Introduction

This article explains how to create a User Control in the Web API. We add a "MVC4 View User Control (ASPX)" in which we create a link that calls the action method  from the "Controller".

Procedure for creating the User Control in the Web API.

Step 1

Create an API application as in the following:

  1. Start Visual Studio 2012.
  2. From the start window Select "Installed" -> "Visual C#" -> "Web".
  3. Select "ASP.NET MVC4 Web Application" and click the "OK" button.

user.jpg

  1. From the "MVC4 Project" window select "Web API".

user1.jpg

  1. Click the "Ok" button.

Step 2

Now we add a User Control named "UserControlAPI.ascx".

  1. In the "Solution Explorer".
  2. Right-click on the "Shared folder", select "Add" -> "New Item".
  3. Select "Installed" -> "Visual C#" -> "Web".
  4. Select "MVC4 View User Control (ASPX)".

user2.jpg

  1. Click the "Ok" button. It will be shown in the Shared folder.

user3.jpg

Add the following lines of code:

<%@ Control Language="C#" Inherits="System.Web.Mvc.ViewUserControl" %>

<%: Html.ActionLink("ClickMe","Display") %>

In this code "ClickMe" is a link and "Display" is an action method. When we click on the link "ClickMe", it calls the action method "Display" from the controller.

Step 3

Now in the "HomeController" we create an action method "Display". This file exists in the:

  1. In the "Solution Explorer".
  2. Spread the "Controller" folder.
  3. Select the "HomeController".

user5.jpg

Add the following code:

using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Linq;

using System.Web;

using System.Web.Mvc;

 

namespace UserControlAPI.Controllers

{

    public class HomeController : Controller

    {

        public ActionResult Index()

        {

            return View();

        }

        public string Display()

        {

            return "<h3>This is the example of the User Control:</h3>";

        }

    }

}

 

Step 4

Now add a "View Page" "Index.aspx" in the "Home" folder.

  1. In the "Solution Explorer".

  2. Right-click on the "Home" folder then select "Add" -> "New Item".

  3. Select "Installed" -> "Visual C#" -> "Web".

  4. Now select "MVC4 View Page (ASPX)".

user4.jpg

  1. Click the "Ok" button.

Add the following code:

<%@ Page Language="C#" Inherits="System.Web.Mvc.ViewPage" %> 

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head id="Head1" runat="server">

    <title>Index</title>

</head>

<body>

    <div>

         <h3><% Html.RenderPartial("UserControlAPI"); %></h3>

    </div>                                        

</body>

</html>

 

 In the following code we use the "Html.RenderPartial" in which the "RenderPartial" method renders the "UserControl" (the .ascx file) using the "Html" helper, here the user control file is "UserControlAPI.ascx".

Step 5

Execute the application by pressing "F5". The output will be displayed like this:

user6.jpg

Click on the link "ClickMe". It displays a message.

user7.jpg