CODEWITHSUNDEEP
asp.netasp.net-mvcdownload
trysis
trysis

Reputation: 8416

Return FilePathResult Between Views

Usually, in ASP.NET, MVC or otherwise, we make the client download a file by having the user click a link/button; I assume this link/button action goes to the correct controller then redirects back to the main page. However, how can I cause the download from some intermediate controller, during a series of redirects?

Basically, when the user clicks a button to create a PDF, the action goes to PdfController to create the PDF, then, since I'm assuming he/she wants to download the PDF anyway (if he/she doesn't, he/she can always click "No"), I want to have the browser download the PDF before the page gets rendered again. If I haven't lost you yet, how do I accomplish this?

Here's a sample of what I have so far. Button that starts the action:

<a class="btn btn-primary col-md-2 col-md-offset-1" href="@Url.Action("MakePdf", "Pdf")">Create PDF</a>

PdfController's MakePdf() method:

    public ActionResult MakePdf()
    {
        string PdfUrl = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("HOMEDRIVE") + Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("HOMEPATH") + "/Sites/Bems/PDF/UserPdfs/report" + Id + ".pdf";
        // create the PDF at this PdfUrl

        return RedirectToAction("ShowPdf", "Pdf", new { PdfUrl = PdfUrl });
    }

PdfController's ShowPdf() method, redirected from the previous MakePdf() method:

public ActionResult ShowPdf(string PdfUrl)
    {

        if (System.IO.File.Exists(PdfUrl))
        {
            return File(PdfUrl, "application/pdf"); // Here is where I want to cause the download, but this isn't working
        }
        else
        {
            using (StreamWriter sw = System.IO.File.CreateText(PdfUrl))
            {
                sw.WriteLine("A PDF file should be here, but we could not find it.");
            }
        }

        return RedirectToAction("Edit", "Editor"); // Goes back to the editing page
    }

I'm trying to cause the download at the place in the code I specified, but I'm not sure how to cause it. Usually you return it somehow to the view, whereas here I'm calling an object, I think, but I'm really fuzzy on how that all works. Regardless, something I'm doing isn't working. Any ideas on what that is?

Upvotes: 0

Views: 804

Answers (1)

NicoD
NicoD

Reputation: 1189

You can't return the ViewResult RedirectToAction("Edit", "Editor") and in the same response a FileResult File(PdfUrl, "application/pdf")

To accomplish your task you could follow this scenario:

  • click on button create pdf
  • call the RedirectToAction("Edit", "Editor");
  • in this case at the end of the view, add a javascript call to the action method returning the FileResult
  • once the page is rendered, the download will start automatically

Upvotes: 1

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