Using ASP.Net MVC4 to Display Dynamic Content in _Layout.cshtml

Learn how to display dynamic content based on database information in your `_Layout.cshtml` using ASP.Net MVC4.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/73534711/ asked by the user 'RRAO' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/19874033/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/73540812/ provided by the user 'Abdul Haseeb' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/9049282/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: ASP.Net MVC4 display dynamic contents in _Layout.schtml

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Displaying Dynamic Content in ASP.Net MVC4's _Layout.cshtml

Introduction

Creating engaging web applications often involves displaying content that changes based on user interactions or data from the backend. ASP.Net MVC4 provides developers with the flexibility to manage layouts effectively and display dynamic content. In this post, we'll explore how to achieve this by rendering dynamic information from a database in your _Layout.cshtml file.

In this scenario, we have a database with a table containing four columns: Selection, Text1, Text2, and Text3, and we want to show specific text based on the selection value. Let's dive into how to make this happen step-by-step.

The Problem Statement

You have a static piece of text in your _Layout.cshtml, and you wish to replace it with dynamic content that reflects information in your database. For instance:

If Selection is 1, display Text1.

If Selection is 2, display Text2.

If Selection is 3, display Text3.

Example of the Static Code

Your current _Layout.cshtml looks something like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

The Solution

To achieve the dynamic display of content, we will utilize the ViewBag feature in ASP.Net MVC. The ViewBag is a dynamic object that provides a way to pass data from the controller to the view.

Step 1: Set the ViewBag in Your Controller

First, you will need to edit the action method in your controller where you fetch data from the database. Here's how to set the ViewBag based on the database entry:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 2: Retrieve ViewBag in _Layout.cshtml

Next, you will adjust your _Layout.cshtml file to reflect the dynamic content by accessing the ViewBag.Text:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Summary of Changes

Controller: The action method fetches data and sets the appropriate text value in ViewBag based on the database selection.

Layout File: The layout dynamically renders the text based on the value set in ViewBag.

Conclusion

By following these simple steps, you can replace static text in your ASP.Net MVC4 _Layout.cshtml with dynamic content sourced from your database. This approach enhances the user experience by displaying relevant information based on data-driven decisions.

Now, every time the user accesses the page, they will see updated content tailored to their interactions or needs.

Feel free to experiment with other data types and structures in your application to further enrich your web pages!