Using jTemplate with ASP.NET MVC

Question

In this article, Dave Ward describes how to use the jQuery plugin jTemplate to create what he calls a "client side repeater", that parses JSON data into a template on the client side.

Toward the end of the article, he suggests that the template is placed in a separate file with the extension ".tpl", and that the data is loaded into the document with the following syntax:

function ApplyTemplate(jsonData) { // This method loads the HTML template and // prepares the container div to accept data. $('#Container').setTemplateURL('myTemplate.tpl'); // This method applies the JSON array to the // container's template and renders it. $('#Container').processTemplate(jsonData); }

However, when using ASP.NET MVC I can't just place the template file next to my view and call it with "/Guestbook/myTemplate.tpl". But I would like to place the template file next to the view, to keep things together.

How should I arrange this? A Controller Action that returns the text file contents? Some configuration in Global.asax.cs to make the Framework just return these files as is, without the Controller/Action url parsing? Any other ideas?

Answer 1

I'd suggest using .htm instead. That comes through okay in a default MVC app.

It turns out that using .tpl is a bad idea anyway, due to some versions of IIS blocking it as an unknown file type unless you explicitly add it. I need to update my post.

Answer 2

I think, you could just ignore the route, and link to your template file like you've suggested:

Check out this previous answer: How to ignore route in asp.net forms url routing