ASP.NET Core  

Understanding How .cshtml Views Find the Correct Controller in ASP.NET Core MVC

ASP.NET Core MVC uses a powerful pattern called Model–View–Controller, where each part has a specific responsibility:

  • Controller → Handles requests

  • View (.cshtml) → Displays UI

  • Model → Carries data

One common question for beginners is:

How does a .cshtml View know which controller it belongs to?

The simple answer is:

Views never call controllers.

Controllers call the views.

Let's break this down step-by-step.

1. MVC Routing: The Real Connection Between Controller and View

ASP.NET Core uses a default routing pattern:

/{controller}/{action}/{id?}

This means:

  • The first part of the URL selects the controller

  • The second part selects the action method inside that controller

  • The view is determined by the action method

Example URL

/Account/Login

Meaning:

URL PartMapped To
AccountAccountController
LoginLogin() action method
id?Optional

So when you open that URL, the framework:

  1. Finds AccountController

  2. Executes Login()

  3. Returns Login.cshtml

2. How Controllers Return Views

Inside a controller, you normally write:

public IActionResult Login()
{
    return View();
}

When ASP.NET Core sees return View();, it looks for a .cshtml file that matches the action method name.

In this case:

  • Controller name → AccountController

  • Action method → Login()

So MVC loads the file here:

Views/Account/Login.cshtml

This is how the connection is made.

3. The View Folder Naming Convention

The MVC folder structure is very important:

Views
 └── Account
        └── Login.cshtml

Rule 1 — Folder name = Controller name (without "Controller")
Controller: HomeController → Folder: Views/Home/
Controller: ProductController → Folder: Views/Product/

Rule 2 — View file name = Action method name
Action: Index() → View: Index.cshtml
Action: Details() → View: Details.cshtml

4. What If You Want to Load a Different View?

You can specify a different file name:

return View("CustomPage");

This loads:

Views/Account/CustomPage.cshtml

5. Shared Views

Sometimes you want a view that multiple controllers can use.

ASP.NET Core will look second in:

Views/Shared/

For example:

Views/Shared/Error.cshtml

6. Summary Diagram

User enters URL → MVC Routing → Finds Controller → Runs Action → Returns View (.cshtml)

Or visually:

/Account/Login 
      ↓
AccountController
      ↓
Login() action
      ↓
Views/Account/Login.cshtml

Conclusion

The connection between .cshtml and controller is not magic —
it is handled through:

  1. Routing

  2. Folder naming conventions

  3. Action method names

  4. Return View() method

Once you understand this, the entire MVC workflow becomes easy.

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