ASP.NET MVC 2: What Model property datatype will autobind an html select (DDL) with multiple selections?

Question

The customer has a Model property that requires a comma separated list of selected options. We present their select list (DDL) as a multi-choice drop down.

What would the property datatype look like that would autobind multi-selections in the client side HTML select (DDL)?

The select posts data like this:

myOptions=Volvo&myOptions=Mercedes&myOptions=Audi

And we want to automagically bind it back to some property:

IList<string> CarChoices {get;set;}

So the POST action method parameter would be (Carform myForm) which would have myForm.CarChoices which includes a List of the three selected cars?

Answer 1

Sometimes it is just easier to get your hands dirty and work with the HTML. I suggest doing something like this:

<select multiple>
   <% foreach(var item in Model){ %>
      <option value="<%= item.ID %>"><%= item.Description %></option>
   <% } %>
</select>

obviously your model is your collection. You can also use the ViewData["Whatever"] object to pass data as well, your choice.