ASP.NET Core MVC Select Tag Helper: Populating with Employee Data

This guide demonstrates how to populate an HTML element using the ASP.NET Core Select Tag Helper, dynamically displaying employee names while storing their IDs as values.

1. Model Creation:

First, define a view model to hold the employee list:

public class EmployeeViewModel
{
    public int SelectedEmployeeId { get; set; } // For storing the selected ID
    public string Comments { get; set; }
    public List Employees { get; set; }
}

And the Employee class:

public class Employee
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string FullName { get; set; }
}

2. Select Tag Helper Implementation:

In your view, utilize the Select Tag Helper:

Method 1: Using SelectList:

@model EmployeeViewModel


    Select Employee 

This creates a dropdown with a default "Select Employee" option. asp-for binds the selected value to the SelectedEmployeeId property in your view model. The SelectList constructor takes the employee list, the ID property name, and the full name property name.

Method 2: Using IEnumerable:

For more control, create SelectListItem objects:

@model EmployeeViewModel


    Select Employee
    @foreach (var employee in Model.Employees)
    {
        @employee.FullName
    }

This offers more flexibility if you need to customize options beyond simple name and ID.

3. Data Population (Controller):

In your controller action, populate the EmployeeViewModel:

public IActionResult MyAction()
{
    var employees = new List
    {
        new Employee { Id = 1, FullName = "Shyju" },
        new Employee { Id = 2, FullName = "Bryan" }
    };

    var viewModel = new EmployeeViewModel
    {
        Employees = employees
    };

    return View(viewModel);
}

This example creates a hardcoded list; replace this with your database retrieval logic.

4. Important Considerations:

• Error Handling: Implement proper error handling for database interactions.
• Data Binding: Ensure correct data binding between the view and the view model.
• Default Option: Always include a default option ("Select Employee" in this example) for a better user experience.
• Data Source: Replace the sample employee data with your actual data source (database, API, etc.).

This comprehensive approach provides a robust and efficient way to populate your Select Tag Helper with employee data in ASP.NET Core MVC. Remember to adapt the code to your specific data model and controller actions.