Generating an action URL in JavaScript for ASP.NET MVC

Question

I'm trying to redirect to another page by calling an action in controller with a specific parameter. I'm trying to use this line:

window.open('<%= Url.Action("Report", "Survey",
    new { id = ' + selectedRow + ' } ) %>');

But I couldn't make it work; it gives the following error:

CS1012: Too many characters in character literal.

Can't I generate the action URL this was on the client side? Or do I have to make an Ajax call by supplying the parameter and get back the needed URL? This doesn't seem right, but I want to if it's the only way.

Is there an easier solution?

Is it a JS error? What is rendered html-result?

Mathias F
– Mathias F

2010-01-06 12:40:59 +00:00
Commented Jan 6, 2010 at 12:40 — Mathias F
– Mathias F, Commented Jan 6, 2010 at 12:40

ahsteele · Accepted Answer · 2013-03-12 15:57:56Z

54

Remember that everything between <% and %> is interpreted as C# code, so what you're actually doing is trying to evaluate the following line of C#:

Url.Action("Report", "Survey", new { id = ' + selectedRow + ' } )

C# thinks the single-quotes are surrounding a character literal, hence the error message you're getting (character literals can only contain a single character in C#)

Perhaps you could generate the URL once in your page script - somewhere in your page HEAD, do this:

var actionUrl =
    '<%= Url.Action("Report", "Survey", new { id = "PLACEHOLDER" } ) %>';

That'll give you a Javascript string containing the URL you need, but with PLACEHOLDER instead of the number. Then set up your click handlers as:

window.open(actionUrl.replace('PLACEHOLDER', selectedRow));

i.e. when the handler runs, you find the PLACEHOLDER value in your pre-calculated URL, and replace it with the selected row.

edited Mar 12, 2013 at 15:57

ahsteele

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answered Jan 6, 2010 at 14:01

Dylan Beattie

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1 Comment

Steve Duitsman Over a year ago

I don't know if it will help you, but this question/answer helped me. stackoverflow.com/questions/5093977/…

ahsteele · Accepted Answer · 2013-03-12 15:58:13Z

10

I usually declare a javascript variable in the section to hold the root of my website.

<%="<script type=\"text/javascript\">var rootPath = '"
    + Url.Content("~/") + "';</script>" %>

To solve your problem I would simply do

window.open(rootPath + "report/survey/" + selectedRow);

edited Mar 12, 2013 at 15:58

ahsteele

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answered Jan 6, 2010 at 14:22

Jaco Pretorius

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1 Comment

JabberwockyDecompiler Over a year ago

Simple and effective. On a razor page I needed to use <script type="text/javascript"> var rootMvcPath = '@Url.Content("~/")'; </script>

ahsteele · Accepted Answer · 2013-03-12 15:58:36Z

3

Could you do

window.open('/report/survey/' + selectedRow);

instead where selected row I assume is the id? The routing should pick this up fine.

or use getJSON

Perhaps you could use JSONResult instead. Wherever the window.open should be call a method instead i.e. OpenSurveyWindow(id);

then add some jquery similar to below

function OpenSurveyWindow(id){
      $.getJSON("/report/survey/" + id, null, function(data) {
          window.open(data);
     });
}

now in your controller

public JsonResult Survey(int id)
{
    return Json(GetMyUrlMethod(id));
}

That code isnt syntactically perfect but something along those lines should work

edited Mar 12, 2013 at 15:58

ahsteele

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answered Jan 6, 2010 at 11:47

Israfel

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2 Comments

canxss Over a year ago

But I want the url to be generated by the Url.Action because this way I also have the specify the url root parameters which can change!

canxss Over a year ago

Thanks for the reply. It works but in order get a simple route making an ajax call doesn't seem OK to me. But if there wasn't any other way I would do it anyway.

Rory McCrossan · Accepted Answer · 2015-07-29 10:13:29Z

2

Just if someone is still looking for this. The controller action can have normal parameters or a model object with these fields. MVC will bind the valus automatically.

 var url = '@Url.Action("Action", "Controller")';
 $.post(url, {
      YearId: $("#YearId").val(),
      LeaveTypeId:  $("#LeaveTypeId").val()
 }, function (data) {
      //Do what u like with result
 });

edited Jul 29, 2015 at 10:13

Rory McCrossan

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answered Jul 29, 2015 at 9:54

Premson Baby

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Comments

Kenny Evitt · Accepted Answer · 2014-02-26 15:27:03Z

1

A way to do this that might be considered cleaner involves using the T4MVC T4 templates. You could then write the JavaScript inside your view like this:

var reportUrl = '<%= Url.JavaScriptReplacableUrl(MVC.Survey.Report())%>';
reportUrl = myUrl.replace('{' + MVC.Survey.ReportParams.id + '}', selectedRow);

window.open(reportUrl);

The advantage of this is that you get compile-time checking for the controller, action, and action parameter.

answered Feb 26, 2014 at 15:27

Kenny Evitt

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Comments

Pharabus · Accepted Answer · 2010-01-06 13:32:30Z

0

You wont be able to do this, the URL.Action is a server side process so will parse before the clientside selectedRow is available. Israfel has the answer I would suggest.

answered Jan 6, 2010 at 13:32

Pharabus

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Comments

Brian Mains · Accepted Answer · 2010-01-06 13:52:16Z

0

If selectedRow is a client-side variable, it won't work. You have to use @Israfel implementation to link. This is because the server-side runs before the client-side variable even exists.

If selectedRow is a server-side variable within the view, change to this:

window.open('<%= Url.Action("Report", "Survey", new { id = selectedRow } ) %>');

This is because the id will infer the selectedRow variable type, or you could convert to string with ToString() method (as long as it's not null).

answered Jan 6, 2010 at 13:52

Brian Mains

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Comments

user2792022 · Accepted Answer · 2014-06-07 16:24:09Z

0

One more thing that can be done, no so clean i guess:

var url = "@Url.RouteUrl(new { area = string.Empty, controller = "Survey", action = "Report" })";
var fullUrl = url  + '?id=' + selectedRow;

answered Jun 7, 2014 at 16:24

user2792022

1

Comments

maxspan · Accepted Answer · 2015-03-18 05:24:03Z

0

The easiest way is to declare a javascript variable than concate your parameter value to the link.

  var url = '@Url.Action("Action","Controller")' + "/" + yourjavascriptvariable;
  <a href='" + url + "'>

answered Mar 18, 2015 at 5:24

maxspan

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