c# 4.0 - Get html from MVC 4 view into a string

Question

I am trying to use the accepted answer from this question.

It seems that it will be exactly what i am looking for, but i have a problem. I don't know how to actually call it. This is what i have so far:

First i am copying the code from the solution i mentioned:

public string ToHtml(string viewToRender, ViewDataDictionary viewData, ControllerContext controllerContext)
{
    var result = ViewEngines.Engines.FindView(controllerContext, viewToRender, null);

    StringWriter output;
    using (output = new StringWriter())
    {
        var viewContext = new ViewContext(controllerContext, result.View, viewData, controllerContext.Controller.TempData, output);
        result.View.Render(viewContext, output);
        result.ViewEngine.ReleaseView(controllerContext, result.View);
    }

    return output.ToString();
}

This is what i have:

string viewToRender = "...";
int Data1 = ...;
int Data2 = ...;

System.Web.Mvc.ViewDataDictionary viewData = new System.Web.Mvc.ViewDataDictionary();
viewData.Add("Data1",Data1);
viewData.Add("Data2",Data2);

string html = ToHtml(viewToRender, viewData, ?????)//Here is my problem.

What should i pass in the controllerContext parameter?

Answer 1

Rather than inherit Controller which means you have to remember to implement this every time, or inherit from a CustomControllerBase, which means you have to remember to inherit every time - simply make an extension method:

public static class ControllerExtensions
{
    public static string RenderView(this Controller controller, string viewName, object model)
    {
        return RenderView(controller, viewName, new ViewDataDictionary(model));
    }

    public static string RenderView(this Controller controller, string viewName, ViewDataDictionary viewData)
    {
        var controllerContext = controller.ControllerContext;

        var viewResult = ViewEngines.Engines.FindView(controllerContext, viewName, null);

        StringWriter stringWriter;

        using (stringWriter = new StringWriter())
        {
            var viewContext = new ViewContext(
                controllerContext,
                viewResult.View,
                viewData,
                controllerContext.Controller.TempData,
                stringWriter);

            viewResult.View.Render(viewContext, stringWriter);
            viewResult.ViewEngine.ReleaseView(controllerContext, viewResult.View);
        }

        return stringWriter.ToString();
    }
}

Then within your Controller you can call like this:

this.RenderView("ViewName", model);