ASP.NET MVC Render Model as Hidden fields

Question

Is there a way to render a complete model as hidden fields?

Something like:

@Html.HiddenFor(m => m)

Or do I have to render every single property of my model with HiddenFor?

Edit:

It is a complex wizard (5-10 steps). In the last step I want to store the data in the DB. Perhaps I can serialize the model as JSON to a hidden field. Then I could also access it via JS.

you can make a type of T Generic model and then use an EditorFor or DisplayFor template and use reflection to iterate through the properties of the model and render it as a hidden field. Something like this would work. However I agree - what would be the point? — Ahmed ilyas
– Ahmed ilyas, Commented Oct 18, 2014 at 12:02
@StephenMuecke I presume the point is to be able to re-render non-editable model properties when, for example, form validation fails and model errors are being displayed. — Ant P
– Ant P, Commented Oct 18, 2014 at 12:07
@AntP, If all properties of the model are hidden? What is there to validate? — user3559349
– user3559349, Commented Oct 18, 2014 at 12:10
@StephenMuecke Ignoring the fact that hidden fields still need to be validated server side, that's not what I mean - suppose you have a view that displays 5 property values and allows you to edit two property values. If server-side validation fails, the typical solution is to do this: if(!ModelState.IsValid) return View(model). If you haven't persisted those 5 display-only properties via hidden fields or some other mechanism, the returned view can't display them (without fetching them all from the DB again). — Ant P
– Ant P, Commented Oct 18, 2014 at 12:19

Rhumborl · Accepted Answer · 2014-10-18 12:02:54Z

2

Well you could serialize the object to a string of some format, such as XML or Base64, and put that into a hidden field, but that is basically just old-school ASP.NET ViewState.

If you are only editing a couple of fields in a large object, it is generally better to just have the ID on the page (in a hidden field or the URL) and reconstruct it again from the database/session/wherever when they submit the form.

answered Oct 18, 2014 at 12:02

Rhumborl

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LuckyStrike Over a year ago

It is a complex wizard (5-10 steps). In the last step I want to store it in the DB. Perhaps I can serialize the model as JSON to the hidden field. Then I could also access it via JS.

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