How do I import a namespace in Razor View Page?

Asked 13/7, 2010 at 16:3 Answered 9/11, 2023 at 5:45

Solved asp.net asp.net-mvc-3 razor webmatrix

786

How to import a namespace in Razor View Page?

Reliant answered 13/7, 2010 at 16:3 Comment(2)

You can also add alias to your imported namespace https://mcmap.net/q/55302/-how-to-alias-a-type-with-a-using-directive-in-my-razor-view/… – Alver 14/11, 2011 at 13:54

Check this: codingfusion.com/Post/… – Incontinent 8/2 at 5:17

899

Finally found the answer.

@using MyNamespace

For VB.Net:

@Imports Mynamespace

Take a look at @ravy amiry's answer if you want to include a namespace across the app.

Reliant answered 14/7, 2010 at 9:38 Comment(8)

Also: They can't go in code blocks. (You'll get a runtime error) – Neal 24/7, 2011 at 3:31

Also you don't need the semicolon. – No 25/7, 2011 at 23:34

hi, how to use globalization in view in mvc, as mentioned here ? – Hottempered 31/3, 2015 at 9:4

This is just bad practice period. Please do not add this to the top of your razor pages. This is messy etc... Correct way is to add to Views - web.config just as @Javad_Amiry points out. – Scarletscarlett 3/8, 2015 at 20:54

It's not bad practice. It's an absolutely necessary feature. web.config is like a global using statement that makes the namespace active in ALL your pages. That may not be what you want if you have classes with the same name in different namespaces. You'll still have a conflict if you try to use them in the same file, but you can resolve that easily within a single file. If you stick it in web.config, then the conflict would arise in all your pages that use either of the classes. So calling this bad practice makes no sense at all. – Berkey 4/9, 2015 at 22:15

I'm surprised Intellisense doesn't hint to add the using statement the same way it does in normal C# pages. – Berkey 4/9, 2015 at 22:15

@Berkey It may not be a bad practice, based on the valid examples you provided, however without those conflicts, this definitely isn't the best practice. – Hegumen 18/11, 2016 at 12:31

What if it's narrowed down to not using Imports Mynamespace at all and only use it within the view where necessary? For example, If Mynamespace.objClass Then... without Imports, instead of If objClass Then.... with Imports.Mynamespace. – Albuquerque 30/5, 2017 at 15:0

415

The first way is that use @using statement in .cshtml files, that imports a namespace to current file only, and the second:

In the "web.config" file in "Views" directory of your project (notice it is not the main web.config in project's root), find this section:

<system.web.webPages.razor>
  <pages pageBaseType="System.Web.Mvc.WebViewPage">
    <namespaces>
      <add namespace="System.Web.Mvc" />
      <add namespace="System.Web.Mvc.Ajax" />
      .
      .
      <!-- etc -->
    </namespaces>
  </pages>
</system.web.webPages.razor>

you can add your custom namespace like this:

<add namespace="My.Custom" />

that will add the namespace to all of .cshtml (and/or .vbhtml) files; also you can change views inheritance from here, like:

<pages pageBaseType="My.Custom.MyWebViewPage">

Regards.

UPDATE: Thanks to @Nick Silberstein to his reminder about areas! He said:

If you're working within an area, you must add the namespace within the Web.config under /Areas/<AreaName>/Views/ rather than /Views/

Womanly answered 17/7, 2011 at 9:47 Comment(8)

I don't have that section in my web.config, should I add it? – Proudfoot 21/7, 2011 at 11:30

@Proudfoot : which web.config? the web.config file in Views folder, not the main web.config in root folder. ok? – Womanly 21/7, 2011 at 13:37

I'd like to hopefully save someone a few minutes of pulling out their hair and say that if you're working within an area, you must add the namespace within the Web.config under /Areas/<AreaName>Views/ rather than /Views/. – Clevelandclevenger 11/11, 2011 at 1:3

@MatthijsWessels No it does not need to restart VS. Just build the project and it will take effect. At least I do this always. If a view is open, you have to close that view before build and re-open it after after build. – Womanly 28/12, 2012 at 14:23

@Javad_Amiry, aha, I did rebuild, but didn't close the view. – Verified 28/12, 2012 at 15:24

Using the web.config method of importing prevents polluting views with too many implementation details, like which implementation of a class to use. This assumes two implementations would share the same name but have different namespaces. You could shoehorn in a test-only implementation by using web.config transformations, and a blah.blah.test namespace. – Plater 19/6, 2015 at 17:30

Yes, this is the correct way. Not the Using statement at top of Razor page like in the OP selected answer.... – Scarletscarlett 3/8, 2015 at 20:55

Regardless of what Microsoft intended, I consider coding through config files a bad practice -- configs should be for system 'where do I find stuff', or simple parameter changes. I'm surprised that xxx.models and xxx.controllers -- etc doesn't just work, since MVC is based on that kind of magic configuration. – Danille 26/7, 2017 at 14:45

For Library

@using MyNamespace

For Model

@model MyModel

Wieland answered 19/1, 2016 at 8:3 Comment(2)

Why is there no ; at the end? – Flounder 8/11, 2016 at 6:30

@Flounder because this isn't C# code, it's Razor code. The using at the beginning of a .cs file is a C# compiler keyword. The @using at the beginning of a .cshtml file is a hint to the Razor template engine. – Fenland 9/8, 2017 at 23:11

In ASP.NET MVC 3 Preview1 you can import a namespace on all your razor views with this code in Global.asax.cs

Microsoft.WebPages.Compilation.CodeGeneratorSettings.AddGlobalImport("Namespace.Namespace");

I hope in RTM this gets done through Web.config section.

Caution answered 28/7, 2010 at 6:47 Comment(2)

There will be a web.config section in RTM, but we also wanted to provide an API to do this because many users are starting to gravitate away from config. So we have both options available for you! – Weeden 30/7, 2010 at 18:23

As of ASP.NET MVC 3 Beta this method no longer works. There is a new web.config section as explained here #3875707 . The AddGlobalImport method for importing a global namespace to all views has been moved to this class System.Web.WebPages.Razor.WebPagesRazorHost – Powered 7/10, 2010 at 22:20

I found this http://weblogs.asp.net/mikaelsoderstrom/archive/2010/07/30/add-namespaces-with-razor.aspx which explains how to add a custom namespace to all your razor pages.

Basically you can make this

using Microsoft.WebPages.Compilation;
public class PreApplicationStart
{
   public static void InitializeApplication()
   {
       CodeGeneratorSettings.AddGlobalImport("Custom.Namespace");
   }
}

and put the following code in your AssemblyInfo.cs

[assembly: PreApplicationStartMethod(typeof(PreApplicationStart), "InitializeApplication")]

the method InitializeApplication will be executed before Application_Start in global.asax

Concertante answered 27/4, 2011 at 4:40 Comment(2)

This is actually a rather good answer, but the location of Microsoft.WebPages.Compilation.AddGlobalImport was changed to System.Web.WebPages.Razor.WebCodeRazorHost.AddGlobalImport. – Alternant 2/7, 2014 at 9:49

The big advantage of using this method comes from the fact that the namespace will be usable in all views (including those within areas) while being declared in just one place. – Alternant 2/7, 2014 at 10:10

One issue that you must know is that when you import a namespace via web.config in Views folder, that namespace is imported JUST for views in that folder. Means if you want to import a namespace in an area views, you must also import that namespace, in that area's web.config file, located in area's Views folder;

Ottie answered 7/9, 2011 at 23:25 Comment(0)

For namespace and Library

@using NameSpace_Name

For Model

@model Application_Name.Models.Model_Name

For Iterate the list on Razor Page (You Have to use foreach loop for access the list items)

@model List<Application_Name.Models.Model_Name>

@foreach (var item in Model)
   {  
          <tr>
                <td>@item.srno</td>
                <td>@item.name</td>
         </tr>  
   }

Trommel answered 11/8, 2018 at 12:26 Comment(0)

You can try this

@using MyNamespace

Lobito answered 1/7, 2017 at 20:54 Comment(0)

"using MyNamespace" works in MVC3 RTM. Hope this helps.

Rooftree answered 15/1, 2011 at 16:28 Comment(0)

I think in order import namespace in razor view, you just need to add below way:

@using XX.YY.ZZ

Po answered 3/12, 2015 at 13:39 Comment(0)

Depending on your need you can use one of following method:

In first line/s of view add "using your.domainName;" (if it is required in specific view only)
if required in all subsequent views then add "using your.domainName;" in _ViewStart.cshtml. You can find more about this in: Where and how is the _ViewStart.cshtml layout file linked?
Or add Assembly reference in View web.config as described by others explained in: How do you implement a @using across all Views in Asp.Net MVC 3?

Gosling answered 6/8, 2019 at 10:7 Comment(0)

in C# you can do it in the following ways

@using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http;

Equivocation answered 9/11, 2023 at 5:45 Comment(0)

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