Table of Contents

Razor Base Classes - @inherits

Every Razor template inherits from a base class. depending on the base class, the APIs and features in the template will change. Example:

// Inherit from the newest base class in 2sxc 16/17
@inherits Custom.Hybrid.RazorTyped
@{
  // more code
}
<div>more html</div>
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Typed / Strong-Typed for v16+

These are the recommended Typed Razor base classes to inherit today:

  1. Custom.Hybrid.RazorTyped - new in v16
  2. Custom.Hybrid.RazorTyped<TModel> - new in v17.03
Tip

Using these base classes ensures that you have the latest, Typed APIs.

When used in combination with AppCode (v17+) it also allows you to go Strong Typed.

In v17.03 we introduced the capability to create your own base classes in the AppCode/Razor folder. These are the base classes you can inherit from as of v17 (we'll explain each in more detail below)

  1. AppCode.Razor.AppRazor - new in v17.03
  2. AppCode.Razor.AppRazor<TModel> - new in v17.03
  3. AppCode.Razor.Anything - new in v17.03

For older base classes and the differences, see below.

Older Base Classes (Dynamic)

These are the older - Dynamic base classes - not recommended for new development, but still supported for backwards compatibility.

  1. Custom.Hybrid.Razor14 - new in v14
  2. Custom.Hybrid.Razor12 - new in v12
  3. Custom.Dnn.Razor12 - v12; same as Hybrid, but with Dnn property
  4. ToSic.Sxc.Dnn.RazorComponent - v10
  5. ToSic.SexyContent.Razor.SexyContentWebPage - very old since v2 - deprecated, but the default if nothing is set.

Fallback when Missing @inherits

If you don't specify an @inherits in your code, the system will automatically apply a default base class to your code. This is different in Dnn and Oqtane:

  1. Dnn: ToSic.SexyContent.Razor.SexyContentWebPage - specified in a web.config in the 2sxc folder of each site.
    This is the oldest base class and should not be used any more.
  2. In Oqtane the default base is Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.RazorPage which is the default for .net 5+.

Compare Dynamic vs. Typed Razor

The new Typed base classes are much more robust and easier to debug than the classic Dynamic code. They provide great IntelliSense (when configured in VS Code).

When used in combination with Data Models and Services in the AppCode folder, they also allow you to go Strong Typed. This is the recommended way to write code in 2sxc 16+.

Custom.Hybrid.RazorTyped

Note

RazorTyped and RazorTyped<TModel> use Typed API. See TODO:

See Custom.Hybrid.RazorTyped

This is the newest base class and recommended to use. It provides you the full typed API such as the MyItem object and AsItem(...) methods.

Differences to previous versions:

  • Typed API
  • The root Edit object was removed, as it's primary purpose was to provide toolbars, for which you should use the Kit.Toolbar service instead.
    If you still need the Edit object, you can find it on Kit.Edit.

📖 Read about the Typed API here TODO:

Base Classes in the AppCode.Razor Namespace

These are base classes for which the code lies in the AppCode/Razor folder of your App. Some will be auto-generated, others will be made by you.

📖 Read about the Typed API here TODO:

Custom.Hybrid.Razor14

Note

Razor14 ist the last release for Dynamic API. It and all previous versions use Dynamic API. See TODO:

See Custom.Hybrid.Razor14

Razor14 almost identical with the older Razor12 (see below) with these differences:

  1. the Kit property is new, providing access to the ServiceKit called ServiceKit14. It provides access to all the services you need, like Data, Security, Koi, Convert and more.

  2. the Convert property is removed, as it caused confusion with System.Convert

Note: hybrid base classes don't have a Dnn property. ...more

Custom.Hybrid.Razor12 & Custom.Dnn.Razor12

Note

Razor12 uses the Dynamic API. See TODO:

See Custom.Hybrid.Razor12 and Custom.Dnn.Razor12

This was introduced in 2sxc 12. It contains the features which will work cross-platform on both Dnn and Oqtane. You should use this base class to create solutions / Apps which work on Dnn and Oqtane.

Custom.Dnn.Razor12 is identical with Custom.Hybrid.Razor12 but with the addition of the Dnn property. See also Dnn Object.

Limitations of Custom.Hybrid.Razor12

Since this base class is meant to work on both Dnn and Oqtane, it only supports features which both of these platforms support.

  1. The property Dnn doesn't exist on this base class, as it would lead to code which can't run cross-platform. ...more

  2. The CreateInstance(...) works only on C# files .cs but not with CSHTML files .cshtml as this probably won't work in .net 5

  3. Koi works differently than before. Previously you just used a global object Connect.Koi.Koi to use Koi, but because .net 5 should really use dependency injection, you should now get Koi using GetService<Connect.Koi.ICss>(). The old mechanism will still work in Dnn but would not work in Oqtane.

  1. Properties / methods CustomizeData(...), CustomizeSearch(...) and Purpose do not work, because Oqtane doesn't have a search indexer. This is replaced with the new search-integration mechanism

  2. The code-behind Code object doesn't work, as we probably cannot implement this in .net 5

ToSic.Sxc.Dnn.RazorComponent

Note

RazorComponent uses the Dynamic API. See TODO:

See RazorComponent

This is legacy ad is not documented any more, but you may still find older Apps which have this base class.

ToSic.SexyContent.Razor.SexyContentWebPage

Warning

SexyContentWebPage uses the Dynamic API.

It is very old, and regarded as deprecated. But you may still find it in older Apps.

Old Base Class If You Don't use @inherits

If you don't specify @inherits, it will automatically use a very OLD API, which is not recommended.

This is because it has always been the default, and we cannot change it. The great thing is that it's easy to spot if someone chose a different API, because it will be the first line in the file.

Platform Differences

Internally Custom.Hybrid.Razor12 is built on the Razor base classes of the .net frameworks. In Dnn it builds on System.Web.WebPages.WebPageBase while in Oqtane it builds on .net 5+. Because of this, certain features will work in Dnn which don't work in Oqtane and vice versa.

  • If you only want to create Oqtane stuff only, you can just go ahead and use all the new features of the Razor in .net 5

  • If you plan on creating real hybrid stuff, you will have to do some testing to ensure you didn't use features that don't exist on the other side

  • If you need to code something which is different in each platform, use the #if preprocessor statements

Some core feature differences

Feature Dnn Oqtane Comments
@inherits ✅ ✅ Add this to every Razor
@helper ✅ ⛔ Doesn't exist in .net 5
@model ⛔ ✅ Doesn't exist in old .net and can't be combined with @inherits

Internal Docs: Api Controller Inheritance

Note

This is internal documentation for the 2sxc core developers. You don't need this part.

Basis for everything:

  1. System.Web.WebPages.WebPageBase
    1. 🥷🏽 ToSic.Sxc.Web.RazorComponentBase internal base for all Razor Pages in DNN
      🔹 adds dynamic code context, Html helper, etc.
      🔹 adds simple Log object
      🔹 Adds logging to insights
      🔹 Base class for everything

Based on that these public base classes were made:

  1. ⭐💀 ToSic.SexyContent.Razor.SexyContentWebPage public, very old/deprecated
    oldest base class, should not be used any more
    🔹 TODO: MUST CHECK IF THIS IS STILL THE DEFAULT in web.config
    🔹 had some exotic propecties such as List which contained Content/Presentation pairs
    1. 🥷🏽 ToSic.SexyContent.Razor.SexyContentWebPage<T> internal, only for technical reasons
  2. ⭐💀 ToSic.Sxc.Dnn.RazorComponent public, old/deprecated
    was the replacement for the previous, without the exotic List 🔹 Had old APIs such as CustomizeData and CustomizeCode which isn't needed any more
    1. ⭐💀 ToSic.Sxc.Dnn.RazorComponentCode public, old/deprecated
      used for deprecated feature: code-behind
  3. ⭐💀 Custom.Hybrid.Razor12 public, recommended to move to 14
    works fine, but is missing some newer features 🔹 Removed CustomizeData and CustomizeCode
    🔹 Had a public object Convert which interfered with the System.Convert
  4. 🥷🏽 Custom.Hybrid.Advanced.Razor14<TModel, TServiceKit> internal
    🔹 adds the Kit property with all kinds of ready-to-use Services
    🔹 also removes the .Convert object, which is now on Kit.Convert
    1. ⭐ Custom.Hybrid.Razor14 public
  5. ⭐🌟 Custom.Hybrid.RazorTyped recommended
    🔹 changes entire API to typed 🔹 adds the MyItem object and AsItem(...) methods
    1. ⭐🌟 Custom.Hybrid.RazorTyped<TModel> recommended
      🔹 adds the Model object
  6. ⭐🌟 AppCode.Razor.AppRazor public, custom - only exists if the App creates it
    1. ⭐ AppCode.Razor.AppRazor<TModel> public

History

  • 2sxc 10.20 - changed to Purpose from InstancePurpose - old code still works
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