Server Error in '/' Application.

Perhaps you need to move it to Views/Shared?

No, EPiServer can't find the view if I move it under Shared.

Okay, after more digging it looks like I need to define a Preview Controller for blocks.  I can't find much reference for this, other than a class declaration in: http://world.episerver.com/Blogs/Johan-Bjornfot/Dates1/2012/9/EPiServer-7--Rendering-of-content/ and no examples of a controller.

What is the purpose of this controller?  What does it need to do differently than the main block controller?  Do I need one for each block type or can I use a generic one for all blocks?  If so how does it know which block view to render?

I would appreciate more information about this subject!

Manyt thanks,

Wayne

Blocks must be hosted in a page, even on preview. The PreviewBlockController provides that host. You need only one for the entire system.

For the simplest use, you just render the block (Model) which is being hosted using the Html extension method RenderContentData.

How should the view be implemented for this controller?  If I try and pass the Model to RenderContentData then I get compilation errors.  I don't quite understand how this controllor and view can be used to preview any block type, when each block type has a separate controller and view (or views) which define how a block is rendered on the website (i.e. how it previews).

Wayne, this is how the preview index view looks like:

<%@ Page Title="" Language="C#" Inherits="System.Web.Mvc.ViewPage<EPiServer.Core.IContent>" %>
<%@ Import Namespace="EPiServer.Web.Mvc.Html" %>

<%Html.RenderContentData(Model, false);%>

The block's controller and view will be used by RenderContentData method. The secret here is the "preview" tag. When you request a block in edit mode, it will find the first controller tagged as "preview" to host the block.

Many thanks Duong.  I am definitely getting closer!  I am getting an exception though:

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: CS0115: 'ASP._Page_Views_PreviewBlock_index_cshtml.Execute()': no suitable method found to override

Source Error:

Line 46:         }
Line 47:         
Line 48:         public override void Execute() {
Line 49: BeginContext("~/Views/PreviewBlock/index.cshtml", 91, 2, true);
Line 50: 

Here is my view:

@inherits System.Web.Mvc.ViewPage<EPiServer.Core.IContent>
@using EPiServer.Web.Mvc.Html

@Html.RenderContentData(Model, false)

My controller is just the default implementation - I suspect it is missing something:

[TemplateDescriptor(Inherited = true, Tags = new string[] { RenderingTags.Preview })]
public class PreviewBlockController : ActionControllerBase, IRenderTemplate<IContentData>
{
//
// GET: /PreviewBlock/
public ActionResult Index()
{
return View();
}

}

Hmm, it sounds like you have some missing configuration of Razor view engine. Have a look at this and hope it helps: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4808640/mvc3-razor-cshtml-execute-no-suitable-method-found-to-override

Many thanks for the help. Still no joy I'm afraid.  The configuration changes in the article you referenced did not resolve the error, nor did the other advice listed.  The actual project template I used was the Visual Studio EPiServer MVC project template, so I would hope the base configuration is correct.

It is frustrating that there are no examples of an MVC EPiServer 7 site.  Given that EPiServer pulled the MVC Alloy site before release, I wonder if building EPiServer websites with MVC is not quite there yet.

Hi, guys,

I followed the instructions on the stackoverflow link Duong has sent, particularily: 

"That config section is technically correct, but you don't need it in your root web.config. Keep it in ~/Views/Web.config, but just make sure your pageBaseType = "System.Web.Mvc.WebViewPage", instead of "System.Web.Mvc.ViewPage". I just resolved this same error in my application with that minor change."

This is how my view looks like (I don't want to render layout page):

@using EPiServer.Web.Mvc.Html
@inherits System.Web.Mvc.WebViewPage<EPiServer.Core.IContent>

@{
    Layout = null;
}

@if(@Model != null) {
    { Html.RenderContentData(@Model, false); }
}

However, I also needed to make a change in the Controller, because the model was always null:

    [TemplateDescriptor(Inherited = true, Tags = new string[] { RenderingTags.Preview })]
    public class PreviewBlockController : ActionControllerBase, IRenderTemplate<IContentData>
    {
        public ActionResult Index()
        {
            var contentLink = Request.RequestContext.GetContentLink();
            IContent content = null;
            if (contentLink != null)
            {
                var contentRepo = ServiceLocator.Current.GetInstance<IContentRepository>();
                content = contentRepo.Get<IContent>(contentLink);
            }

            return View(content);
        }
    }

Now, I get the expected view.

That did the trick.

Many thanks!

Please also check this post, there are updates to the controller and view code above:

http://world.episerver.com/Modules/Forum/Pages/Thread.aspx?id=64774&epslanguage=en