Custom Model-Binder that pulls from a cookie problem?

Question

I am trying to do the following.

Use the default model binder to bind an object from query string values.
If that fails, I then try and bind the object from cookie values.

However I am using dataannotations on this object and I am having the following problems.

1. If there are no querystring parameters the default model binder doesn't even register any validation errors on required fields. It apparently doesn't even fire these validators if the property itself is not in the query string collection. How can I change this behavior? I would like the required fields to be errors if they aren't in the query string.
2. If I do have model validation errors, I would like to then load the model from the cookie and then revalidate the object. I am not sure how to get the model binder to validate an object I have populated myself.

Here is what I have so far.

    public class MyCarBinder : DefaultModelBinder
{
    public override object BindModel(ControllerContext controllerContext, ModelBindingContext bindingContext)
    {
        var myCar = base.BindModel(controllerContext, bindingContext);

        if (!bindingContext.ModelState.IsValid)
        {
            myCar = MyCar.LoadFromCookie();
            // Not sure what to do to revalidate
        }

        return myCar;
    }
}

Any help on how to properly do this would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Well, I solved it myself. Posting the solution here in case anyone has a comments or might like to use it.

 public class MyCarBinder : DefaultModelBinder
 {
    public override object BindModel(ControllerContext controllerContext, ModelBindingContext bindingContext)
    {
        var queryStringBindingContext = new ModelBindingContext()
        {
            FallbackToEmptyPrefix = bindingContext.FallbackToEmptyPrefix,
            ModelMetadata = bindingContext.ModelMetadata,
            ModelName = bindingContext.ModelName,
            PropertyFilter = bindingContext.PropertyFilter,
            ValueProvider = new QueryStringValueProvider(controllerContext),
            ModelState = new ModelStateDictionary()
        };

        var myCar = base.BindModel(controllerContext, queryStringBindingContext);

        if (queryStringBindingContext.ModelState.IsValid)
            return myCar;

        // try to bind from cookie if query string is invalid
        var cookieHelper = new Helpers.ControllerContextCookieHelper(controllerContext);
        NameValueCollection nvc = cookieHelper.GetCookies(Helpers.CookieName.MyCar);

        if (nvc == null)
        {
            bindingContext.ModelState.Merge(queryStringBindingContext.ModelState);
            return myCar;
        }

        var cookieBindingContext = new ModelBindingContext()
        {
            FallbackToEmptyPrefix = bindingContext.FallbackToEmptyPrefix,
            ModelMetadata = bindingContext.ModelMetadata,
            ModelName = bindingContext.ModelName,
            PropertyFilter = bindingContext.PropertyFilter,
            ValueProvider = new NameValueCollectionValueProvider(nvc, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture),
            ModelState = new ModelStateDictionary()
        };

        var myCarFromCookie = base.BindModel(controllerContext, cookieBindingContext);

        if (cookieBindingContext.ModelState.IsValid)
        {
            MyCar temp = myCarFromCookie as MyCar;
            if (temp != null)
                temp.FromCookie = true;

            return myCarFromCookie;
        }
        else
        {
            bindingContext.ModelState.Merge(queryStringBindingContext.ModelState);
            return myCar;
        }
    }
}