I recently used the DataContractJsonSerializer to serialize a class. I noticed that for a DateTime field, the deserialized result appeared identical to the original value, but the equals operator failed.  The following simple program reproduced the...

The most frequently posted question in the ASP.NET MVC forums is about how to use the DropDownList ( DDL ) helper. To address this question, I wrote the tutorial Using the DropDownList Helper with ASP.NET MVC , which covers most DropDownList scenarios...

I have written a simple sample showing how to implement cascading drop down lists in ASP.Net MVC.   In this sample the user is presented with a list of countries. Once a country is selected, a new drop down list is appears showing the states...

I was working on a lab using the Windows Azure SDK when I got 500 server error Not a descriptive error message. The Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio (WATVS) creates a new application pool and web site on the fly when you run your Web application...

  Motivated by Rachel Appel’s terrific blog post Create user friendly date fields with ASP.NET MVC EditorTemplates & jQueryUI , I created a full featured article on the topic. You can find my article here .  In addition to the great information...

I’m pleased to introduce the new ASP.NET MVC Content Map . I’m calling this a dynamic map because I work on updating it weekly, and I plan to publish the new map monthly. If you go to the bottom of the page, it shows (as of this blog posting):                                ...

A frequent question in the forums and internally at Microsoft is Should my database calls be Asynchronous?   My short answer to this; if you have to ask, probably no. My blog entry on the question, Should my database calls be Asynchronous? is still...

Much has been written on the advantages of using a  Content Delivery Network (CDN) to deliver static content ( jQuery , images, CSS files, etc.). (If you’re not familiar with CDNs, read ScottGu’s blog post Announcing the Microsoft AJAX CDN  ...

Executive Overview You cannot use routing or web.config files to secure your MVC application. The only supported way to secure your MVC application is to apply the [ Authorize ] attribute to each controller and action method (except for the login/register...

ScottHa has a great blog Working with SSL at Development Time is easier with IISExpress , but I’ve got what I think is a better approach. Please weigh in. In this blog entry I’ll show you how to test SSL on your ASP.NET MVC & WebForms  applications...

A frequent complaint in the ASP.NET forums is that an application works fine with Cassini (AKA, the built in Visual Studio Development Server), but fails when deployed to a real IIS server. The two most common reasons for this failure are: Cassini runs...

To set up IIS to run ASP.NET applications (including MVC 3 and Web Matrix): Install the Microsoft Web Platform Installer 3.0  from here . Run the Web Platform Installer (WPI) and select Products on the top and Server in the left pane.  Click...

I've written a simple MVC 3 application to demonstrate handing optimistic concurrency exceptions with Entity Framework (EF). Browsers make it easy to test optimistic concurrency; right click on an edit link and select Open in New Tab , then select the...

If you normally work with a locale other than English, you need to include the correct locale-specific jQuery scripts, which you can download from the following URL: http://plugins.jquery.com/node/8/release For example, for German locales, you need to...

There are three ways to pass information from a controller to a view in ASP.NET MVC 3: As a strongly typed model object. As a dynamic type (using @model dynamic) Using the ViewBag I’ve written a simple MVC 3  Top Blog application to compare and contrast...

Executive Overview You cannot use routing or web.config files to secure your MVC application. The only supported way to secure your MVC application is to use a base class with an [ Authorize ] attribute,  and then have each controller type subclass...

This blog has been replaced by Securing your MVC Application

LiveJournal Tags: MVC , MVC 2 , session Why a session less controller? Update 5 Feb 2010 – The latest MVC 2 futures on CodePlex contains the the RenderAction() fix – this sample is no longer needed for a session less controller. Use the futures version...

If your asynchronous action method calls a service which exposes methods using the BeginMethod() / EndMethod() pattern , your callback will be executed on a thread which is not under the control of ASP.NET. Some consequences of this are that HttpContext...

Long running/expensive database calls might seem like a natural candidate for asynchronous calls. In my MSDN article, Using an Asynchronous Controller in ASP.NET MVC , I go out of my way to avoid suggesting DB calls are good candidates.  Conventional...

When you run into an issue or have a question about ASP.NET MVC the best place for it is the MVC Forum .  When you write your question, there are a few simple things that you can do to make it easier for the ‘experts’ to answer (and hence to get...

Please post corrections/submissions to the MVC Forum . Include MVC FAQ in the title. MSDN articles with Full project samples (vb and c#) (MVC 2) MVC Best Practices Kazi Manzur Rashid's MVC Best Practices   (great 2 part series) Performance Security...

MVC 2 Preview 1 added support for DataAnnotations . In my MSDN article How to: Validate Model Data Using DataAnnotations Attributes I covered the basics of validation. Preview 2 adds client validation with the addition of one line of code. The following...

In my MSDN article Using Templated Helpers to Display Data , I show how they provide a very productive means of building a UI for data sets. The code below shows a typical use of the Display and Label helpers. < span style =" font-weight : bold ; ...

DataAnnotations help you write robust validation and prevent the type of annoying error message shown above. Form submittal failure when a field doesn’t validate can be very frustrating - especially when there is no indication of the problematic property...