mvc3: html.beginform search returning empty querystring - asp.net-mvc-3

Question

In an MVC3 app, i have the following View:
#using (Html.BeginForm("Index", "Search", new {query = #Request.QueryString["query"]}, FormMethod.Post))
{
<input type="search" name="query" id="query" value="" />
}
When i type in the url "/Search?query=test", Request.Querystring in my Index action reads out the search-value perfectly well (i have my routes set to ignore the Action in the url). When i type it in the seachbox, it hits the right action and controller (so the routing seems fine) but the querystring remains empty. What am i doing wrong?

Answer 1

The Problem is that you are look in the Request.QueryString collection. But you are doing a POST so the query value is in the Request.Form Collection. But i think you want your TextBox filled with the data so can do it like in my sample.
Sample
#using (Html.BeginForm("Index", "Home", FormMethod.Post))
{
<input type="search" name="query" id="query" value="#Request.Form["query"]" />
}
But this is not the real MVC approach. You should create a ViewModel for that.
Model
namespace MyNameSpace.Models
{
public class SearchViewModel
{
public string Query { get; set; }
}
}
View
#model MyNameSpace.Models.SearchViewModel
#using (Html.BeginForm("Index", "Home", FormMethod.Post))
{
#Html.TextBoxFor(x => x.Query)
<input type="submit" />
}
Controller
public ActionResult Index()
{
return View(new SearchViewModel());
}
[HttpPost]
public ActionResult Index(SearchViewModel model)
{
// do your search
return View(model);
}