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View expecting IEnumerable

Well im kinda new in Asp.net Mvc and im learning alone from scratch, i have a aplicattion that controls expends and earnings and what i am trying to do now is, basing on a list of earnings and expends give me the balance from a user, im having a lot of problems trying to control this and i dont know if i am doing it the right way
Here is my model:
public class Balance
{
public int BalanceId { get; set; }
public List<Expense> Despesas { get; set; }
public List<Earning> Rendimentos { get; set; }
public string ApplicationUserId { get; set; }
}
Soo what i did was, first trying to control when the user inserts a Earning or a row like, verifying if the User already exists on the database in the control method Create on the expenses and in the earning, if it doesnt exist he add the aplicationUserId and the expensive or the earning.
I want that the balance appears in every page, soo i added this to my Layout.cshtml
<li>#Html.Action("GetBalance", "Home")</li>
it calls the controller GetBalance:
public PartialViewResult GetBalance()
{
var userId = User.Identity.GetUserId();
var balance = db.Balance.Where(d => d.ApplicationUserId == userId);
return PartialView("_GetBalance",balance);
}
Send to the view _GetBalance the balance model:
#model <MSDiary.Models.Balance>
<p>Saldo: #GetBalance()</p>
#functions
{
HtmlString GetBalance()
{
decimal saldo = 0;
if (Model.Expense.Count != 0 || Model.Earning.Count != 0)
{
foreach (var item in Model.Despesas)
{
balance += item.EarningValue;
}
foreach (var item in Model.Rendimentos)
{
balance -= item.ExpenseValor;
}
}
return new HtmlString(balance.ToString());
}
}
What i want to know is, if there is a easyer way to do this, or what i can do to do what i want, i cant get it why my view expects something different can someone explain me what i am doing wrong?
Ps: Sorry for the long post and English, but i want to learn more :)

Firstly, the model #model <MSDiary.Models.Balance> needs to be changed to:
#model IEnumerable<MSDiary.Models.Balance>
Also, the method GetBalance should ideally be placed in a class not in GetBalance partial view. You could achieve this two ways, either through extension methods or have a Balance View Model that has the calculated balance as a property which is then passed down to your view.
As an example via an extension method:
public static class BalanceExtensions
{
public static string GetBalance(this Balance balance)
{
string displayBalance = "0:00";
// Your logic here
return displayBalance;
}
}
And then in your Partial View you can use the new HTML Helper:
#Html.GetBalance();
As an additional note I would change List to IEnumerable for expenses and earnings as it appears you are only exposing the data and not manipulating the data.
Your model would then look like:
public class Balance
{
public int BalanceId { get; set; }
public IEnumerable<Expense> Despesas { get; set; }
public IEnumerable<Earning> Rendimentos { get; set; }
public string ApplicationUserId { get; set; }
}

#Filipe Costa A few things here.
You should probably name your view the same thing as your method. The underscore preceding the name is fairly standard so I would suggest using that same name for the method. If the name of the method and view are the same you can simply pass in the model and not have to do the name + model signature of PartialView method. It's simpler.
Aside from that your code is fine but your .cshtml partial view should have this for the first line. That will accept the list you're passing.
#model IEnumerable<MSDiary.Models.Balance>
<h1>#Model.BalanceId</h1>
#*Do other stuff!*#

Domain Model Object to View Model Object in MVC

I want to use view model for displaying instead of domain model. I have got these view models classes:
public class ArticleDescriptionViewModel
{
public string Title { get; set; }
public DateTime DateCreated { get; set; }
}
public class HomePage
{
public List<ArticleDescriptionViewModel> Articles { get; set; }
}
In the domain model i have got:
public class ArticleDescription
{
public string Title { get; set; }
public DateTime DateCreated { get; set; }
}
And this service method:
public List<ArticleDescription> GetArticlesDescription()
{
var articleDescription= from a in _ctx.Articles
select new ArticleDescription
{ Title = a.Title, DateCreated = a.DateCreated };
return articleDescription.ToList();
}
in the controller i want to match my list inside of my view model class with the list returned by my domain model class.
public ActionResult Index()
{
HomePage HomePageInstance = new HomePage();
HomePageInstance.Articles = _repo.GetArticlesDescription();
return View(HomePageInstance);
}
I have got an error:
"Cannot implicitly convert type System.Collections.Generic.List (DBayonaCode.Domain.Services.Models.ArticleDescription)' to 'System.Collections.Generic.List(DBayonaCode.Models.ArticleDescriptionViewModel)'"
But these two classes are equivalent? I am doing something wrong. I appreciate your help?

ArticleDescription and ArticleDescriptionViewModel are two different types, so there's no implicit conversion between them. You need to map your Domain Model object to your View Model object, you can do that either manually or with a tool like AutoMapper.
You could write extension methods like these to do the mapping:
public static class Mappings
{
public static ArticleDescriptionViewModel ConvertToView(this ArticleDescription article)
{
// Mapping Code
// return new ArticleDescriptionViewModel { ... }
}
public static List<ArticleDescriptionViewModel> ConvertToViews(this List<ArticleDescription> articles)
{
List<ArticleDescriptionViewModel> articleViews = new List<ArticleDescriptionViewModel>();
foreach (ArticleDescription article in articles)
{
articleViews.Add(article.ConvertToView())
}
return articleViews;
}
}

While MVC default project template offer just one model folder, thus implicitly presenting the idea that models are one thing, in fact There are three types of data models potentially involved in an ASP.NET MVC application:
- Domain model objects will be passed from and to a middle tier services interfacing with databases.
- View Model objects are those that the Controller pass to the View.
- Input model objects are those that the default modelBinder or some custom modelBinder generates from the view, although in many cases the input models are the same view model objects.
Hope it helps.

MVC ViewModel - how to approach this requirement

I have what is (I'm sure) quite a simple issue to fix, as it must be a common requirement. However, I'm new to this and can't seem to find the information that can help me work it out.
My Domain Model:
-Project (ID, ProjectName, Client)
Actor (ID, ProjectId, Title, Description)
On my CRUD for Actors I want to show Project Name as a readonly field (my application already knows which project I want to add actors to).
So, I need to create a view model which get's me the project name and all of my actors for that project. Here is what I have so far:
public class ActorsViewModel
{
//properties
public string projectName {get; set;}
public List<Actor> projectactors {get; set;}
//constructor
public ActorsViewModel (int projectId)
{
//TODO
/*
project = //get the project name from the projects table
projectActors = //get all of the actors for this project
*/
}
My aim is that on the index, the actors will be listed with their project name. In edit and create, the form will automatically be populated with the project name (and it will be readonly - I plan to do this by adding an attribute to the HTML Helper.
Can anyone give me some advice/point me in the right direction?

This would need to go in your controller:
public ActionResult Edit(int projectId)
{
using(var context = new CustomDbContext())
{
var model = new ActorsViewModel()
{
projectName = context.Projects.FirstOrDefault(p => p.Id = projectId).Name,
projectactors = context.Actors.Where(a => a.ProjectId == projectId).ToList()
}
}
return View(model);
}
Note that you would rather not create the context like this in your controller, but rather have it injected (or using a service or something). This is just to get you going, not showing best practices.
But you do want any logic in the Web project in your controller, not in your view model.

To make sure the name can not be changed you may hide it in your viewmodel by removing the setter of the property and initialize the name during construction.
public class ActorsViewModel
{
public ActorsViewModel(){} //Default ctor for modelbinder and co
public ActorsViewModel(string projectName)
{
ProjectName = projectName;
}
public string ProjectName {get; }
public List<Actor> ProjectActors {get; set;}
}
The disadvantage is that in your Post Controller Actions you need to either add the projectId/ProjectName to the request or look it up every time.

Retrieving records from another SQL Server database - Umbraco

I'm working on a website, where I need to retrieve pricelists, from another database on the same SQL Server as my Umbraco database.
It's a requirement that it has to be in a separate database.
I have made a new connection string Pricelist and used EF database-first.
PriceList repository:
namespace UmbracoCMS.Repository{
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
public partial class Prisliste
{
public string Kode { get; set; }
public string Speciale { get; set; }
public string Ydelsesgruppe { get; set; }
public string Gruppe { get; set; }
public string Ydelse { get; set; }
public string Ydelsestekst { get; set; }
public string Anaestesi { get; set; }
public string Indlæggelse { get; set; }
public Nullable<double> Listepris { get; set; }
public Nullable<int> WebSort { get; set; }
public string YdelsesTekstDK { get; set; }
public string Frapris { get; set; }
public Nullable<int> Sortering { get; set; }
}
}
PriceListController class:
using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Web.Mvc;
using UmbracoCMS.Repository;
namespace UmbracoCMS.Controllers{
public class PriceListController : Umbraco.Web.Mvc.SurfaceController {
[HttpGet]
public PartialViewResult GetPriceList(string contentTitle){
var db = new PricelistContext();
var query = from b in db.Prislistes orderby b.Speciale select b;
Console.WriteLine("records in the database:");
foreach (var item in query)
{
Console.WriteLine(item.Speciale);
}
return PartialView("~/views/partials/PriceList.cshtml");
}
}
}
What I want is to load the prices for a treatment, based on a property on the document type. I'm just not sure how do this in umbraco since I'm fairly new a umbraco.
So when a treatment page is requested, I need to take the property ContentTitle value. Use it to retrieve all records with the same Speciale and display them in a list/table.
With a query
.where(b.Speciale = contentTitle)
It would be great if someone could help a little, or lead me in the right direction.
Also is it possible to do it in the same http request? Or should I use partial view or macros to both get the properties of the document type, from the umbraco database, and the records from the pricelist database at the same time when a user go to the treatment page?
Or is there a better way to do this?
Update:
Thanks a lot, for the great answer Ryios.
I got a question more.
using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Web.Mvc;
namespace UmbracoCMS.Controllers
{
public class PriceListSurfaceController : Umbraco.Web.Mvc.SurfaceController
{
public ActionResult GetPriceList(string contentTitle)
{
PricelistContext.RunInContext(db =>
{
var result = db.Prislistes.OrderBy(p => p.Speciale);
});
return View(result);
}
}
}
I got it working, so it call the method and the data from the Pricelist Database is shown in:
var result = db.Prislistes.OrderBy(p => p.Speciale);
Now I just need to get the list of prices out to the view again, so I can show a list or table of the prices.
Do you have a suggestion on how I can this in Umbraco. Normally I would return a ViewModel in MVC like:
return View(new ListViewModel(result));
and use it in the view like:
#model Project.ViewModels.ListViewModel
So I can loop through it.
But I want to still have the properties from the the "Home"/"TreatmentPage" Document type.
Should I do it with a partialView or is there a better way?
Solved
I thought I wanted to share it, if anyone else is in a similar situaction.
Controller:
namespace UmbracoCMS.Controllers
{
public class PriceListSurfaceController : Umbraco.Web.Mvc.SurfaceController
{
public PartialViewResult PriceList(string contentTitle)
{
List<Prisliste> result = null;
PricelistContext.RunInContext(db =>
{
result = db.Prislistes.Where(p => p.Speciale == contentTitle)
.OrderBy(p => p.Speciale).ToList();
});
var model = result.Select( pl => new PrislistVm()
{
Speciale = pl.Speciale,
Listepris= pl.Listepris
});
return PartialView(model);
}
}
}
ViewModel:
namespace UmbracoCMS.ViewModels
{
public class PrislistVm
{
public PrislistVm()
{
Results = new List<Prisliste>();
}
public List<Prisliste> Results { get; set; }
public string Speciale { get; set; }
public double listepris { get; set; }
}
}
View/PriceListSurface:
#model IEnumerable<UmbracoCMS.ViewModels.PrislistVm>
#{
ViewBag.Title = "PriceList";
}
<h2>PriceList</h2>
#foreach (var item in Model)
{
#item.Speciale
#item.Listepris
}

Your going to have a memory leak if you load your EF context like that. I recommend creating a method to wrap it for you with a llambda callback. Put it in your context class.
public static void RunInContext(Action<PricelistContext> contextCallBack)
{
PricelistContext dbContext = null;
try
{
dbContext = new PricelistContext();
contextCallBack(dbContext);
}
finally
{
dbContext.Dispose();
dbContext = null;
}
}
//Example Call
PricelistContext.RunInContext(db => {
var result = db.PrisListes.OrderBy(p => p.Speciale);
//loop through your items
});
To get the Value of the DocumentType, it depends on the calling context. Assuming you are using a Razor Template that is attached to the document type, that is associated with a Content Page.
#inherits Umbraco.Web.Mvc.UmbracoTemplatePage
#{
Layout = "ContentPageLayout.cshtml";
}
#* Call GetPriceList on PriceListController with Parameter contentTitle *#
#Html.Action("GetPriceList", "PriceListSurface", new { contentTitle = Model.Content.GetPropertyValue<string>("ContentTitle") });
In the above example, I have created a document type with a property called ContentTitle that is associated with a view called ContentPage. Then I created content in the backoffice Content section called "Home" that uses the document type. Giving me a url like
http://localhost/home
Also, your SurfaceController will not work. Umbraco's logic for mapping the routes for surface controllers has some requirements for your surface controller's naming conventions. You have to end the name of the class with "SurfaceController" and then it get's called PriceListSurfaceController, then it maps the controller with a name of "PriceListSurface".
Here's the documentation for the SurfaceController features.
http://our.umbraco.org/documentation/Reference/Mvc/surface-controllers
Using a surface controller is the right logic. It's not good practice to have your Data Layer code calls in the UmbracoTemplatePage. 1, because RazorTemplates are interpreted/compiled and SurfaceController's are JIT compiled int the dll, so SurfaceController code is WAY faster. 2 Because you can make asynchronous Controller calls in MVC Razor. If it was all in the view it would make it really difficult to convert everything to be asynchronous. It's best to keep server side logic in a controller.
Optionally, you can Hijack an Umbraco route and replace it with a custom controller that doesn't have to inherit from SurfaceController, which makes it possibly to surface content to the browser that is or isn't part of umbraco.
http://our.umbraco.org/documentation/Reference/Mvc/custom-controllers
You can also create a new section in the backoffice to manage your Price List "the ui framework for building one is written against AngularJS"
http://www.enkelmedia.se/blogg/2013/11/22/creating-custom-sections-in-umbraco-7-part-1.aspx

How to initialize on MVC module?

I am new to MVC programming. In normal OOP, where I have my class, I would just initiliaze and load data from database. In MVC, we have modules, how do I load up records from it?
Here is my current code for type UserAcount:
[Table("UserAccount")]
public class UserAccount {
[Key]
[DatabaseGeneratedAttribute(DatabaseGeneratedOption.Identity)]
public int ID { get; set; }
public string userName { get; set; }
public string email { get; set; }
public int companyID { get; set; }
}
Say that I have an user with name "testUser", how do I initialize on this record and get it's information? How do I do this:
UserAccount user = new UserAccount("tesetUser");
How and where shoulud I use this?
user = user.SingleOrDefault(u => u.userName.ToLower() == User.Identity.Name.ToLower());

You need to read up on Entity Framework. This is the default ORM that MVC uses. Simply:
If you don't have a project context, yet, create one:
public class MyProjectContext : DbContext
{
public MyProjectContext()
: base("name=ConnectionStringNameHere")
{
}
}
Add your models to your project context:
public class MyProjectContext : DbContext
{
...
public DbSet<SomeModel> SomeModels { get; set; }
public DbSet<SomeOtherModel> SomeOtherModels { get; set; }
# etc.
}
Update your database using Package Manager Console (TOOLS > Library Package Manager > Package Manager Console):
> update-database
(hit ENTER after typing that)
Now, to use your context in your controllers:
public class MyAwesomeController : Controller
{
private MyProjectContext db = new MyProjectContext();
public ActionResult Index()
{
var someModels = db.SomeModels;
return View(someModels);
}
public ActionResult GetSomeModel(int id)
{
var someModel = db.SomeModels.Find(id);
return View(someModel);
}
# other actions
}

In the simplest case, you should do this logic in your controller, which will pass the data to the view. However, MVC is meant for UI separation of concerns, so theoretically you should be doing this in your domain layer, which is called from your controller.
Here is a decent article from Jeff Atwood, however I disagree that the controller is the brains of the application. It is more of the brains of the UI...but that depends on how complex your code is. Dont create a domain layer if it is stupidly simple

In the MVC model, Controllers are responsible for processing HTTP requests.
Typically you would load your entity (e.g. UserAccount) in a controller action.
If you want to edit / update an entity, typically you would map the relevant fields to a model that reflects the UserAccount. A separate model is suggested because the needs of the UI are often somewhat different than the needs of the entity model. Having separate classes for each concern avoids polluting the entity model to satisfy the needs of the view.