Asp – DropDownList get underlying object

asp.netdata-binding

I have an DropDownList bound to an ObjectDataSource. when I select a row in the drop down how do I get the underlying object(not just the value or text properties). I'm trying to add the selected object from the DropDownList to a Listbox's datasource but I don't know how to reference the object picked. The objects aren't backed in a database so they don't really have keys per say. Maybe there's a better way to do this.

Best Answer

If you are trying to get the actual object (like a list item or data row), you can't after the postback (actually, I don't think you can before the postback either). The values are saved in the selected item property, but the bound object is discarded.

For MVC v5.1 use Html.EnumDropDownListFor

@Html.EnumDropDownListFor(
    x => x.YourEnumField,
    "Select My Type", 
    new { @class = "form-control" })

For MVC v5 use EnumHelper

@Html.DropDownList("MyType", 
   EnumHelper.GetSelectList(typeof(MyType)) , 
   "Select My Type", 
   new { @class = "form-control" })

For MVC 5 and lower

I rolled Rune's answer into an extension method:

namespace MyApp.Common
{
    public static class MyExtensions{
        public static SelectList ToSelectList<TEnum>(this TEnum enumObj)
            where TEnum : struct, IComparable, IFormattable, IConvertible
        {
            var values = from TEnum e in Enum.GetValues(typeof(TEnum))
                select new { Id = e, Name = e.ToString() };
            return new SelectList(values, "Id", "Name", enumObj);
        }
    }
}

This allows you to write:

ViewData["taskStatus"] = task.Status.ToSelectList();

by using MyApp.Common

Best Answer

Related Solutions

How to bind a DropDownList in a GridView in the EditItemTemplate Field

C# – How to create a dropdownlist from an enum in ASP.NET MVC

For MVC v5.1 use Html.EnumDropDownListFor

For MVC v5 use EnumHelper

For MVC 5 and lower

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