A web-application with complex business logic. but I want to use umbraco as the cms.

I also want to have a traditional Model View Controller set up.

I want to have custom ViewModels attached to strongly typed razor views. I want Controllers to process request and return my custom viewmodels.

So far I have done:

A Web Project with Umbaco7 installed.

1. Created a StartupHandler : IApplicationEventHandler class that difines routes in the OnApplicationStarted method

2. A class that implements IApplicationEventHandle in the OnApplicationStarted method - I am defining my Routes - So far just this one:

   public void OnApplicationStarted(UmbracoApplicationBase umbracoApplication, ApplicationContext applicationContext)
   {
       //Create a custom routes
       RouteTable.Routes.MapRoute(
           "",
           "Menu",
           new
           {
               controller = "Menu",
               action = "Index"
           });
   
   
   }
   

3. I have matching Controller:

   public class MenuController : PluginController
   {
   MenuService menuService;
   
   
   public MenuController() : this(UmbracoContext.Current)
   {
       menuService = new MenuService();
   }
   
   
   public MenuController(UmbracoContext umbracoContext): base(umbracoContext){}
   
   
   public ActionResult Index()
   {
       var model = new MainMenuViewModel();
       model = menuService.GetMenu();
       return View("Menu", model);
   }
   }
   

4. I have a view - Menu.cshtml with the first line

   @inherits Umbraco.Web.Mvc.UmbracoViewPage <AsoRock.Models.ViewModels.MainMenuViewModel>
   @{
       Layout = "~/Views/SiteLayout.cshtml";
     }
   
   
   &lt;div&gt;webpage with using the custom model&lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;div&gt;Test&lt;/div&gt;
   
   
   

5. My custom view model inheriets RenderModel..

    public class MainMenuViewModel : RenderModel
    {
       public List<Category> Categories { get; set; }
   
   
   public MainMenuViewModel() : this(new UmbracoHelper(UmbracoContext.Current).TypedContent(UmbracoContext.Current.PageId)) {
   
   
   }
   
   
   public MainMenuViewModel(IPublishedContent content, CultureInfo culture) : base(content, culture) { }
   public MainMenuViewModel(IPublishedContent content) : base(content) { }
   
   
    }
   

Now when I go to website.com/menu the controller is hit, which what I want, but when it trys to return the view,

I get an error inside the MainMenuViewModel - On this line

 public MainMenuViewModel() : this(new UmbracoHelper(UmbracoContext.Current).TypedContent(UmbracoContext.Current.PageId)) {

pageId is NULL...... any one know why?

Could some one please advice me on my set up, and could someone shed any light on how the custom routes are related to the umbraco content tree? This approach seems to by pass umbraco completely. Do I need to create a node in umbraco called menu...??

Very confused! Help please :-\