Question

Here is a common scenario
I Have these Entity
User
UserId
UserName
…

UserQuestion
UserQID
UserID
UserQuestion
UserAnswer

One user can Have many question, but one question is attached to one user.
In my example, I create 3 Empty entities (UserQuestion). Then I attache these question on the user.

In the view, for each question, answer textbox, I Use ElementAt to specify each of the UserQuestion Entity.

Why I cannot save these 3 questions

In the Controller

public ActionResult ChooseQuestion()
{
    IUserRepository repUser = new UserRepository(EntityFactory.GetEntity());
    User usr = repUser.GetUserByID(Convert.ToInt32(Session["UserID"]));
    usr.UserQuestions.Add(new UserQuestion());
    usr.UserQuestions.Add(new UserQuestion());
    usr.UserQuestions.Add(new UserQuestion());
    var ViewModel = new UsrViewModel()
                    {
                        UserInfo = usr
                    };   
    return View(ViewModel);

}

[HttpPost]
public void ChooseQuestion(User UserInfo)
{
    UpdateModel(User, "UserInfo");
    EntityFactory.GetEntity().SaveChanges();
}

In my View

<%: Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.UserInfo.UserName)%>
...
<%: Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.UserInfo.LastName%>
...
<%: Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.UserInfo.UserPassword%>
..
<h2>Question Creation</h2>
<%: Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.UserInfo.UserQuestions.ElementAt(0).UserQuestion)%>
<%: Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.UserInfo.UserQuestions.ElementAt(0).UserAnswer)%>

<%: Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.UserInfo.UserQuestions.ElementAt(1).UserQuestion)%>
<%: Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.UserInfo.UserQuestions.ElementAt(1).UserAnswer)%>

<%: Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.UserInfo.UserQuestions.ElementAt(2).UserQuestion)%>
<%: Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.UserInfo.UserQuestions.ElementAt(2).UserAnswer)%>

3

Answer 1

Based on Phil Haack’s post you should just have sequential number in your name attribute like so:

<%: Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.UserInfo.UserQuestions.ElementAt(0).UserQuestion, new {name="UserInfo.UserQuestion0.UserQuestion} )%>

Normally the built-in HtmlHelper.TextboxFor method will do the name attribute correctly if it is in a for loop.

As I’m not near my VS now I can’t try this magic out for myself, but you might want to check Phil’s article if you get stuck.