[Mono-aspnet-list] How to fix exception in System.Web or other way to render view in WebAPI

[Andrus]

Hi!

Code from
http://forums.asp.net/t/2017674.aspx?How+to+return+rendered+razor+view+from+Web+API+controller
is used to render Razor view to string in ASP.NET MVC4 WebAPI controller. It
creates fake controller since WebAPI
does not have regular controller reuired by Razor:

     public class ValuesController : ApiController
        {

            public HttpResponseMessage Get()
            {
                var body = RenderViewToString("Values",
"~/Views/Home/Index.cshtml", new object());
                return Request.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.OK, new {
content = body });
            }

            public static string RenderViewToString(string controllerName,
string viewName, object viewData)
            {
                using (var writer = new StringWriter())
                {
                    var routeData = new RouteData();
                    routeData.Values.Add("controller", controllerName);
                    var fakeControllerContext = new ControllerContext(new
HttpContextWrapper(new HttpContext(new HttpRequest(null,
"http://google.com", null), new HttpResponse(null))), routeData, new
FakeController());
                    var razorViewEngine = new RazorViewEngine();
                    var razorViewResult =
razorViewEngine.FindView(fakeControllerContext, viewName, "", false);

                    var viewContext = new ViewContext(fakeControllerContext,
razorViewResult.View, new ViewDataDictionary(viewData), new
TempDataDictionary(), writer);
                    razorViewResult.View.Render(viewContext, writer);
                    return writer.ToString();
                }
            }
        }

        public class FakeController : ControllerBase  { protected override
void ExecuteCore() { }  }


In ASP.NET it works OK .
In Mono it causes NullreferenceException at line
`razorViewResult.View.Render(viewContext, writer);`

    at System.Web.HttpRequest.get_IsLocal () <0x00026>
    at System.Web.HttpRequestWrapper.get_IsLocal () <0x0001b>
    at System.Web.WebPages.WebPageHttpHandler.ShouldGenerateSourceHeader
(System.Web.HttpContextBase) <0x0001f>
    at System.Web.WebPages.WebPageBase.ExecutePageHierarchy () <0x0002b>
    at System.Web.Mvc.WebViewPage.ExecutePageHierarchy () <0x0005f>
    at System.Web.WebPages.StartPage.RunPage () <0x0001f>
    at System.Web.WebPages.StartPage.ExecutePageHierarchy () <0x00057>
    at System.Web.WebPages.WebPageBase.ExecutePageHierarchy
(System.Web.WebPages.WebPageContext,System.IO.TextWriter,System.Web.WebPages.WebPageRenderingBase)
<0x000e5>
    at System.Web.Mvc.RazorView.RenderView
(System.Web.Mvc.ViewContext,System.IO.TextWriter,object) <0x00227>
    at System.Web.Mvc.BuildManagerCompiledView.Render
(System.Web.Mvc.ViewContext,System.IO.TextWriter) <0x000a8>
    at Controllers.APIBase.RenderViewToString (string,string,object)

Mono 3.2.5 in Debian amd64 is used.
It looks like exception occurs in IsLocal() getter

https://github.com/mono/mono/blob/mono-3.2.5-branch/mcs/class/System.Web/System.Web/HttpRequest.cs#L1671

How to fix or diagnose this ?

If similar method is called from regular MVC4 controller using regular
controller context, it works in Mono also.
How to make it work from WebAPI controller also ?
Or is it possible to use workaround, e.q call MVC4 controller to render and
grab its result or use RazorEngine .


ndrus.