Accessing name of block from view template

Vote:

I have created a block called SectionTitleBlock with the following model and view:

    public class SectionTitleBlock : EPiServer.Core.BlockData
    {
        public virtual string Title { get; set; }

        [UIHint(Global.SiteUIHints.SectionIcon)]
        public virtual string Icon { get; set; }
    }

    public partial class SectionTitleBlockControl : BlockControlBase<SectionTitleBlock>           
{
/// If the Title has not been set, return the name of the block as it was created in CMS.
public string Title
        {
            get
            {
                if (String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(this.CurrentData.Title))
                {
                    var content = this.CurrentData as IContent;

                    if (content != null)
                        return content.Name;
                }

                return this.CurrentData.Title;
            }
        }
    }

I want the Title property in the view to return the name of the block when the title has not been filled out by the user on the block.

I am trying to cast this.CurrentData to IContent to retrieve the name, however the cast results in null - looking at the inheritance of the classes and interfaces this looks correct not to cast correctly.

I can cast this.CurrentData to IContentData but that still does not provide me the name of the block as it was created in CMS.

Can anyone help?

Thanks,

Adam

#75869

Oct 09, 2013 12:53

Vote:

It seems strange if you get a NULL when you cast your CurrentData to IContent.

The instance of the Block is in runtime created as a Proxy Class with IContent as a "mixin". Hence there are no programmatically relations with your BlockData and the IContent.

Note that this only works when you use your Block as a Shared Block, not if you add the Block as a Local Block (a Property on a Page).

#75873

Oct 09, 2013 13:29

Vote:

Thanks Alf

I think that is the issue - I am using the block as a property on another block.

So as an example, I have a block called NewsList of which one of the properties is SectionBlockTitle.

From the Template of SectionBlockTitle, can I access the name of the parent NewsListBlock?

#75874

Oct 09, 2013 13:43

Per Nergård

Vote:

Maybe not otpimal but you could maye load in block instance.

var repository = EPiServer.ServiceLocation.ServiceLocator.Current.GetInstance<IContentRepository>();
IContent block = repository.Get<IContent>(content.ContentLink);

block.Name;

#75885

Oct 09, 2013 16:17

Vote:

Per, what should "content" on your second row be?

In this case, the SectionTitleBlock is a local Block inside a Shared Block.

None the less, CurrentData on SectionTitleBlock cast to IContent will return null since it is a Local Block.

#75886

Oct 09, 2013 16:21

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Accessing name of block from view template