Question

i have four different forms on my page and each are ajax forms.

I’m sending post request for first form with ajax to MVC Controller, it basically returns ViewData[“TEST”] back to me.

I want to use ViewData on my view and i need set this to a hidden field for use other forms.

How i can reach it without using normal submit ?

Here is my code:

@using (Ajax.BeginForm("Index", new AjaxOptions{ HttpMethod = "POST" }))
{
    <script type="text/javascript"> alert('@(ViewData["TEST"])'); </script>
    <input type="text" name="name" />
    <input type="button" onclick="javacript:SubmitAjax();" />
}

<script type="text/javascript">
    function SubmitAjax() {
        $.ajax({
            type: 'POST',
            data: $("#form0").serialize(),
            url: "/Home/Index",
            timeout: 2000,
            async: false,
            success: function (data) {
            },
            error: function (XMLHttpRequest, textStatus, errorThrown) {
                alert(message_Error);
            }
        });
    }

And Controller;

    [HttpPost]
    public ActionResult Index(string name)
    {
        ViewData["TEST"] = "TESTSTRING";
        return View();
    }

Answer 1

No ViewData !!!! . Simply return the content.

[HttpPost]
public ActionResult Index(string name)
{
   return Content("TESTSTRING");
}

and to set this in the hidden field,you can do so int he success event of your ajax function

success: function (data) {
      $("#hiddenElementID").val(data);
},

Also do not hard code the Path to action method like that. Always make use of the HTML helper methods.

Replace

url: "/Home/Index"

with

url: "@Url.Action("Index","Home")"

I personally prefer to avoid the AjaxBeginForm method and would like to write some clean handwritten javascript code to handle this.

@using(Html.Beginform())
{
  <input type="text" name="name" />
  <input type="submit" id="saveName" value="Save" />
} 

<script type="text/javascript">
 $(function(){
  $("#saveName").click(function(e){
     e.preventDefault();
      $.post("@Url.Action("Index","Home")", 
                        $(this).closest("form").serialize(),
                                                            function(data){
          $("#yourHiddenElementID").val(data);
      });     
  });    
 });    
</script>

EDIT : As per the comment.

If you want to return multiple items, You can return JSON

Ex 2 : returning anonymous type to JSON

[HttpPost]
public ActionResult Index(string name)
{
   return JSON(new { status : "true", ItemCount=35, UserName="Marc"} );
}

Ex 1 : returning a ViewModel to JSON

Assuming you have a class like

public class Result
{
  public string Status { set;get;}
  public int ItemCount { set;get;}
  public string UserName  { set;get;}
}

Now you can use this class and return it as JSON

[HttpPost]
public ActionResult Index(string name)
{
   return JSON(new Result { Status : "true",
                            ItemCount=25, UserName="Scott"} );
}