Controllercontext Null

Question

I have the following code:

PDFController Ctrl = new PDFController();
            byte[] ArquivoPDF = Ctrl.GerarPDF(xml); 

This part above is in the Webapi, where I create a new instance of the Controller to use the function that is in it. The code below is already part of the controller:

public class PDFController : Controller
{
 public string RenderizaHtmlComoString(string NomeView, object model)
    {
        ViewData.Model = model;
        using (var sw = new StringWriter())
        {
            var viewResult = ViewEngines.Engines.FindPartialView(ControllerContext, NomeView);

            var viewContext = new ViewContext(ControllerContext, viewResult.View, ViewData, TempData, sw);

            viewResult.View.Render(viewContext, sw);
            viewResult.ViewEngine.ReleaseView(ControllerContext, viewResult.View);

            return sw.GetStringBuilder().ToString();
        }
    }
}

But in the part that I will form the variable viewResult, it gives an error and says that the Controllercontext cannot be null. Can someone help me? *This Controller is not linked to any View.

Answer 1

Your Controllercontext in this case will always be null because you are instantiating the controller "manually".

Usually the controller is created by an Icontrollerfactoy that is usually Dafaultcontrollerfactory, it creates the controller with all the necessary dependencies that includes the Controllercontext.

Usually when common methods are needed between controllers, a base controller is created that is inherited from the other controllers. In your case it would look something like this:

    public class BaseController : Controller
{
    // GET: Base
    public byte[] GerarPDF(string content)
    {
        //Código que gera o pdf.

        return new byte[] { };
    }
}
    public class ControllerA : BaseController
{
    public byte[] AlgumMetodo()
    {
        return GerarPDF("");
    }
}

public class ControllerB : BaseController
{
    public string AlgumOutroMetodo()
    {
        byte[] pdf = GerarPDF("");

        return "";
    }
}