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MVC Editor Templates Using LINQ Group By?

I'm currently replacing a View containing a useless foreach/foreach style code. I need to edit the page now, so changes must be made. I have part of the solution (thanks to EE and much hair pulling), and now the Group-by-date is needed.

Notes:
1. the Action doesn't have a Group By yet.
2. the View has some code as comment-out

Here is the current view return displaying two budget months in the same year:

10/2013
October
Category       Limit
Auto             50
Clothing       40
College       100
Credit             100
Food             200
Save Changes

11/2013
November
Category       Limit
Auto             50
Clothing       40
College       100
Credit             100
Food             200
Save Changes

[View]
@model BudgetProjectUI.BudgetViewModelTest

@*@foreach (var group in Model)
{
*@<div style="float: left;">

@* @Model.Date.ToString("MM/yyyy")*@

@using (Html.BeginForm("_Edit", "Budget", FormMethod.Post))
{
@Html.ValidationSummary(false)

<fieldset>
<legend>Month/Year </legend>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<td><b>Category</b></td>
<td></td>
<td><b>Limit</b></td>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>

@Html.EditorFor(model => model.budgetList)

</tbody>
</table>
</fieldset>

<input type="submit" value="Save Changes" />
}
</div>
@*}*@

[New Editor Template to return the 'Category' and 'Limit' columns]

@model BudgetProjectUI.BudgetList

<table>
    <tr>
        <td style="width:150px">@Model.Name</td>
        <td></td>
        <td></td>
        <td><div style="width:50px">@Html.EditorFor(x => x.Limit)</div></td>
    </tr>
</table>

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[Models]

public class BudgetViewModelTest
    {
        public System.DateTime Date { get; set; } //moved Date here for group by?
        public List<BudgetList> budgetList { get; set; }       
    }

    public class BudgetList
    {
        public string Name { get; set; }
        public System.Guid BudgetID { get; set; }
        public System.Guid BudgetItemID { get; set; }
        public System.Guid CategoryID { get; set; }
        public decimal Limit { get; set; }
        //public System.DateTime Date { get; set; }
        public System.DateTime Posted { get; set; }
    }

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[Action]

       public ActionResult BudgetEditorTesting()
       {
            BudgetViewModelTest model = new BudgetViewModelTest
            { 
                budgetList = (from b in context.Budgets
                              join r in context.CategoryRefs on b.CategoryID equals r.CategoryID
                              select new BudgetList() { Name =  r.Name, Limit = b.Limit }).ToList()
            };

            return View(model);          
        }

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Bob Learned

I am not sure that I understand what you are looking for...

Did you want to do a group by in the LINQ query?

WorknHardr

ASKER

I should backup a bit and show my current working code which needs both 'foreach' statements replaced with Editor Templates.

Q. Can I use my current LINQ to load new Editor Templates?
Q. If not, how do I do it?
Q. I'm assuming I need 'nested' Editor Templates (many parents to many children)?

[LINQ]

 var model = (from b in context.Budgets
                           join r in context.CategoryRefs on b.CategoryID equals r.CategoryID
                           let j = new BudgetViewModel { categoryRef = r, budget = b }
                           group j by j.budget.Date into g
                           select new Group<DateTime, BudgetViewModel> { Key = g.Key, Values = g.OrderBy(s => s.categoryRef.Name) }).ToList();

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[View]

@using BudgetProjectUI
@model List<Group<DateTime, BudgetViewModel>>

 @foreach (var group in Model)
{
     <div  style="float: left;">

     @group.Key.ToString("MM/yyyy")

    @using (Html.BeginForm("_Edit", "Budget", FormMethod.Post))
   {
       <fieldset>
         <legend> @group.Key.ToString("MMMM") </legend>
            <table>
              <thead>
                 <tr>
                   <td><b>Category</b></td>
                   <td></td>
                   <td><b>Limit</b></td>                                        
                 </tr>
               </thead>
          <tbody>
            @foreach (var item in group.Values)
            {
            <tr>
              <td>           
                @Html.Hidden("BudgetID", item.budget.BudgetID)
                @Html.Hidden("CategoryID", item.categoryRef.CategoryID)
                @Html.Hidden("Posted", item.budget.Posted)
                @Html.Label(item.categoryRef.Name)
             </td> 
             <td>@Html.Label(item.budget.Limit.ToString("c")</td>                                            
           </tr>             
           }
          </tbody>
        </table>
     </fieldset>                                                  
                        <input type="submit" value="Save Changes" />
                </div>
            }

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Bob Learned

Hmmm...

ASP.NET MVC 3 – How to use EditorTemplates
http://coding-in.net/asp-net-mvc-3-how-to-use-editortemplates/

I Love the syntax. There is no loop in the view. The EditorTemplate does all the job for us. Thanks ASP.NET MVC !

@Html.EditorFor(model => model.Addresses)

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WorknHardr

ASKER

I've read multiple posts and articles which in my opinion are incomplete teasers. I posted all my code and don't know what else to do.

Yeah, I read that one too, here's what it lacks:
1. No LINQ query for EF
- only hard-coded data
2. Only has Addresses list
- I need multiple parents list and children lists

I've built simple Editor Templates, but never this complex. I think maybe two Templates are needed, one for the Parent which calls the children list.

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Bob Learned

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WorknHardr

ASKER

Thx