MVC Dropdown List

Question

I have a dropdownlist :

<%=Html.DropDownList("memberInvoiceStatus", ViewData["memberInvoiceStatus"] as SelectList)%>

Can I set the default value in the view?

I am binding like this...

IEnumerable<PayStatus> memberInvoiceStatus = new List<PayStatus>(dr.GetPayStatus());
ViewData["memberInvoiceStatus"] = new SelectList(memberInvoiceStatus, "payStatusId", "payStatusText");

So i have a collection of memberInvoiceStatus (4 total) but i need the selected value of each

Answer 1

Try this:

<%=Html.DropDownList("memberInvoiceStatus", ViewData["memberInvoiceStatus"] as SelectList, "--DEFAULT TEXT--")%>

Answer 2

I'm assuming that you want to have the value reflect the current value of the model. If not, you can use the version of the helper that allows you to specify a default, "unselected" option for the list. If so, you probably want to have two different attributes in your model or view data -- I almost always use a strongly-typed view model for this -- one for the property and one for the list of choices. The helper will pick up the default for the select list from the property value, if available.

Ex:

<%= Html.DropDownList( "memberInvoiceStatus", ViewData["memberInvoiceOptions"] as SelectList ) %>

where memberInvoiceStatus is the property (returned on post and containing default on view) and memberInvoiceOptions is the select list. Using a mode (the way I would go) it would look like:

 public class InvoiceViewModel
 {
      public int MemberInvoiceStatus { get; set; }
      public IEnumerable<SelectListItem> MemberInvoiceOptions { get; set; }
      ...
 }


 <%= Html.DropDownList( "MemberInvoiceStatus", Model.MemberInvoiceOptions ) %>

Using strongly-typed HtmlHelper extensions is probably even better, but requires using the MvcFutures assembly or waiting until MVC 2.0.

Answer 3

A way in which you could solve it is to create a List.

Say your Pay status is something like this:

public class PayStatus
{
   int id;
   string StatusName;
}

so you would do something like this:

IEnumerable<PayStatus> memberInvoiceStatus = new List<PayStatus>(dr.GetPayStatus());

 var statusList = new List<SelectListItem>();

foreach(var status in memberInvoiceStatus)
{
    statusList .Add( new SelectListItem()
    {
       Text = status.StatusName,
       Value = status.id
       Selected = status.StatusName == "MyDefaultStatus" // or some logic that will mark as True the item that you want to be the default selected one.   
    }
}

I guess you could still use it like you are using it, but instead of pasing this:

ViewData["memberInvoiceStatus"] = new SelectList(memberInvoiceStatus, "payStatusId", "payStatusText");

you would pass:

ViewData["memberInvoiceStatus"] = new SelectList(statusList , "payStatusId", "payStatusText");

although I think it is easier if you just added the list of SelectListItem to the viewdata

ViewData["ListOfStatus"] = statusList;

and in the view you do something like this:

<%= Html.DropDownList("Status",ViewData["ListOfStatus"]) %>

that will make a list with the element that you marked as selected ( Selected = true), as the default (selected) item.