Just a quick question. Is this a picker for a single venue or multiple venues? Since your JSON model is an array, I would guess multiple venues, but from your example on how you'd like to use it, I would guess single venue picker. If you can shed some light on this, I can come up with an example ;)

Hi Anders

It's actually just a single venue...so perhaps I should really just store it as an object rather than an object in an array :)

Looking forward to hearing your suggestions.

/Jan

Yup, then I would store it as a single JSON object. Example coming up for that ;)

Haha! Thanks Anders, I love the "NaNaNaNaN..." part :D

Will have a look at it tomorrow afternoon and let you know if I can get it to work.

/Jan

While it matters little at the moment (it will in v8) you should probably deserialise in ConvertDataToSource, so that both Source and Object have the same value. e.g:

public class BatJanVenuePropertyValueConverter : IPropertyValueConverter {

    public bool IsConverter(PublishedPropertyType propertyType) {
        return propertyType.PropertyEditorAlias == "NaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaBatJan";
    }

    public object ConvertDataToSource(PublishedPropertyType propertyType, object data, bool preview) {
        return BatJanVenue.Deserialize(data as string);
    }

    public object ConvertSourceToObject(PublishedPropertyType propertyType, object source, bool preview) {
        return source;
    }

    public object ConvertSourceToXPath(PublishedPropertyType propertyType, object source, bool preview) {
        return null;
    }

}

Hi guys

Thanks for your input - Having a look at it now.

@Anders I assume the jsonproperty stuff is just some attribute stuff that I need to add to my existing model, right? And what namespace do I need to reference? Getting the Error "The type or namespace name 'JsonPropertyAttribute' could not be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?)"

Being a C# novice...is there any easy way to figure out where to find the namespaces one needs? I find myself struggling with this from time to time in general. Is that what R# is good for?

Looking forward to hearing from you :)

Cheers, Jan

Sorry about the namespaces.

I use a tool for Visual Studio called ReSharper, that helps with a lot of things - such as suggesting what namespaces to import when a class isn't found in one of the namespaces already imported. I think Visual Studio itself has a less intuitive way of doing something similar, but I cant remember how.

The IPropertyValueConverter interface is located in the Umbraco.Core.PropertyEditors namespace. When implementing the interface, you should also import the namespace Umbraco.Core.Models.PublishedContent.

The JsonProperty attribute is located in the Newtonsoft.Json namespace.

Hi Anders

Thanks for the information - Yeah I know ReSharper (R#) but don't currently have it installed on my own machine. But it's installed on my machine at work...but rarely using Visual Studio :)

Thans for the information - I'll set it up now and see if I can succeed. Just had to change the property editor to store an object rather than the array.

I'll be back.

/Jan

Hi guys

Ok, so now I'm setting up the PropertyValueConverter but I'm stuck with 'BatJan.Models.BatJanVenue' does not contain a definition for 'Deserialize'

Anything else I need to do? Basically copy/pased the code Jeavon posted above and modified some naming.

/Jan

Could you post the two classes here?

Doh!

Forgot to add the serialize stuff to the model #h5is - Will imlement straight away :)

/Jan

Ok, got the build working - But now when trying to render the values using Razor I get: The type or namespace name 'BatJanVenue' could not be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?)

Do I need to inherit from my model?

/Jan

It depends on your current code. Most likely you would just need to import the BatJan.Models namespace.

Hi Anders

Ok, but if I write this

@inherits Umbraco.Web.Mvc.UmbracoTemplatePage
@inherits BatJan.Models

@{
    BowlingCenter venue = Model.Content.GetPropertyValue<BowlingCenter>("venue");
    <p>@venue.Id</p>
    <p>@venue.Venue</p>
    <p>@venue.Address</p>
    <p>@venue.Zip</p>
    <p>@venue.City</p>
    <p>@venue.Country</p>
}

I get this

Compilation Error

Description: An error occurred during the compilation of a resource required to service this request. Please review the following specific error details and modify your source code appropriately.

Compiler Error Message: CS0118: 'BatJan.Models' is a 'namespace' but is used like a 'type'

Source Error:

Line 34:
Line 35:
Line 36: public class PageViewsTournamentcshtml : BatJan.Models { Line 37:
Line 38: #line hidden

/Jan

Looks like you are attempting to inherit from BatJan.Models rather than import BatJan.Models. Try this just above your other inherit statement:

@using BatJan.Models

Hi Nicholas

Aah yes indeed I do! Being tired and coding is a bad cocktail :)

Now it works! Yay!

/Jan

Just a quick extra on a previous question around finding what namespaces you need - without R#, Ctrl and . is your friend (so hold down Ctrl and type the full stop character).  It'll pop up then with the using statement you need.  Doesn't work for extension methods unfortunately, but for most things that'll do it.

Andy

Hi Andy

Thanks for chiming in - It's nice to know even though I try to avoid Visual Studio as much as I can - Afterall I'm a frontend developer preferring to work with Sublime text. But there is of course no way around it when doing stuff like this :)

/Jan

If you're using anything other than Visual Studio, a tip for finding namespaces could be something like:

For Microsoft classes, I usually search for msdn+classname on Google, and Microsoft usually have a page for the class in their documentation showing what DLL/namespace the class is located in. This also works fine Visual Studio for when you haven't yet added a reference to the assembly the class is located in.

For Umbraco classes, you can head to https://github.com/umbraco/Umbraco-CMS and search for "class classname" or "interface interfacename". Usually the file for the class or interface is within the first few results.

Hi guys

Just one more question...I'm still a bit confused about this propertyValueConverter stuff. I have 2 other custom property editors that I need to convert as well.

However these are not based on data from a custom model like the first one was. However data from these are also stored as objects on $scope.model.value.

So I'm just thinking...do I need to create a custom model for those too? Or is it enough to just create the PropertyValueConverter class?

Hope that my question makes sense.

/Jan

Hello again

Ok, so I guess one will always need to create a model for custom property editors but that model does not need to reflect a database model.

But now I have kind of succesfully created a property value converter for another custom property editor.

This property editor saves multiple objects, which can then hold other objects as well.

So my code for the property value converter looks like this

PropertyEditorModel

public class Competition { [JsonProperty("template")] public object template { get; private set; }

[JsonProperty("mixed")]
public object mixed { get; private set; }

[JsonProperty("seperate")]
public object seperate { get; private set; }

[JsonProperty("unisex")]
public object unisex { get; private set; }

[JsonProperty("doubles")]
public object doubles { get; private set; }

public static Competition Deserialize(string json)
{

    // Validate the JSON
    if (json == null || !json.StartsWith("{") || !json.EndsWith("}")) return null;

    // Deserialize the JSON
    return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Competition>(json);

}

}

And the value converter

public class CompetitionValueConverter : IPropertyValueConverter {

public bool IsConverter(PublishedPropertyType propertyType)
{
    return propertyType.PropertyEditorAlias == "Competition";
}

public object ConvertDataToSource(PublishedPropertyType propertyType, object data, bool preview)
{
    return Competition.Deserialize(data as string);
}

public object ConvertSourceToObject(PublishedPropertyType propertyType, object source, bool preview)
{
    return source;
}

public object ConvertSourceToXPath(PublishedPropertyType propertyType, object source, bool preview)
{
    return null;
}

}

And it almost works...the thing is though that I have nested objects...so in my Razor code I can easily write stuff like

Competition competition = Model.Content.GetPropertyValue<Competition>("competition_newest");

<p>@competition.template</p>

But this returns another object with data like this

{ "pos": 3, "name": "Women only", "url": "/app_plugins/competition/views/partials/unisex.html" }

And if I try writing

<p>@competition.template.pos</p> for instance then i get a YSOD - So what do I need to allow for nested objects? :)

/Jan

Hi Jan,

Since the property template property is defined as having the type object (even though it "behind the curtains" appears to be of the type JObject), the compiler doesn't know about its pos property.

There is a few ways to accomplish what you want:

1. If we choose to use your current model (the Competition class), you could do something like. Normally (and as you have experienced) the compiler will throw a YSOD if you trying to call a property it doesn't know about at compile time. Using the dynamic keyword turns this up side down, so you can call a property if it is there at runtime.

   Competition competition = Model.Content.GetPropertyValue<Competition>("competition_newest");
   
   
   dynamic template = competition.template;
   
   
   <p>@template.pos</p>
   

2. By using the dynamic keyword, we can take this even further. If you don't implement a property value converter for your property editor, Umbraco will automatically detect whether your model is either a JSON object (and return an instance of JObject) or a JSON array (and return an instance of JArray). If that is the case, your code could look as simple as:

   dynamic competition = Model.Content.GetPropertyValue("competition_newest");
   
   
   <p>@competition.template.pos</p>
   

   You could compare this somewhat to calling properties in JavaScript.

3. The last is also the one that takes the most work. Your model could be updated to something similar to below.

   In involves creating a new class to represent the template - eg.:

   public class CompetitionTemplate {
   
   
   [JsonProperty("pos")]
   public int Position { get; private set; }
   
   
   [JsonProperty("name")]
   public string Name { get; private set; }
   
   
   [JsonProperty("url")]
   public string Url { get; private set; }
   
   
   }
   

   And updating the Competition class. I have only updated the template property since I don't know the structure of the other properties.

   public class Competition {
   
   
   [JsonProperty("template")]
   public CompetitionTemplate template { get; private set; }
   
   
   [JsonProperty("mixed")]
   public object mixed { get; private set; }
   
   
   [JsonProperty("seperate")]
   public object seperate { get; private set; }
   
   
   [JsonProperty("unisex")]
   public object unisex { get; private set; }
   
   
   [JsonProperty("doubles")]
   public object doubles { get; private set; }
   
   
   public static Competition Deserialize(string json)
   {
   
   
       // Validate the JSON
       if (json == null || !json.StartsWith("{") || !json.EndsWith("}")) return null;
   
   
       // Deserialize the JSON
       return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Competition>(json);
   
   
   }
   
   
   }
   

   Generally .NET/C# it is recommended to use upper camel casing for property names (eg. Template rather than template), but you are of course free to use what you think works best for you ;)

Hi Anders

Ok, but do you advice using the dynamic approach? I'm tempted to just using this approach but I'm not sure about the consequences.

I think the other approach (3) seems like an awfull lot of work...I just chose to use "public object" since I don't know any better. In my thinking it's data saved as an object...bu should I have chosen differently?

Another question for the original property editor - When I create a new page and the venue has not been chosen I just save an empty object like $scope.model.value = {} - But that makes it pretty hard to test if there is any value when trying to render the template using Razor...so I tried to just save it as an empty string like $scope.model.value = '' but that gives me this error

Null object cannot be converted to a value type. 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.InvalidCastException: Null object cannot be converted to a value type. Source Error: Line 108: Line 109: // Deserialize the JSON Line 110: return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject

So is there something that I need to take into account in my angular controller or in the venue model to allow it to be empty and make a check that the venue is only rendered if it's not empty?

/Jan

Personally I would prefer the third approach, but that is because I Visual Studio, and it adds support for intellisense.

But if Visual Studio is only something you use under special circumstances, I would recommend using the second approach, and use dynamic all the way. This also means that you don't have to implement a property value converter ;)

Hi Anders

Aaah...:) - But what is the best practice? Is'nt "dynamics" what all the backend devs hate? Or is that something else? :)

/Jan

I'm not totally sure what the best practice is.

Approach 3 is implementing what is called implementing a strongly typed model. I think most backenders would prefer it this way - I know I would. Normally using dynamic would take a little longer to execute than when not using it, but I don't know how much this is. The difference is probably insignificant.

For Umbraco, we can take the Grid as an example. Umbraco's on examples on how to render the Grid uses dynamic, but as a backender I would still prefer a strongly typed model - hence my GridData package.

If we assume the different in execution time is insignificant, I would recommend using a dynamic approach if you're not using Visual Studio or any other tool with intellisense, and you're working on this alone. If you're using Visual Studio, or one of your team members do (or you're releasing your property editor for the public), I would recommend going along with approach 3 and implement a strongly typed model.

Hi Anders

Ok, thanks for your reply - It makes sense. I have been following the dynamics vs. strongly typed debate from a distance. Just wanted to make sure that it was the same thing in this context.

For now I'll go with using the dynamic approach and then perhaps refactor things at a later stage - This is a pet project of my own :)

Thanks for helping me out.

/Jan

Hi Anders,

I'm trying out on Approach 3 with the GridData package. Was wondering if you have example on your View and Controllers that you can share?

I have the Fanoe Grid Template installed to try it out and I'm trying to change the default Fanoe grid view (in Views/Partials/Grid/Fanoe.cshtml) to strongly type but are stuck with Base.cshtml (in Views/Partials/Grid/Editors/base.cshtml) where it's checking for the contentItem.Editor.Render but I can't seems to find the Render part in Skybrud

public static string EditorView(GridControl contentItem)
    {
        string view = contentItem.Editor.Render != null ? contentItem.Editor.Render.ToString() : contentItem.Editor.Vieww.ToString();
        view = view.ToLower().Replace(".html", ".cshtml");

        if (!view.Contains("/")) {
            view = "grid/editors/" + view;
        }

        return view;
    }

Hi Jeric,

The Render property isn't part of the current release. The property is however in the most recent code on GitHub, so you could try that out.

I'm also working on wrapping up the next release, which will have this property as well as other improvements. Hopefully I'll have the time to release this later this week ;)

Thanks Anders,

Looking forward for the next release :)

For time being I'll grab them from GitHub.

Thanks a lot 

Hi again,

I have now set up a new repository with partial views for rendering the Grid. You can find it here: https://github.com/abjerner/Skybrud.Umbraco.GridData.PartialViews

It is just an example, and still a bit work in progress. You hopefully it helps you continue on your own ;)

is working on a reply...