asp.net mvc: Error1: Value cannot be null

Question

I have a signup page. it works in my local computer, but after I deployed to the production. Kept getting following error message

            Server Error in '/' Application.

            Error1: Value cannot be null.
            Parameter name: view

            Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code. 

            Exception Details: System.Exception: Error1: Value cannot be null.
            Parameter name: view

            Source Error: 

            An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.

            Stack Trace: 


            [Exception: Error1: Value cannot be null.
            Parameter name: view]
               Smoothie.Web.Controllers.AccountController.Signup(UserRegisterViewModel user, String returnUrl) +662
               lambda_method(Closure , ControllerBase , Object[] ) +149
               System.Web.Mvc.ActionMethodDispatcher.Execute(ControllerBase controller, Object[] parameters) +14
               System.Web.Mvc.ReflectedActionDescriptor.Execute(ControllerContext controllerContext, IDictionary`2 parameters) +181
               System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeActionMethod(ControllerContext controllerContext, ActionDescriptor actionDescriptor, IDictionary`2 parameters) +27
               System.Web.Mvc.<>c__DisplayClass15.<InvokeActionMethodWithFilters>b__12() +56
               System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeActionMethodFilter(IActionFilter filter, ActionExecutingContext preContext, Func`1 continuation) +256
               System.Web.Mvc.<>c__DisplayClass17.<InvokeActionMethodWithFilters>b__14() +22
               System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeActionMethodWithFilters(ControllerContext controllerContext, IList`1 filters, ActionDescriptor actionDescriptor, IDictionary`2 parameters) +190
               System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeAction(ControllerContext controllerContext, String actionName) +311
               System.Web.Mvc.Controller.ExecuteCore() +105
               System.Web.Mvc.ControllerBase.Execute(RequestContext requestContext) +88
               System.Web.Mvc.ControllerBase.System.Web.Mvc.IController.Execute(RequestContext requestContext) +10
               System.Web.Mvc.<>c__DisplayClassb.<BeginProcessRequest>b__5() +34
               System.Web.Mvc.Async.<>c__DisplayClass1.<MakeVoidDelegate>b__0() +19
               System.Web.Mvc.Async.<>c__DisplayClass8`1.<BeginSynchronous>b__7(IAsyncResult _) +10
               System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncResult`1.End() +55
               System.Web.Mvc.<>c__DisplayClasse.<EndProcessRequest>b__d() +31
               System.Web.Mvc.SecurityUtil.<GetCallInAppTrustThunk>b__0(Action f) +7
               System.Web.Mvc.SecurityUtil.ProcessInApplicationTrust(Action action) +23
               System.Web.Mvc.MvcHandler.EndProcessRequest(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +59
               System.Web.Mvc.MvcHandler.System.Web.IHttpAsyncHandler.EndProcessRequest(IAsyncResult result) +9
               System.Web.CallHandlerExecutionStep.System.Web.HttpApplication.IExecutionStep.Execute() +9690172
               System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStep(IExecutionStep step, Boolean& completedSynchronously) +155

Here's my code, I spent whole day to debug it, still no luck.

    //[ChildActionOnly]
    public virtual ActionResult Signup(string returnUrl)
    {
       return PartialView(MVC.Account.Views._Register, new UserRegisterViewModel());
        //return PartialView("_Register", new UserRegisterViewModel());
    }

    [HttpPost]
    [ValidateAntiForgeryToken]
    public virtual ActionResult Signup(UserRegisterViewModel user, string returnUrl)
    {
        try
        {

            if (ModelState.IsValid)
            {
                var newUser = _mappingService.Map<UserRegisterViewModel, User>(user);

                if (newUser == null)
                {
                    throw new Exception("newUser cannot be null");
                }

                var confirmation = _userService.AddUser(newUser, AccountType.Smoothie);

                if (confirmation.WasSuccessful)
                {
                    var userData = _mappingService.Map<User, UserDataDto>(confirmation.Value);

                    if (userData == null)
                    {
                        throw new Exception("userData cannot be null");
                    }

                    _authenticationService.SetAuthCookie(Response, userData.DisplayName, false, userData);

                    Utilities.SendEmail(ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["EmailReply"],
                                        new List<string> {userData.Email}, "Welcome to putastrawinit.com",
                                        GetWelcomeEmail());

                    var redirectUrl = "/home";
                    if (returnUrl != null && Url.IsLocalUrl(returnUrl))
                    {
                        redirectUrl = returnUrl;
                    }


                    return Json(new {Success = true, RedirectUrl = redirectUrl});
                    //return RedirectToAction("Index", "Home", null);


                }

                ModelState.AddModelError("", confirmation.Message);
            }
        }
        catch (Exception e)
        {
            throw new Exception("Error1: " + e.Message);
        }

        var errors = from value in ModelState.Values
                     from error in value.Errors
                     select new { error.ErrorMessage };

        //throw new Exception("Errors: " + errors.ToString());

        return Json(new { Success = false, ErrorMessages = errors });
    }

sign up view page.

            @model Smoothie.Domain.ViewModels.UserRegisterViewModel
            @using (Ajax.BeginForm("Signup", "Account", new AjaxOptions { OnSuccess = "onSignupSuccess", OnFailure = "onSignupFailure" }))
            {

                @Html.AntiForgeryToken()
                @Html.Hidden("returnUrl", null, new { value = @Request.QueryString["returnUrl"] })    
                <div class="signupForm">
                    <div>@Html.ValidationSummary("", new { @id = "signupSummary" })</div>
                    <div class="row">
                        <label for="Email">
                            Display Name:</label>
                        @Html.EditorFor(m => m.DisplayName)
                    </div>
                    <div class="row">
                        <label for="Email">
                            Email Address:</label>
                         @Html.TextBoxFor(m => m.Email, new {@class = "text-box", autocomplete = "off" })
                    </div>
                    <div class="row">
                        <label for="Password">
                            Password:</label>
                        @Html.TextBox("Password", null, new { @class = "registerPassword text-box", type = "password", autocomplete = "off" })
                    </div>
                    <div class="row">
                        <label>
                            &nbsp;</label>
                        <div class="registerChecker">
                        </div>
                    </div>
                    <div class="row">
                        <label>
                            &nbsp;</label>
                        <input type="image" src="@Links.Content.images.btn_sign_up_png" style="width: 91px; height: 33px;" value="Create" />
                    </div>
                </div>
            }

this is the ViewModel.

            using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;

            namespace Smoothie.Domain.ViewModels
            {
                public class UserRegisterViewModel
                {
                    [Required(ErrorMessage = "Email is required")]
                    [StringLength(255, ErrorMessage = "Email must be 50 characters or fewer")]
                    [RegularExpression(@"\w+([-+.']\w+)*@\w+([-.]\w+)*\.\w+([-.]\w+)*", ErrorMessage = "Your Email address is invalid")]
                    public string Email { get; set; }

                    [Required(ErrorMessage = "Display name is required")]
                    [StringLength(25, MinimumLength = 2, ErrorMessage = "Display name must be between 2 and 25 characters")]
                    public string DisplayName { get; set; }

                    [DataType(DataType.Password)]
                    [Required(ErrorMessage = "Password is required")]
                    [StringLength(25, MinimumLength = 8, ErrorMessage = "Password must be between 8 and 25 characters")]
                    public string Password { get; set; }
                }
            }

this is the new stack trace after I removed try catch from the code.

        Value cannot be null.
        Parameter name: view

        Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code. 

        Exception Details: System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null.
        Parameter name: view

        Source Error: 

        An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.

        Stack Trace: 


        [ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null.
        Parameter name: view]
           System.Web.Mvc.ViewContext..ctor(ControllerContext controllerContext, IView view, ViewDataDictionary viewData, TempDataDictionary tempData, TextWriter writer) +205
           Smoothie.Web.Controllers.AccountController.GetWelcomeEmail() +178
           Smoothie.Web.Controllers.AccountController.Signup(UserRegisterViewModel user) +288
           lambda_method(Closure , ControllerBase , Object[] ) +106
           System.Web.Mvc.ActionMethodDispatcher.Execute(ControllerBase controller, Object[] parameters) +14
           System.Web.Mvc.ReflectedActionDescriptor.Execute(ControllerContext controllerContext, IDictionary`2 parameters) +181
           System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeActionMethod(ControllerContext controllerContext, ActionDescriptor actionDescriptor, IDictionary`2 parameters) +27
           System.Web.Mvc.<>c__DisplayClass15.<InvokeActionMethodWithFilters>b__12() +56
           System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeActionMethodFilter(IActionFilter filter, ActionExecutingContext preContext, Func`1 continuation) +256
           System.Web.Mvc.<>c__DisplayClass17.<InvokeActionMethodWithFilters>b__14() +22
           System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeActionMethodWithFilters(ControllerContext controllerContext, IList`1 filters, ActionDescriptor actionDescriptor, IDictionary`2 parameters) +190
           System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeAction(ControllerContext controllerContext, String actionName) +311
           System.Web.Mvc.Controller.ExecuteCore() +105
           System.Web.Mvc.ControllerBase.Execute(RequestContext requestContext) +88
           System.Web.Mvc.ControllerBase.System.Web.Mvc.IController.Execute(RequestContext requestContext) +10
           System.Web.Mvc.<>c__DisplayClassb.<BeginProcessRequest>b__5() +34
           System.Web.Mvc.Async.<>c__DisplayClass1.<MakeVoidDelegate>b__0() +19
           System.Web.Mvc.Async.<>c__DisplayClass8`1.<BeginSynchronous>b__7(IAsyncResult _) +10
           System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncResult`1.End() +55
           System.Web.Mvc.<>c__DisplayClasse.<EndProcessRequest>b__d() +31
           System.Web.Mvc.SecurityUtil.<GetCallInAppTrustThunk>b__0(Action f) +7
           System.Web.Mvc.SecurityUtil.ProcessInApplicationTrust(Action action) +23
           System.Web.Mvc.MvcHandler.EndProcessRequest(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +59
           System.Web.Mvc.MvcHandler.System.Web.IHttpAsyncHandler.EndProcessRequest(IAsyncResult result) +9
           System.Web.CallHandlerExecutionStep.System.Web.HttpApplication.IExecutionStep.Execute() +9690172
           System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStep(IExecutionStep step, Boolean& completedSynchronously) +155

Answer 1

Based on the latest call stack, it looks like the view is missing from GetWelcomeEmail() which is causing view to be null in the ViewContexts constructor.