Data Passing Between Controller and View

  • Using Form Like POST Method

  • ViewBag.Number and (int)ViewData[“Number”] from controller to View

  • Controller to Controller TempData

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public ActionResult SubmitForm(MyModel model)
{
    if (ModelState.IsValid)
    {
        // Process the form data
        
        // Store a success message in TempData
        TempData["Message"] = "Form submitted successfully!";
        
        // Redirect to another action
        return RedirectToAction("Confirmation");
    }
    
    return View(model);
}

public ActionResult Confirmation()
{
    // Retrieve the message from TempData
    ViewBag.Message = TempData["Message"];
    return View();
}

1. Using ViewData

ViewData is a dictionary-based way to pass data to the view. It uses the ViewDataDictionary class and is accessed by string keys.

Example:

Controller:

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public class HomeController : Controller
{
    public ActionResult Index()
    {
        // Use ViewData to pass data to the view
        ViewData["Message"] = "Hello from ViewData!";
        ViewData["Date"] = DateTime.Now;
        return View();
    }
}

View (Index.cshtml):

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@{
    ViewBag.Title = "Index";
}

<h2>@ViewData["Message"]</h2>
<p>Date: @ViewData["Date"]</p>

2. Using ViewBag

ViewBag is a dynamic wrapper around ViewData. It allows you to set and retrieve data using dynamic properties. ViewBag uses the dynamic keyword, which provides a more flexible and convenient way to pass data.

Example:

Controller:

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public class HomeController : Controller
{
    public ActionResult Index()
    {
        // Use ViewBag to pass data to the view
        ViewBag.Message = "Hello from ViewBag!";
        ViewBag.Date = DateTime.Now;
        return View();
    }
}

View (Index.cshtml):

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@{
    ViewBag.Title = "Index";
}

<h2>@ViewBag.Message</h2>
<p>Date: @ViewBag.Date</p>

Key Differences

  • Type: ViewData is a dictionary (ViewDataDictionary) and requires type casting when retrieving data. ViewBag is a dynamic object, which provides a more straightforward syntax.

    Using ViewData:

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    string message = (string)ViewData["Message"];
DateTime date = (DateTime)ViewData["Date"];

    Using ViewBag:

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    string message = ViewBag.Message;
DateTime date = ViewBag.Date;

  • Performance: ViewBag can be slightly less performant than ViewData because ViewBag relies on the dynamic type and runtime binding, whereas ViewData uses a strongly typed dictionary.

  • Functionality: Both ViewData and ViewBag are used for similar purposes, but ViewBag offers a more concise syntax due to its dynamic nature.