In this article I'm going to demonstrate how to create a simple sign-up form using ASP.NET MVC 3. So basically in this demo you will learn the following:

How to insert data to the database with Entity Framework
How to validate the Form using Data Annotations
How to Authenticate users after sign up using FormsAuthentication

STEP 1. Adding a new ASP.NET MVC project

Let's go ahead and fire up Visual Studio 2010 and then select File -> New Project -> ASP.NET MVC 3 Web Application. See the screen shot below for more clearer view:



Now click OK and on the next form select Empty Template -> select Razor as the View engine and then click OK to generate the default files.

STEP 2: Setting up the Model

In this demo, I'm going to use Entity framework as our Data Access mechanism sothat we can program against the conceptual application model instead of progamming directly against  our database.

Add the following folders under the Models folder:

    DB
    ObjectManager
    ViewModel

The application structure would like something like below:



We will create our Entity Model (EDMX) in the DB folder. To do this right click on the "DB" folder and select Add -> New Item -> Data -> ADO.NET Entity Data Model.



Noticed that I named the entity as "SampleModel" just for the purpose of this demo. You may want to name it to a more appropriate name based on your requirements but for this example let's just use "SampleModel". Now click Add to continue and on the next step select "Generate from database" and click Next. On the next step you can connect or browse to the database that you want to use in the application and test the connection string by clicking on the "Test Connection" button and if it succeeds then you can continue by clicking OK and then Next.

Note that in this example I created a simple database called "DeveloperReport.mdf" and added it into the application's App_Data folder and use it as our database. See the screen shot below:



On the next step we can add the table(s), views or stored procedures that we want to use in the application by selecting the checkbox. See below screenshot:



Noticed that I've only selected the "SysUser" table. This is because we are going to use this table for doing insert and we don't need anything else. Now click on Finish button to generate the entity model for you. See the screenshot below:



What happend there is that EF will automatically generates the Business object for you within the Entity Data Model(EDM) that we have just created and let you query against it.The EDM is the main gateway by which you retrieve objects from the database and resubmit changes.

STEP 3: Adding the ViewModel Class

Just to recap Entity Framework will generate the business objects and manage Data Access within the application. As a result, the class SysUser is automatically created by EF and it features all the fields in the database table as properties of the class.

I don't want to use this class direclty in the View so I decided to create a separate class that just holds the properties I need in the View. Now let's add a the UserView class by right-clicking on the "ViewModels" folder then select Add -> Class. Here's the code block for the "UserView.cs" class.

using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;

namespace MVCDemo.Models.ViewModels {
    public class UserView {
        [Required]
        [Display(Name = "First Name")]
        public string FirstName { get; set; }

        [Required]
        [Display(Name = "Last Name")]
        public string LastName { get; set; }

        [Required]
        [Display(Name = "Contact Number")]
        public string ContactNumber { get; set; }

        [Required]
        [Display(Name = "Login ID")]
        public string LoginID { get; set; }

        [Required]
        [Display(Name = "Password")]
        public string Password { get; set; }
    }
}

Noticed that I added the Required and DisplayName attributes for each property in the UserView class. This attributes is called Data Annotations. Data annotations are attribute classes that live in the System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations namespace that you can use to to decorate classes or properties to enforce pre-defined validation rules.

I'll use this validation technique because I want to keep a clear separation of concerns by using the MVC pattern and couple that with data annotations in the model, then your validation code becomes much simpler to write, maintain, and test.

For more information about Data Annotations then you can refer this link: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.componentmodel.dataannotations.aspx. And of course you can find more examples about it by doing a simple search at google /bing.

STEP 4: Adding the UserManager Class

The next step that we are going to do is to create the User manager class that would handle the (CRUD operations) create,update,fetch and delete operations of a certain table. The purpose of this class is to separate the actual data opertions from our controller and to have a central class for handling insert,update,fetch and delete operations. But please note that in this example I'm only be doing the insert part in which a user can add new data from the View to the database. I'll talk about how to do update,fetch and delete with MVC in my next article. So this time we'll just focus on the insertion part first.

Now right click on the "Model" folder and add a new class by selecting Add -> Class and since we are going to manipulate the SysUser table then we will name the class as "UserManager". Here's the code block for the "UserManager.cs" class:

using MVCDemo.Models.DB;
using MVCDemo.Models.ViewModels;

namespace MVCDemo.Models.ObjectManager {
    public class UserManager {

        private DeveloperReportEntities dre = new DeveloperReportEntities();

        public void Add(UserView user) {
            DB.SysUser sysUser = new DB.SysUser();
            sysUser.SysUserLoginID = user.LoginID;
            sysUser.SysPassword = user.Password;
            sysUser.FirstName = user.FirstName;
            sysUser.LastName = user.LastName;
            sysUser.ContactNumber = user.LastName;

            dre.AddToSysUsers(sysUser);
            dre.SaveChanges();
        }

        public bool IsUserLoginIDExist(string userLogIn) {
            return (from o in dre.SysUsers where o.SysUserLoginID == userLogIn select o).Any();
        }
    }
}

STEP 4: Adding the Controllers

Since our model is already set then let's go ahead and add the "AccountController". To do this just right click on the "Controllers" folder and select Add -> Controller. Since our aim is to create a simple sign-up form then name the controller as "AccountController" and then click Add to generate the "AccountController" class for you.

Now here's the code block for the "AccountController":

using System.Web.Mvc;
using System.Web.Security;
using MVCDemo.Models.ViewModels;
using MVCDemo.Models.ObjectManager;

namespace MVCDemo.Controllers
{
    public class AccountController : Controller
    {
        // GET: /Account/SignUp
        public ActionResult SignUp() {
            return View("SignUp");
        }

        // POST: /Account/SignUp
        [HttpPost]
        public ActionResult SignUp(UserView user) {
            try {
                if (ModelState.IsValid) {
                    UserManager userManager = new UserManager();
                    if (!userManager.IsUserLoginIDExist(user.LoginID)) {
                        userManager.Add(user);
                        FormsAuthentication.SetAuthCookie(user.FirstName, false);
                        return RedirectToAction("Welcome", "Home");
                    }
                    else {
                        ModelState.AddModelError("", "LogID already taken");
                    }
                }
            }
            catch {
                return View(user);
            }

            return View(user);
        }
    }
}

The AccountController has two main methods. The first one is the "SignUp" which returns the "SignUp.cshtml" View. The second one also named as "SignUp" but it is decorated with the "[HttpPost]" attribute. This attribute specifies that the overload of the "SignUp" method can be invoked only for POST requests.

The second method is responsible for inserting new entry to the database and automatically authenticate the users using FormsAuthentication.SetAuthCookie() method. this method creates an authentication ticket for the supplied user name and adds it to the cookies collection of the response, or to the URL if you are using cookieless authentication. After authenticating, we then redirect the users to the Welcome.cshtml page.

Now add another Controller and name it as "HomeController". This controller would be our controller for our default page. We will create the "Index" and the "Welcome" View for this controller in the next step. Here's the code for the "HomeController" class:

using System.Web.Mvc;

namespace MVCDemo.Controllers
{
    public class HomeController : Controller
    {
        // GET: /Home/
        public ActionResult Index()
        {
            return View();
        }

        [Authorize]
        public ActionResult Welcome() {
            return View();
        }

    }
}

Noticed that we have two ActionResult method in the "HomeController". The "Index" method serve as our default redirect page and the "Welcome" method will be the page where we redirect the users after they have successfully registered. We also decorated it with the "[Authorize]" attribute so that this method will only be available for the logged-in users.

STEP 5: Adding the Views

First let's add the following folders below under the "Views" folder:

    Home
    Account

Note: The reason for this is that the folder name should match the name of the Controllers you've created. So if you have HomeController then you should have a "Home" folder within your View.

Now under the "Home" folder add a new View. To do this just right click on the "Home" folder and select Add -> View. Name the view as "Index" and click Add to generate the Web Page (.cshtml). Here's the mark-up of the Index.cshtml:

@{
    ViewBag.Title = "Welcome";
}

<h2>Welcome</h2>

@Html.ActionLink("Click here to sign-up", "SignUp", "Account")

As you can see there's no fancy about the mark-up above except that it contains the ActionLink which redirect you to the "SignUp" view within the "Account" folder. Now add again another View under the "Home" folder and name the view as "Welcome". The reason why we add the Welcome.cshtml view is because we will redirect the user in this page after they successfully signed up and nothing more. Here's the mark-up of the Welcome.cshtml:

@{
    ViewBag.Title = "Welcome";
}

<h2>Hi <b>@Context.User.Identity.Name</b>! Welcome to my website!</h2>

Now under the "Account" folder add a new view and name it as "SignUp" and check the checkbox that says "create a strongly-typed views and in the Model class dropdownlist select "UserView" and then in the Scaffold template select "Create" and finally click Add to generate the Web Page for you. Take a look at the screen shot below for more clearer view of what I am talking about:



And here's the generated mark up of the SignUp.cshtml:

@{
    ViewBag.Title = "SignUp";
}

<h2>Sign-Up</h2>

<script src="@Url.Content("~/Scripts/jquery.validate.min.js")" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="@Url.Content("~/Scripts/jquery.validate.unobtrusive.min.js")" type="text/javascript"></script>

@using (Html.BeginForm()) {
    @Html.ValidationSummary(true)
    <fieldset>
        <legend>UserView</legend>

        <div class="editor-label">
            @Html.LabelFor(model => model.FirstName)
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.EditorFor(model => model.FirstName)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.FirstName)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            @Html.LabelFor(model => model.LastName)
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.EditorFor(model => model.LastName)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.LastName)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            @Html.LabelFor(model => model.ContactNumber)
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.EditorFor(model => model.ContactNumber)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.ContactNumber)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            @Html.LabelFor(model => model.LoginID)
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.EditorFor(model => model.LoginID)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.LoginID)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            @Html.LabelFor(model => model.Password)
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.PasswordFor(model => model.Password)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Password)
        </div>

        <p>
            <input type="submit" value="Create" />
        </p>
    </fieldset>
}

<div>
    @Html.ActionLink("Return to Home page","Index", "Home")
</div>

The mark-up above is a strongly-type view. This strongly typed approach enables better compile-time checking of your code and richer IntelliSense in the Visual Studio editor. By including a @model statement at the top of the view template file, you can specify the type of object that the view expects. In this case it uses the MVCDemo.Models.ViewModels.UserView.

The View structure would like something like below:

Then, run the application and fill your details. Hope it helps.

Step 1:

Create a new ASP.Net MVC 3 application with an empty web application. While creating the project check the radio button "UnitTest".

Step 2:

Now under the "Model" folder create two classes.

1.       Blog

2.       Comments

Step 3:

Now In the Blog Class Copy the following code:

public class Blog
    {
       
        [Key]      
        public int BlogId { get; set; }

        [Required(ErrorMessage = "BlogName is required")]
        public string BlogName { get; set; }

        [Required(ErrorMessage = "Description is required")]
        [StringLength(120, ErrorMessage = "Description Name Not exceed more than 120 words")]
        public string Description { get; set; }
        public string Body { get; set; }

        public virtual  List<Comments > Comments_List { get; set; }

    }

See here is the validation of each property. And also hold the list of comments. That means 1 blog contains many posts. So that is a one to many relationship.

The "Virtual" keywords means it will make the relationship.

Step 4:

Now in the Comments class write the following code:

public class Comments
    {
        [Key ]
        public int CommentId { get; set; }
          public string Comment { get; set; }
        //[ForeignKey]
          public int BlogId { get; set; }
          public virtual Blog Blog { get; set; }
 
    }

See here we also have the object reference of the "blog" class. Before that I have used the virtual key word.

Step 5:

Now it's time to make the entity class by which the database and the table will create.

Create a "DatabaseContext" folder under the project. After that create a class named "BlogDbContext.cs" under the folder. This class is an entity class.

Step 6:

Now make a reference for the Entity Framework by clicking "Add Reference" under the project.



In my project I had already provided the dll. Without this dll the table cannot be created in the database by object class mapping.

Now paste the following code into the "BlogDbContext" class:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Web;
using System.Data.Entity;
using blogmvc3.Models;

namespace blogmvc3.DatabaseContext
{
    public class BlogDbContext:DbContext
    {
        public DbSet<Blog> Blog { get; set; }
        public DbSet<Comments> Comments { get; set; }
    }
}


See here in the Dbset we are passing a blog class and a comments class. The Dbset will create a table automatically with a relation in the database.

The Namespace "System.Data.Entity" is very important for that.

Step 7:

Now we have to configure the "web.config" file for the connection string. The web.config file is under the Main Solution Project. Not the Project web.config file.



Now paste the following connection string into the web.config file.

Step 8:

Now create a Controller Class named "HomeController" under the "ControllerFolder. After that check the "Add action for create.update,delete.." so it will automatically create the action mrthod in the Controller class.





Step 9:

Now in the "HomeController" Class first create an object of the "BlogDbContext" Class .

BlogDbContext _db = new BlogDbContext();

After that in the Index Method write the following code:

public ActionResult Index()
        {
            return View(_db.Comments .ToList ());
        }

Step 10:

Now create a master page in the Razor engine under the "shared" folder. Give it the name "_LayoutPage1.cshtml".

After that paste the following code there:

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>
<head>
    <title>@ViewBag.Title</title>
    <link href="@Url.Content("~/Content/Site.css")" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
    <script src="@Url.Content("~/Scripts/jquery-1.4.4.min.js")" type="text/javascript"></script>
   @* <script src="../../Scripts/jquery-ui-1.8.11.custom.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
    <link href="../../Content/jquery-ui-1.8.11.custom.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />*@
</head>

<body>
    <div class="page">

        <div id="header">
            <div id="title">
                <h1>Blog Post</h1>
            </div>

            <div id="logindisplay">
                @*@Html.Partial("_LogOnPartial")*@
            </div>

            <div id="menucontainer">

                <ul id="menu">
                   @* <li>@html.actionlink("home", "index", "home")</li>*@
                    @*<li>@Html.ActionLink("About", "About", "Home")</li>*@
                   <li>@Html.ActionLink("home", "index", "home")</li>
                     <li>@Html.ActionLink("Article Post", "CreateLogin", "Article")</li>
                     @*<li>@Html.ActionLink("BookCab", "CreateLogin", "Cab")</li> *@
                </ul>

            </div>
             <script type="text/javascript"><!--                 mce: 0--></script>

        </div>

        <div id="main">
            @RenderBody()
            <div id="footer">
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Step 11:

Now go the "Home controller". Right-click the Index Method and add a view. It will look like:



Please check "Create Strongly-typed Views".

Choose Model Class "Comments" Under DropDown List.

Select "Scaffold Template" List. After that press the "Add" button. It will automatically create a view named "Index" under the "Home" folder.

Step 12:

See the Index View Engine will create code for the list view automatically.

Now delete all the code and replace it with the following code:

@model IEnumerable<blogmvc3.Models.Comments>

@{
    ViewBag.Title = "Index";
    Layout = "~/Views/Shared/_LayoutPage1.cshtml";

}
@{
    var grid = new WebGrid(source: Model, canPage: true, defaultSort: "BlogName", rowsPerPage: 3, canSort: true); 
    }

<h2>Web grid</h2>
if (@Model != null ) 

 {    

  @grid.GetHtml(tableStyle:"grid",headerStyle: "head",  alternatingRowStyle: "alt",caption:"WebGrid"
           )
 
 }

<p>

    @Html.ActionLink("Create New", "Create")
</p>

Now see this code section what is written above.



See first we are creating the WebGrid and after that in the constructor parameter we are passing a different property argument such as paging property, sorting, and rows per page.

And in the second we are are calling the WebGrid by calling the "@Html.WebGrid" property. Here also we are passing a parameter for the WebGrid.

Now run the application; it will look like the following figure:

See here the BlogId and Comments are displaying in the WebGrid (marked with red). And the paging facility is also done (marked with black).

I want to wish Happy New Year 2012 for all of you….

Sometimes when we submit HTML or JavaScript as input in ASP.NET MVC application we get an exception like "A potentially dangerous Request.Form value was detected from the client (……)”. Because ASP.NET MVC has built-in request validation that helps you automatically protect against cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks and HTML injection attacks, it will prevent the user from posting HTML or JavaScript as input.

But sometime we want to explicitly disable request validation. We want to allow user to post html as input like, for example we have view which take the blog post as input from rich text editor, In ASP.NET MVC we have multiple options to disable request validation at various levels.

In ASP.NET MVC (V1, V2, V3) we can use [ValidateInput(false)] attribute, to disable request validation during model binding. We should add this attribute on top the action method in controller to which you are submitting input.



[ValidateInput(false)] attribute disables request validation on complete model or view model, but we want to allow html on only few properties of model or view model, for example in BlogPost model class contains three properties Title, PostContent, List<Tag> .

Among three properties we want to allow html only for PostContent ,In ASP.NET MVC 3 we have granular control over request validation, ASP.NET MVC3 has built-in attribute to disable validation at property level. We can [AllowHtml] attribute on properties in model or view model to disable request validation.



[AllowHtml] attribute allows a request to include HTML markup during model binding by skipping request validation for the property.