Parameterless Controller Constructor Autofac

Question

I'm having problems with an MVC4 project that frustratingly works fine on one computer (VS 2012), but not on the other (VS 2010).

(I hope the conflicting VS versions aren't the problem, but the project originally came from the VS2010 computer, I did some work on 2012, and now I'm trying to put it back on the 2010.)

I get a "Make sure that the controller has a parameterless public constructor" error but I do think my controller has the default one:

public class HomeController : AuthorizedControllerBase
{
    public ViewResult Index()
    {
        return View();
    }
}

The code that throws the error is in my ControllerFactory:

public class ControllerFactory : DefaultControllerFactory
{
    private readonly IStateProvider _sessionStateProvider;

    public ControllerFactory(IStateProvider aStateProvider)
    {
        _sessionStateProvider = aStateProvider;
    }

    public override IController CreateController
    (System.Web.Routing.RequestContext requestContext, string controllerName)
    {
        IController controller = base.CreateController(requestContext, controllerName);
        if (controller is BaseController)
        {
            var baseController = (BaseController)controller; // ***This line***
            baseController.SessionData = _sessionStateProvider;
        }
        return controller;
    }
}

I saw a question similar to this where the interface implementer had no public constructor, but again, I think mine does have the default one:

public class SessionStateProvider : IStateProvider
{
    public object this[string key]
    {
        get
        {
            return HttpContext.Current.Session[key];
        }
        set
        {
            HttpContext.Current.Session[key] = value;
        }
    }

    public void Remove(string key)
    {
        HttpContext.Current.Session.Remove(key);
    }
}

Based on answers to other questions and the stacktrace, I'm looking into Autofac problems. I just did Install-Package Autofac and have the latest (3.0.2) in the project, and the stacktrace looks like this:

InnerException: Autofac.Core.DependencyResolutionException
   Message=An exception was thrown while executing a resolve operation. See the InnerException for details. ---> Common Language Runtime detected an invalid program. (See inner exception for details.)
   Source=Autofac
   StackTrace:
        at Autofac.Core.Resolving.ResolveOperation.Execute(IComponentRegistration registration, IEnumerable`1 parameters)
        at Autofac.Core.Lifetime.LifetimeScope.ResolveComponent(IComponentRegistration registration, IEnumerable`1 parameters)
        at Autofac.ResolutionExtensions.TryResolveService(IComponentContext context, Service service, IEnumerable`1 parameters, Object& instance)
        at Autofac.ResolutionExtensions.ResolveOptionalService(IComponentContext context, Service service, IEnumerable`1 parameters)
        at Autofac.ResolutionExtensions.ResolveOptional(IComponentContext context, Type serviceType, IEnumerable`1 parameters)
        at Autofac.ResolutionExtensions.ResolveOptional(IComponentContext context, Type serviceType)
        at Autofac.Integration.Mvc.AutofacDependencyResolver.GetService(Type serviceType)
        at System.Web.Mvc.DefaultControllerFactory.DefaultControllerActivator.Create(RequestContext requestContext, Type controllerType)
   InnerException: System.InvalidProgramException
        Message=Common Language Runtime detected an invalid program.
        Source=Autofac
        StackTrace:
             at Autofac.Core.Activators.Reflection.ConstructorParameterBinding..ctor(ConstructorInfo ci, IEnumerable`1 availableParameters, IComponentContext context)
             at Autofac.Core.Activators.Reflection.ReflectionActivator.<>c__DisplayClass5.<GetConstructorBindings>b__4(ConstructorInfo ci)
             at System.Linq.Enumerable.WhereSelectArrayIterator`2.MoveNext()
             at System.Linq.Enumerable.WhereEnumerableIterator`1.MoveNext()
             at System.Linq.Buffer`1..ctor(IEnumerable`1 source)
             at System.Linq.Enumerable.ToArray[TSource](IEnumerable`1 source)
             at Autofac.Core.Activators.Reflection.ReflectionActivator.ActivateInstance(IComponentContext context, IEnumerable`1 parameters)
             at Autofac.Core.Resolving.InstanceLookup.Activate(IEnumerable`1 parameters)
             at Autofac.Core.Resolving.InstanceLookup.Execute()
             at Autofac.Core.Resolving.ResolveOperation.GetOrCreateInstance(ISharingLifetimeScope currentOperationScope, IComponentRegistration registration, IEnumerable`1 parameters)
             at Autofac.Core.Resolving.InstanceLookup.ResolveComponent(IComponentRegistration registration, IEnumerable`1 parameters)
             at Autofac.Core.Registration.ExternalRegistrySource.<>c__DisplayClass8.<RegistrationsFor>b__3(IComponentContext c, IEnumerable`1 p)
             at Autofac.Core.Activators.Delegate.DelegateActivator.ActivateInstance(IComponentContext context, IEnumerable`1 parameters)
             at Autofac.Core.Resolving.InstanceLookup.Activate(IEnumerable`1 parameters)
             at Autofac.Core.Resolving.InstanceLookup.Execute()
             at Autofac.Core.Resolving.ResolveOperation.GetOrCreateInstance(ISharingLifetimeScope currentOperationScope, IComponentRegistration registration, IEnumerable`1 parameters)
             at Autofac.Core.Resolving.ResolveOperation.ResolveComponent(IComponentRegistration registration, IEnumerable`1 parameters)
             at Autofac.Core.Resolving.ResolveOperation.Execute(IComponentRegistration registration, IEnumerable`1 parameters)

This happens even though I am indeed registering IStateProvider like this: builder.Register(context => new SessionStateProvider()).As<IStateProvider>(); in ContainerBuilder.BuildContainer(). In Global.asax I also register the ControllerFactory:

protected void Application_Start()
{
    Container = ContainerBuilder.BuildContainer();
    var autofacDependencyResolver = new AutofacDependencyResolver(Container);
    DependencyResolver.SetResolver(autofacDependencyResolver);
    ControllerBuilder.Current.SetControllerFactory(new ControllerFactory(Container.Resolve<IStateProvider>()));
    Application_Start_MVC();
}

I'm not sure what the next possible steps are for trying to resolve this (I'm way out of my depth parsing the Autofac stacktrace), and I'd appreciate any help.

VS2010 comes with .net 4.0 but vs2012 with .net 4.5 so the framework version difference causing the problem not the visual studio. You can try to intall .net 4.5 on the vs2010 machine or you can try to use an older version of Autofac like 2.6 to see whether it works in both environments. — nemesv
InvalidProgramException -- seems like a .NET Framework bug when Autofac is trying to build a resolver. — Andrey Shchekin
@nemesv You can add the Microsoft Bcl package to access most of the 4.5 features under 4.0. (But watch out, they can make a mess when using source-control) — Gábor Imre

kolesso kolesso · Accepted Answer · 2014-02-12T16:43:03

Hi i don't test that in VS 2010 because i don't have it. But in my VS 2013 works fine.

 public static class DependencyInjection
    {
        public static void Init()
        {
            // Create the container builder.
            var builder = new ContainerBuilder();

            //Register controllers
            builder.RegisterControllers(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly());

            // Register other dependencies.
            builder.RegisterType<SessionStateProvider>().As<IStateProvider>().InstancePerHttpRequest();

            // Build the container.
            var container = builder.Build();

            //Configure ASP.NET MVC the dependency resolver
            DependencyResolver.SetResolver(new AutofacDependencyResolver(container));

        }
    }

 public class SessionStateProvider:IStateProvider
{
    public object this[string key]
    {
        get
        {
            return HttpContext.Current.Session[key];
        }
        set
        {
            HttpContext.Current.Session[key] = value;
        }
    }

    public void Remove(string key)
    {
        HttpContext.Current.Session.Remove(key);
    }
}

public interface IStateProvider
{
  object this[string key] { get; set; }
  void Remove(string key);

}

public class MvcApplication : System.Web.HttpApplication
{
    protected void Application_Start()
    {
        AreaRegistration.RegisterAllAreas();
        WebApiConfig.Register(GlobalConfiguration.Configuration);
        FilterConfig.RegisterGlobalFilters(GlobalFilters.Filters);
        RouteConfig.RegisterRoutes(RouteTable.Routes);
        DependencyInjection.Init();
        BundleConfig.RegisterBundles(BundleTable.Bundles);
    }
}

public abstract class BaseController : Controller
{
    protected IStateProvider SessionStateProvider { get; private set; }
    public BaseController()
    {
        SessionStateProvider = DependencyResolver.Current.GetService<IStateProvider>();
    }
}


public class HomeController : BaseController
{

    public ActionResult Index()
    {
        SessionStateProvider["1"] = 2;
        return View();
    }

}

Autofac -> https://www.nuget.org/packages/Autofac.Mvc4/

Parameterless Controller Constructor Autofac

1 Answers