Populating Dropdown list in ASP.NET MVC 2 using Entity Framework 4

Basically this article would demonstrate in a step by step manner - how to populate a dropdown list in ASP.NET MVC2 using Entity Framework 4.0 using View Models and Repository Pattern.

Over the course of this article we will see how to Create View Model classes to make strongly typed Views and how to use Repository pattern in Models - to specify all the Querying methods required in the application.

1. Start by Creating a new Visual Studio Solution - Open a new instance of Visual Studio 2010.

Select File -> New -> Project and from the new project dialog select ASP.Net MVC 2 Web Application -> Name it -> PopulatingDDLusingEF



Click Ok – and for this sample application -> Select -> "No, Do not create a unit Test Project"

2. Create ViewModel

• ViewModel can be thought as a Model - which is responsible to supply information to a View.
• We will later see while creating the Views that how ViewModels helps us to create Strongly Typed Views.
• Go to solution Explorer -> Right Click -> PopulatingDDLusingEF -> Add New Folder ViewModels -> This folder can be used for placing all the ViewModel classes.
• Right Click ViewModels -> Add Class -> IndexViewModel.cs
• Open IndexViewModel.cs
• Add the following using statement
  
  using System.Web.Mvc;
  
• IndexViewModel.cs
  
  using System;
  using System.Collections.Generic;
  using System.Linq;
  using System.Web;
  using System.Web.Mvc;

  namespace PopulatingDDLusingEF.ViewModels
  {
  public class IndexViewModel
  {
  //DDL ID
  public string ddlStateId
  {
  get;
  set;
  }

  //DropDownList Values
  public List<SelectListItem> StateValue
  {
  get;
  set;
  }
  
  }
  }

3. Database Part

• Here basically we will create a sample SQL Server database and table and insert some sample data which would be reflected in our dropdown list.
• For this sample application - Let us create table by
  
  
  1. Right Click the App_Data folder -> Add -> New Item -> Select SQL Server database and give it some name- SampleDB.mdf - Click Add.
  2. Double Click SampleDB.mdf to open the Server Explorer.
  3. Right Click Table - Add New Table -tblState(StateId(int)-primary key , StateName(varchar(30) )
  4. Save- (CTRL+S) -> Give Table Name -> tblState
  5. Insert Sample Data - Right-click the tblState table and select option Show Table Data- Here you can enter sample data.

4. Setting up the Models

Adding Entity Framework classes

• Entity Framework is an ORM(object relational mapper ) that ships as part of .Net 4
  
• From the Solution explorer -> Go to Models folder -> Right Click Models -> Add New Item -> Select ADO.Net Entity Data Model -> Name it -> SampleDBModel.edmx -> Click Add
  
  
  
• Choose Model Contents -> Generate from database -> Click Next
  
  
  
• Choose your Data Connection -> From the dropdown you can select your database (SampleDB.mdf) -> Select Next
  
  
  
• Choose your database object -> Here you can choose which all database objects you need to include in your Models(Tables, Views, Stored Procedures)
  
• For this sample application - select one table( tblState ) which we have created -> and Click Finish
  
  
  
• With this our Entity Data Model is created.

Creating a Repository Class

• We will see here how to use a Repository Pattern.
• This approach using Repository class helps encapsulate data querying and persistence logic.
• In this class we can specify all the Querying methods required in our application
• Right Click Models-Add Class - DataRepository.cs
• Open DataRepository.cs
• Add the following using statement
  
  using System.Web.Mvc;
  using PopulatingDDLusingEF.ViewModels;
  
• DataRepository.cs
  
  using System;
  using System.Collections.Generic;
  using System.Linq;
  using System.Web;
  using System.Web.Mvc;
  using PopulatingDDLusingEF.ViewModels;

  namespace PopulatingDDLusingEF.Models
  {
  public class DataRepository
  {
  //Create an instance of SampleDBEntities
  public SampleDBEntities entities = new SampleDBEntities();
  //Fetching data from table
  public List<SelectListItem> GetStateName()
  {
  var vStateName = (from tblState in entities.tblStates
  select new SelectListItem
  {
  Text = tblState.StateName,
  Value = tblState.StateName
  });
  
  return vStateName.ToList();
  
  }
  }
  }

5. Views

• From the solution explorer -> Go to Views folder -> Home -> and Open Index.aspx
• We can strongly type this View to the ViewModel(IndexViewMode ) - we created using the following @Page directive
  
  <%@ Page Language="C#" MasterPageFile="~/Views/Shared/Site.Master" Inherits="System.Web.Mvc.ViewPage<PopulatingDDLusingEF.ViewModels.IndexViewModel>" %>
  
• This gives you benefit of a strongly typed View(including Type Checking, Intellisense, and freedom from having to cast Untyped ViewDataDictionary objects)
  
• Include a label and a DropDown List in the View
  <p>
  <%:Html.Label("States:") %>
  
  <%:Html.DropDownListFor(m=>m.ddlStateID,Model.StateValue) %>
  </p>

6. Controllers

• From the solution explorer -> Go to Controllers folder -> and Open HomeController.cs
• Add the following using statement
  
  using PopulatingDDLusingEF.ViewModels;
  using PopulatingDDLusingEF.Models;
  
• Create an instance of Repository Class
  
  DataRepository objRepository = new DataRepository();
  
• Create an instance of IndexViewModel
  
  IndexViewModel objIndexViewModel = new IndexViewModel();
  
  
• HomeController.cs
  
  using System;
  using System.Collections.Generic;
  using System.Linq;
  using System.Web;
  using System.Web.Mvc;
  using PopulatingDDLusingEF.ViewModels;
  using PopulatingDDLusingEF.Models;
  
  namespace PopulatingDDLusingEF.Controllers
  {
  [HandleError]
  public class HomeController : Controller
  {
  //Create the object of the Repository Class
  DataRepository objRepository = new DataRepository();
  public ActionResult Index()
  {
  //Creating an instance of IndexViewModel
  IndexViewModel objIndexViewModel = new IndexViewModel();
  objIndexViewModel.StateValue = objRepository.GetStateName();
  ViewData["Message"] = "Welcome to ASP.NET MVC!";
  //Pass the instance of ViewModel to the View
  return View(objIndexViewModel);
  }

  public ActionResult About()
  {
  return View();
  }
  }
  }

7. Compile and run the Project (F5)



In this tutorial you have seen how to populate a dropdownlist in ASP.NET MVC by taking the advantage of Microsoft Entity Framework, ViewModel class and Repository pattern.

I have attached the Code for this Sample application.

Happy Learning!!