What is HTML Helper?
In ASP.NET MVC, an HTML Helper is a method that helps generate HTML markup in a view. It provides an easier and more maintainable way to generate HTML elements compared to writing raw HTML code.
Types of HTML Helpers in ASP.NET MVC
In ASP.NET MVC, HTML Helpers are used to generate HTML markup dynamically in Razor views. They can be classified into three main types:
These are built-in helper methods that generate basic HTML controls.
@Html.TextBox("name")
<input type="text" name="name" />
@Html.Password("password")
<input type="password" name="password" />
@Html.TextArea("message")
<Textarea name="message"></textarea>
@Html.CheckBox("isActive")
<input type="checkbox" name="isActive" />
@Html.RadioButton("gender", "Male")
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="Male" />
@Html.DropDownList("countries", new SelectList(new[] { "USA", "India", "UK" }))
<select name="countries"><option>USA</option><option>India</option><option>UK</option></select>
@Html.Hidden("userId", 101)
<input type="hidden" name="userId" value="101" />
These helpers work with model properties, ensuring compile-time checking and IntelliSense support.
@Html.TextBoxFor(m => m.Name)
<input type="text" name="Name" value="John" />
@Html.TextAreaFor(m => m.Description)
<textarea name="Description">...</textarea>
@Html.CheckBoxFor(m => m.IsActive)
<input type="checkbox" name="IsActive" />
@Html.RadioButtonFor(m => m.Gender, "Male")
<input type="radio" name="Gender" value="Male" />
@Html.DropDownList("countries", new SelectList(new[] { "USA", "India", "UK" }))
<select name="countries"><option>USA</option><option>India</option><option>UK</option></select>
@Html.Hidden("userId", 101)
<input type="hidden" name="userId" value="101" />