asp.net mvc - MVC - Using Ajax to render partial view

Question

I have this markup in an MVC app.

<div id="ingredientlistdiv">
    <% Recipe recipe = (Recipe)Model; %>
    <% Html.RenderPartial("IngredientsListControl", recipe.Ingredients); %>
</div>

<div id="ingrediententrydiv" align="left">
    <% using (Ajax.BeginForm("Add Ingredient", "Recipes/UpdateStep2", new AjaxOptions { UpdateTargetId = "ingredientlistdiv" }))
       { %>
    <p>
        <label for="Units">Units:</label><br />
        <%= Html.TextBox("Units", 0)%>
        <%= Html.ValidationMessage("Units", "*")%>
    </p>
    <p>
        <label for="Measure">Measure:</label><br />
        <%= Html.TextBox("Measure")%>
        <%= Html.ValidationMessage("Measure", "*")%>
    </p>
    <p>
        <label for="IngredientName">Ingredient Name:</label><br />
        <%= Html.TextBox("IngredientName")%>
        <%= Html.ValidationMessage("IngredientName", "*")%>
    </p>
    <p><a href="javascript:document.forms[0].submit()">Save Ingredient</a></p>
    <%= Html.Hidden("RecipeID", recipe.RecipeID.ToString())%>
    <% } %>
</div>

When this runs the IngredientsListControl.ascx displayas a new page in the browser and does not update the ingredientlistdiv.

This is my controller action

[AcceptVerbs(HttpVerbs.Post)]
        public ActionResult UpdateStep2(FormCollection form)
        {
            var factory = SessionFactoryCreator.Create();

            using (var session = factory.OpenSession())
            {
                Recipe recipe = GetRecipe(session, Convert.ToInt32(form["RecipeID"]));

                Ingredient ingredient = new Ingredient();

                ingredient.UpdateFromForm(form);
                ingredient.Validate(ViewData);

                if (ViewData.ModelState.Count == 0)
                {
                    recipe.Ingredients.Add(ingredient);
                    session.Save(recipe);
                    return PartialView("IngredientsListControl", recipe.Ingredients);
                }


                return Content("Error");
            }
        }

Am I doing the right thing on this line?

return PartialView("IngredientsListControl", recipe.Ingredients);

Is that how I render the control into the div so it does not load new page.???

Malcolm

Answer 1

When you use this:

<a href="javascript:document.forms[0].submit()">

...you should be aware that it's not the same as

<input type="submit" />

It doesn't raise the onsubmit event, and MVC's AJAX eventhandler is not called.

To confirm this is the issue, add

<input type="submit" /> 

inside the form and try it out.

Finally, just call onsubmit() from your link

<a href="#" onclick="document.forms[0].onsubmit()">