController with both action methods:
public ActionResult GetImagesPartial(string someImageName)
{
return PartialView((object)someImageName);
}
public FileContentResult GetPersonImage(string someString)
{
var file = System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath(localImagesPath + "Penguins.jpg");
var finfo = new FileInfo(file);
byte[] myByte = Utilities.FileManagement.FileManager.GetByteArrayFromFile(finfo);
return File(myByte, "image/png");
}
Jquery:
$(document).ready(function () {
$('.myButton').click(function (e) {
var bleh = $(this).attr("data-url");
e.preventDefault();
someData.runAjaxGet(bleh);
});
var someData = {
someValue: "value",
counter: 1,
};
someData.runAjaxGet = function (url) {
_someData = this;
$.ajax({
url: url,
type: "Get",
data: { someImageName: "ImageFromJQueryAjaxName" + _someData.counter },
success: function (data) {
$('#JqueryAjax').append(data);
_someData.counter = _someData.counter + 1;
},
error: function (req, status) {
alert(req.readyState + " " + req.status + " " + req.responseText);
}
});
};
});
sorry I know there is a little bit of extra code in the script file i was trying to play with namespaces too. Anyhow, i guess the idea is you request the partial view with ajax, which contains the image rather than requesting the image directly.