mvc3 Problem passing data from View to Controller

Question

I am using mvcContrib to generate a grid to allow users to filter data by keying in search data. There are several partial views that are rendered in my Index View:

Here is the partial view that handles the searching:

@model CRMNPS.Models.PagedViewModel<CRMNPS.Models.NPSProcessed>
@using (Html.BeginForm("Index", "Home", FormMethod.Get))
{

    <label>
Model Number:&nbsp;&nbsp; @Html.TextBox("searchWord" )
<br /><br />From Date:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; @Html.EditorFor(m => m.FromDate)
</label>
<label>
<Br /><br />To Date:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; @Html.EditorFor(m => m.ToDate)
</label>    
<label>
<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;<input class="button" value="Search" type="submit" />
<br />
</label>

}

Here is my Index view:

@model PagedViewModel <CRMNPS.Models.NPSProcessed>

@{
    ViewBag.Title = "CRM Processed List";
    Layout = "~/Views/Shared/_Layout.cshtml";
}


<h2>Processed List</h2>
@{Html.RenderPartial("SearchBox");}
@{Html.RenderPartial("Pager", Model.PagedList);}
@Html.Grid(Model.PagedList).AutoGenerateColumns().Columns(column =>{
column.For(x => Html.ActionQueryLink(x.ModelNumber, "Edit", new { id = x.Id
})).Named("Id").InsertAt(1);
}).Sort(Model.GridSortOptions).Attributes(@class => "grid-style")

@using (Html.BeginForm("Index", "Home", FormMethod.Post, new { FromDate = Model.FromDate, ToDate = Model.ToDate, SearchWord = Model.SearchWord }))
{
   <p>
       <input class="button" value="Export to Excel" type="submit" />
   </p>
}    

At the bottom of the Index View I have another submit within the Html.BeginForm with a Formmethod.Post.

The Index ActionResult that calls this view passes a viewmodel with the search criteria and a IQueryable object that the mvcContrib uses.

When the user presses the Export to Excel push button I would like to pass the selected values back to the Index actionresult HttpPost controller. (FromDate, ToDate and SearchWord)

The FromDate, ToDate and SearchWord values always come back null.

I am fairly new to MVC so any constructive comments are welcome.

Thanks

Joe

Answer 1

Since they are not in the form that you are posting - (Export to Excel is in a separate form). The inputs

FromDate, ToDate and SearchWord

Are in the first form (in the partial view). So those values don't show up in the controller (since they are not part of the http post). If you want to see all these values being passed back to the controller, they should be under one

Html.BeginForm

Answer 2

One way is to put'em all in the same form as MoXplod suggested or you can use some javascript to send search values as query string by hooking the submit event of second form like

$('#excel-form').live('click', function(){
   var action = this.action;
   var searchString = $('#SearchWord').val();
   var toDateString = $('#ToDate').val();
   var fromDateString = $('#FromDate').val();
   if(action.indexOf('?')<0)
   {
      action = action+"?SearchWord="+searchString;
   }
   else
  {
     action = action+"&SearchWord="+searchString;
  }
  action = action + "&ToDate="+toDateString + "&FromDate=" + fromDateString;
  $(this).attr('action', action);
  return true;

});

it will put these values in querystring and make them available in action method. Alternatively, you can use ajax to post these values to controller rather than full regular post back.