Castle NVelocity Including Variables not Variable contents - velocity

I'm using Castles' NVelocity Engine to do some template work. Here's the problem. Several of my templates work fine, but one of them isn't.
#foreach($i in $Items)
<div class="grid_3 folioItem"> <a rel="prettyPhoto[portfolio]" href="$i.Link" class="lightBox"><img src="$i.Image" width="220" height="125" alt="showcase" /></a>
<h4>$i.ShortName</h4>
<p>$i.LongName</p>
<p><a class="button pngFix" href="$i.Link">$i.LinkText</a></p>
</div>
#end
For some reason, the above code works half way. I get six sets of the div tags with all the innards, but Velocity outputs $i.ShortName instead of the contents on $i.ShortName. Any clue why this is? If I get six outputs that would leave me to believe that Items is set up correctly and exists in the Velocity Template. But for some odd reason it's children don't.
Now Items is a List<CategoryItem> and I've checked over and over again to make sure that I haven't misspelled the names of the members.
What am I missing?

Okay. So I figured it out (I think) it seems to be that sub objects will only expose their properties to the template. For instance:
public class Item{
public string BadName;
public stirng GoodName {
get {
return "Foo"
}
}
}
GoodName can be referenced in the template, But BadName cannot

Related

Razor template/component solution that supports child Razor markup

Is there a template/component solution in ASP.NET Core Razor, that supports inner Razor markup?
Here's a use case:
1. Say I have some repetitive markup for example "a div with nice borders, shadows and two buttons at the bottom"
2. Obviously this markup has a common "header" and a "footer" in the HTML code
3. I need to pass arbitrary Razor markup to insert between header and footer. Not just a model object - but some actual markup that will be rendered between header and footer. I can't use foreach because this markup is different every time - it can be text-content, a form, an image, or some complicated Razor-rendered stuff.
Basically I'm looking for a "Surround this Razor with more Razor" templating solution
Something like:
#{
//this function renders my beautiful box
Func<dynamic, IHtmlContent> myFunction = #<div class="relative flex flex-col rounded-2xl border border-gray-200 bg-white p-8 shadow-sm">
#item
</div>;
}
<!-- and then I call it passing some Razor as input -->
#myFunction(
<ul>
<li>#SomeRazorMethod()</li>
</ul>
);
Something like a Layout - but the one I can use multiple times on the same page.
Is there anything like that? This is a pretty common componentizing tool - "wrap my markup with other markup" - that is present in other templating engines (React, Vue, etc), but apparently not in Razor.
Just to be clear: I'm looking for a Razor-based solution, not a C#-based one. So that my header-footer markup stays in markup files (.cshtml), not in C# files that will have hard-coded HTML magic strings.
Based on your example, this might help.
#functions {
public static IHtmlContent MyBox(dynamic item, Func<dynamic, IHtmlContent> template)
{
var html = new HtmlContentBuilder();
html.AppendHtml("<div class='bestcss'>");
html.AppendHtml(template(item));
html.AppendHtml("</div>");
return html;
}
}
#MyBox(null, #<div class='innercss'>#(10 == 12 ? "MyTest Equals" : "No Equal") hello</div>)
And if you like to pass modeldata, it will be:
#MyBox(customerdata, #<div class='innercss'>#(10 == 12 ? "MyTest Equals" : "No Equal") hello #item.FirstName</div>)
I have used some arbitrary if condition for testing.
You can use Partial Pages or Views which are Razor files containing snippets of HTML and server-side code to be included in any number of pages or layouts.
Just like standard Razor pages, partial pages support the #model
directive specifying the type for the partial's data model. All of the
rendering methods have overloaded versions that take a model to be
consumed in the partial.
#Shah's answer got me one step closer to a solution, however, it seems like the the actual question I'm trying to solve is "can I pass Razor markup as an input parameter".
Turns out you can, you just have to put # in front of it:
#{
void MyFunc(Func<object, IHtmlContent> template)
{
<div>#template(null)</div>
}
}
#{ MyFunc(#<div>The ID is: #Model.Id</div>); }
<!-- mind the '#' before the 'div' -->

How do I allow my ASP.NET Core tag helpers to be self-closing

I have written a tag helper that I can use as follows...
<mytaghelper attr1="jim"></mytaghelper>
I would like to be able to shorten this to just...
<mytaghelper attr1="jim">
...or at least...
<mytaghelper attr1="jim"/>
However, I can't get this to work. Here is some sample code for the Process method...
public override void Process(TagHelperContext context, TagHelperOutput output) {
output.TagName = "div";
output.PreContent.SetHtmlContent("<div>");
output.Content.SetHtmlContent("OUTPUT HTML GOES HERE");
output.PostContent.SetHtmlContent("</div>");
output.Attributes.Clear();
}
I have tried adding a TagStructure setting to the HtmlTargetElement attribute on the class...
[HtmlTargetElement("mytaghelper", TagStructure = TagStructure.WithoutEndTag)]
...but it doesn't seem to make any difference. <mytaghelper attr1="jim"/> generates <div /> and <mytaghelper attr1="jim"></mytaghelper> generates <div></mytaghelper>.
If I set the TagStructure to NormalOrSelfClosing then included a closing tag works, but <mytaghelper attr1="jim"/> gives an empty <div />
Anyone able to explain what I need to do?
TagStructure.WithoutEndTag is able to write the tag with only a start tag or self-closing, but the output would be <div > or <div/> . Self-closing anchor tags are not valid HTML, so you wouldn't want to create one, but you might want to create a tag helper that's self-closing. Tag helpers set the type of the TagMode property after reading a tag. Add the below code line Inside the process method:
output.TagMode = TagMode.StartTagAndEndTag;
Take a moment to read Author Tag Helpers in ASP.NET Core which covers this perfectly .
The correct syntax is:
[HtmlTargetElement("mytaghelper", TagStructure = TagStructure.WithoutEndTag)]
Which should be applied to the taghelper class, not the Process method. You may already be doing that, but it wasn't clear in your question. I believe you still must use the self-closing tag syntax (/>) for it work, though.

SelectList dropdown list showing multiple = "multiple" for current viewmodel

This kind of a bizarre issue and I can't figure out a solution how I want.
I'm using .net core 2.1. I have a orders view model like this:
public class OrdersFilterViewModel
{
[Display(Name = "Account Numbers:")]
public IEnumerable<SelectListItem> AccountNumbers { get; set; }
}
My viewmodel and SelectList in my orders controller is called like this:
var vm = new OrdersFilterViewModel
{
AccountNumbers = new SelectList(_context.Account.Where(m => m.UserID == userId), "AccountNumber", "AccountNumber", account)
};
return PartialView("_FilterOrders", vm);
The problem lies when trying to get a dropdown list in the view which looks like this:
<form asp-action="FilterOrders" asp-controller="Order" id="ordersFilterForm" method="post">
<div class="form-group">
<label asp-for="AccountNumbers" class="control-label"></label>
<select asp-for="AccountNumbers" class="form-control" asp-items="#Model.AccountNumbers">
</select>
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<input type="submit" value="Submit" class="btn btn-default" />
</div>
</form>
This somewhat works but gives me a textarea type display where multiple = "multiple" is always tacked on in the browser. I've discovered that if I add something like the following to my viewmodel:
public int? AccountId { get; set; }
Then change my view to:
<select asp-for="AccountId" class="form-control" asp-items="#Model.AccountNumbers">
I can then have my dropdown list. However, I don't need that property for anything as far as I know. I tried a million things so it's possible I made some other slight changes I'm forgetting to get that to work, but that's the gist of it.
Is there any way around adding that extra property? Or do I need it for something I'm not aware of? Or is there any way to set multiple = "false" or something to that effect so I can get my dropdown list with my original viewmodel and such?
I haven't dealt with the post back to the controller yet, so maybe that will reveal the gotchas. I'm basically trying to create a modal type query filter that doesn't really do much other than modify some parameters and send them back to my query to update it. Thanks.
Is there any way around adding that extra property? Or do I need it
for something I'm not aware of?
Yes, you need this extra property, because in your select there are many items, and the user will select one or multiple items, and on the server side you'll need to know what the user selected, this is the purpose of the select tag.
And the multiple = "multiple" depends on what you put in the asp-for in the case of asp-for="AccountId" it is a single int value, so it won't use multiple, is you have an array in the asp-for then it will use the multiple.
Here is a pretty detailed description about the select tag helper:
Select Tag Helper in ASP.NET Core MVC

Invoke an ASP.NET Core View Component inside a Partial View

I have a partial view (_FormCustomer) that displays a form for creating a customer. I also have a View Component (Countrylist) that generates a options list of countries. Now I want to show the country list in my form. This is what I do:
Index.cshtml
<partial name="_FormCustomer" for="#Model._Customer" />
_FormCustomer.cshtml
<select asp-for="#Model.Land" class="form-control">
#await Component.InvokeAsync("Countrylist");
</select>
CountrylistViewComponent.cs
public async Task<IViewComponentResult> InvokeAsync()
{
return View(await _countryRepository.GetCountriesAsync());
}
(The function GetCountriesAsync() returns a list of countries; this works fine.)
Pages/Componenst/Countrylist/default.cshtml
#model List<Country>
#foreach (Country country in Model)
{
<option value="#country.code">#country.name</option>
}
Unfortunately, select-box stays empty when I call the partial. When I call #await Component.InvokeAsync("Countrylist"); directly from Index.cshtml, however, it works fine.
So it looks like you cannot use a View Component inside a Partial View. Is this conclusion right? Or am I doing something wrong?
Thanks Phantom2018, found the problem after your post.
#0: I'm using Razor pages
#1: this had no effect
#2: this was a typo in my question, not in my code
#3: the debugger shows me that the vie component gets called, so
My actual code is a little different, I want to pre select a country if it's available:
<select asp-for="#Model.Country" class="form-control">
#if (Model == null)
{
await Component.InvokeAsync("Countrylist");
}
else
{
await Component.InvokeAsync("Countrylist", Model.Country);
}
</select>
And after some testing, I found the solution:
<select asp-for="#Model.Country" class="form-control">
#if (Model == null)
{
#await Component.InvokeAsync("Countrylist");
}
else
{
#await Component.InvokeAsync("Countrylist", Model.Country);
}
</select>
Don't know why, but I had to use #'s before the awaits.
I have now tested this scenario and can confirm that the data loads fine - both, when the view component is directly included on the page or when it is included in a partial View. (I have tested this on Razor pages - but it is likely to work the same when using MVC. You have not mentioned if you are using MVC or Razor pages.)
A couple of things you can try to see if the loading works fine:
1) From all "Select"s and "Partials" remove the "for*" attributes. That way you can first check if the data loads & then you can worry about binding to the selected item. (Also, in your provided code, you have omitted the model variables - so it is not possible to comment on them.)
2) Remove the last ";" in your _FormCustomer.cshtml
<select asp-for="#Model.Land" class="form-control">
#await Component.InvokeAsync("Countrylist")
</select>
Note that I have removed the trailing ";" in the await statement. I noticed that the ";" was added as another "option" in the select !
3) I also noticed that even minor syntax errors (not picked up by Intellisense) can cause the select to not load. Debug to see if your InvokeAsync is actually being called - in a scenario where there was a minor syntax error, the InvokeAsync was not even being called.
Also keep in mind that:
"When a partial view is instantiated, it receives a copy of the
parent's ViewData dictionary. Updates made to the data within the
partial view aren't persisted to the parent view. ViewData changes in
a partial view are lost when the partial view returns."

jQuery: Select elements with Incrementing ID names?

and thanks in advance for your help!
Here's my situation: I have a set of divs whose IDs have an incrementing number applied to the end of the name using PHP. Each of these divs are added dynamically with PHP (They are a series of FAQ questions with a hidden div container with the answers, that slide down when the question is clicked.) [Live Example][1]
There is no limit to the number of questions that appear on the page, because this is being used for a Wordpress theme and my client wants to add new questions as they go along.
Here's an example of the structure for each FAQ question using the PHP:
<?php var $faqnum = 0; $faqnum++; ?>
<div id="faqwrap<?php $faqnum; ?>">
<h4>What data is shared?</h4>
<div id="faqbox<?php $faqnum; ?>" class="slidebox">
<p>Data sharing is defined by the type of service:</p>
<ul class="list">
<li>Third-party access to data (Enhanced Services only is strictly controlled and determined by the SDA)</li>
<li>All members must participate in points of contact and conjunction assessment but can choose whether to participate in other services</li>
<li>Participation in a service requires the member to provide associated data<br />
</ul>
</div>
</div>
Now this is what I have currently in jQuery, and it works, but only if I add a new one every time my client wants to add a new question.
$(document).ready(function() {
$('.slidebox*').hide();
// toggles the slidebox on clicking the noted link
$("#faqwrap1 a:not(div.slidebox a)").click(function() {
$("#faqbox1.slidebox").slideToggle('normal');
$('div.slidebox:not(#faqbox1)').slideUp('normal');
return false;
});
});
I thought of maybe doing something with a declared variable, like this:
for (var x = 0; x < 100; x++;) {
$('#[id^=faqwrap]'+ x 'a:not(div.slidebox a)')...
}
I hope this is clear enough for you! Again, I thank you in advance. :)
The best way to handle this is to not use the IDs, but use classes for the outer element. So your PHP would be altered like this:
<?php var $faqnum = 0; $faqnum++; ?>
<div id="faqwrap<?php $faqnum; ?>" class="question">
<h4>What data is shared?</h4>
<div id="faqbox<?php $faqnum; ?>" class="slidebox">
<p>Data sharing is defined by the type of service:</p>
<ul class="list">
<li>Third-party access to data (Enhanced Services only is strictly controlled and determined by the SDA)</li>
<li>All members must participate in points of contact and conjunction assessment but can choose whether to participate in other services</li>
<li>Participation in a service requires the member to provide associated data<br />
</ul>
</div>
</div>
Your JQuery would be rewritten with the selector for the class "question".
$(document).ready(function() {
$('.slidebox*').hide();
// toggles the slidebox on clicking the noted link
$(".question a:not(div.slidebox a)").click(function() {
/* close everything first */
$('div.slidebox').slideUp('normal');
/* selects and opens the the slidebox inside the div */
$(".slidebox", this).slideToggle('normal');
return false;
});
});
This will get you the effect you are looking for. The key differences in the JQuery is the way you get the slidebox inside the question that got clicked. I'm using the scoped selection $(".slidebox", this) to get just the slidebox inside the clicked ".question" element.
The subtle visual difference is that the slideUp() happens before the slideToggle(). This will essentially close any open queries before it opens the desired one. If you keep your animations fast, this will be more than fine. The advantage of this approach is that you don't have to worry about the count of questions on a page, and the selectors are most likely more optimized than the for loop.
Edit
I adjusted the PHP code to use a class for "slidetoggle" instead of an id. It's technically an HTML error to have multiple IDs that are the same. It can throw off some assistive technologies for people with dissabilities. I'm assuming that section of code was repeated several times on the page.
Without changing your current markup, this would work:
// toggles the slidebox on clicking the noted link
$("div[id=^faqwrap]").each(function () {
var $faqwrap= $(this);
$faqwrap.find("h4 > a").click(function () {
var $currentSlidebox = $faqwrap.children(".slidebox");
$currentSlidebox.slideToggle('normal');
$('div.slidebox').not($currentSlidebox).slideUp('normal');
return false;
});
});
Maybe you can find a few suggestions in the above code that help you.
Like #Berin, I'd also recommend giving a separate CSS class to the outer DIV and using that as a selector, instead of $("div[id=^faqwrap]").