Routing Issues with Decoupled CMS

[mdockal]

I was working through @sebastienros' video on Using Orchard Core as a Decoupled CMS. I created a new site using the blank template. I used the blank recipe and started using Razor Pages just like Sebastian did in his demo. I even learned how to add a PageModel to the Page to make separate the code from Page (Index.cshtml.cs). However, when I tried the part where I was trying to pass the route "project-one" to the page I found the same annoying bug of it not finding the layout page. This seems to be an issue in .NET Core not in Orchard Core. So it got me to thinking that I will just replace the Razor Pages with Views and Controllers to get around the bug. However, I can't seem to make orchard find my Home / Index page from the Default Route. I can make it work by typing in the area name. It's like Orchard CMS takes over the routing with no way to add my own homepage unless I use Razor Pages. I can do this with an SaaS app. I thought the OrchardCore.HomeRoute CMS Module was the culprit be apparently not. I am not sure of the ramifications of disabling this module.

[jtkech]

Some things have changed around this and some issues have been fixed, so it depends on the version you use, dev or master.

If you define a @page at the app level the route is /YourPage and becomes the home if the name is Index. From a module (or theme) the route is YourModule/YourPage or /YourModule for an index page.

About overriding routes in your startup and how layouts are defined and found, see under /test/OrchardCore.Tests.Pages, there is a module defining pages, a theme and an app. Build and run the app, do e.g a saas setup, enable Module.Pages, and Theme.Pages depending on what you are testing.

About mvc controller view, yes the app behaves as a module whose area is the app name. To override routes you need the same as with another module. 1) use a MapAreaRoute() in the module startup. But the app's module has no startup so you need to use an helper in your app startup (see below). 2) Or decorate your controller actions with route attributes. See examples in the OC.Demo module.

        services.AddOrchardCms(b =>
        {
            b.Configure((app, routes, serviceProvider) =>
            {
                routes.MapAreaRoute(...);
            });
        });

[remesq]

@jtkech Thank you for that insight, because it helped me to figure out how the heck the pages were being loaded (DUH!). Does the definition have to be @page "{name?}" at the top of the .cshtml file? Or will @page alone at the top of Foo.cshtml be served automatically under /Foo (seems to be the case)?

Also, I see in Startup.cs you can define a homepage thusly:

//This declaration would define an home page
//options.Conventions.AddAreaPageRoute("Module.Pages", "/Foo", "");

I assume it's hardcoded that the "" = index.cshtml. Is it possible to change the name of the file that's served as the home page, or are we locked into index.cshtml?

Thanks!

[jtkech]

It is just to say that the relative part (from the root) is empty so it is the home, for this last parameter you can't have a starting / as for an absolute url. In the above example this is Foo that becomes the home.

There are different ways to make a module page the home.

• In the testing module we use AddAreaFolderRoute("Module.Pages", "/", "") to make all the module pages accessible without the module id e.g /Bar in place of /TheModule/Bar. So here, your module index page becomes the home.

• If you don't have an index page and / or you don't use AddAreaFolderRoute(), to make a module page the home, you can use AddAreaPageRoute("Module.Pages", "/AnyPage", ""). And, if you want a module index page as the home page, use .AddAreaPageRoute("Module.Pages", "/Index", "").

• Note: Having more than one home page fails.

• Another way to make a module page the home is to not use our helpers and just use @page "". But don't do that before having run a setup and enable the module. So maybe better to use the helpers because there are run only when the module is enabled.

{name?} is not required, it is used to have parameter(s) which are part of the url. E.g using Foo/John, in the context of the Foo page, the property Name will be equal to John. Then, the ? says that the parameter is optional.

[psijkof]

Another example can be found in the repo under my account here, ModernBusiness.OC.RazorPages

[LatinaAtanasova]

So in case when we have @page "{name}", how can we render "_Layout". The page let's call it Blog is in Pages and the "_Layout" is in Views/Shared. I see that the following url is generated Blog/name and obviously it cannot find Layout and all the files in root folder. Because even if i copy the whole html in the page it doesn't render anything. All of the pages are in the Web Project. Thanks :)

[LatinaAtanasova]

Well, it is fine now.