example-aspnet-mvc-form

ASP.NET MVC Forms https://teamtreehouse.com/library/aspnet-mvc-forms

• [HttpPost] in EntriesController.cs is called an attribute.
• ModelState contains the values of the properties with a list of error messages from the model.
  • With that in mind we can use something like ModelState["date"].Value.AttemptedValue; when someone puts in text for a date.
• _EntryForm.cshtml uses @using (Html.BeginForm()) to create the view form and utilize the ModelState and HTML helper methods/functions not only in the view but in the controller.

@using (Html.BeginForm())
{
// _EntryForm.cshtml
    @Html.ValidationSummary("The following errors were found:", new { @class = "alert alert-danger" })

    <div class="row">

        <div class="col-md-6">

            <div class="form-group">
                @Html.LabelFor(m => m.Date, new { @class = "control-label" }) // strongly typed, m is an anonymous function
                @Html.TextBoxFor(m => m.Date, "{0:d}", new { @class = "form-control datepicker" })
            </div>

...

// EntriesController.cs
 public ActionResult Edit(Entry entry)
        {
            ValidateEntry(entry);

            if (ModelState.IsValid)

...

• You can enforce a view to bind to a model and it will be strongly typed, so all the variables will be of Entry and bind to that. Entry.cs

// _EntryForm.cshtml
@model Treehouse.FitnessFrog.Models.Entry

@Html.LabelFor(m => m.Name, new { @class = "control-label" }) // strongly typed, m is an anonymous function
@Html.TextBoxFor(m => m.Name, new { @class = "form-control" })

• You can check if the binding is successful by doing if (ModelState.IsValid)
• jQuery Validaion and Microsoft.JQuery.Unobtrusive.Validation nuget needed for Jquery client validation and do the following:

<script src="~/Scripts/jquery.validate.min.js"></script>
<script src="~/Scripts/jquery.validate.unobtrusive.min.js"></script>
<!-- this library is custom - it highlights the textbox that has errored -->
<script src="~/Scripts/jquery.validate.bootstrap.js"></script>

<-- must be inside for -->
@Html.ValidationSummary("The following errors were found:", new { @class = "alert alert-danger" })

<!-- in webconfig in root -->
<appSettings>
	<add key="UnobtrusiveJavaScriptEnabled" value="true" />
	<add key="ClientValidationEnabled" value="true" />
</appSettings>

• TempData is meant to be a very short-lived instance, and you should only use it during the current and the subsequent requests only!

Notes Revisited

• All "data" interactions are stored in /data as {Plural form of mode}Repository.
• /data/Data.cs contains the init for the fake database.
• Interesting use of enum for Activity.Type.
  • Case for enum use https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3519429/what-is-main-use-of-enumeration
• Entries model has good use of DocBlock comments.
• ViewBag object always included to be used to transfer data from controller to view? See EntriesController.cs to Index.cshtml
• EntriesController.cs has a GET and POST version of Add. Uses SelectList object for allowing user to select a single item and assigns it to the ViewBag.
• Delete GET checks for null IDs and not found IDs.