I have on my development machine (Windows 10 Pro) and the IIS Web Server installed.

I used VS 2017 to develop a .NET web application. It works fine when it is run in VS. The menu links find their correct action methods. It performs as expected.

I have a problem in IIS whereby I have published the .NET (.NET framework 4.8) web application.

The publish to IIS created the folder on my C drive: inetpub\wwwroot\ProfileAndOrBlog.

I launch the web app in the browser with this URL: http://localhost/ProfileAndOrBlog.

I then sign into the web app using a top menu item just fine. That menu link is coded in the view as:

<li>@Html.ActionLink("Sign In", "SignIn", "SignIn", routeValues: null, htmlAttributes: new { id = "signinBtn", @class = "btn btn-primary my-signin-btn" })</li>

The URL generated is: http://localhost/ProfileAndOrBlog/SignIn/SignIn

After sign in, I get this page.

The URL generated is: http://localhost/ProfileAndOrBlog/User

I can now click on any side bar menu (a function of the app) - a link.

When I use the side bar menu link 'Make Suggestions' coded in the view as:

<a href="/UserSuggestionMaint/Index"><i ></i> Make Suggestions</a>

I get a 'This localhost page can't be found'.

The URL generated is: http://localhost/UserSuggestionMaint/Index.

It does not have the ProfileAndOrBlog/ as part of the route.

Note: if I manually add in the missing part of the route to the URL, it works.

http://localhost/ProfileAndOrBlog/UserSuggestionMaint/Index

So, why is that route part missing?

CodePudding user response：

I don't quite get your question but it seems your problem is simply about routes.

When using links

<li>@Html.ActionLink("Sign In", "SignIn", "SignIn", routeValues: null, htmlAttributes: new { id = "signinBtn", @class = "btn btn-primary my-signin-btn" })</li>

Simply means it should display "Sign In" on a button and the link will be mapped to something like below: "/SignIn/SignIn" and "/UserSuggestionMaint/Index"

In simple terms routes are usually "/Controller/action" in MVC.

So make sure you are referencing the right action method and it will work.

Using "/UserSuggestionMaint/Index" means the controller should be something like UserSuggestionMaintController and the Index action which will render the Index View.

CodePudding user response：

Something you need to know about using absolute and relative paths in hyperlink <a href>,

• Beginning with http:// or //. The browser will resolve the link as an absolute URL.

• Beginning with a single /. The browser will resolve the link as
  relative to the domain.

• Beginning with text. The browser will resolve the link as relative to the page.

• Beginning with #. The browser will look for an HTML element on the
  same page (by ID) and scroll to it if found.

So when you use <a href="/UserSuggestionMaint/Index">, it adds this content after domian not current url.

But when you use @Html.ActionLink, it returns a specified link text according to an anchor element.

In my test, I use @Html.ActionLink in layout page. When I set the MVC application as a separate site, @Html.ActionLink generates a hyperlink likes this:

If I set the MVC applciation as a sub application under a site, it likes this:

Part of /ProfileAndOrBlog url is necessary so that IIS can know which application you want to access. Then asp.net route can know UserSuggestionMaint is controller and index is action.

The solution is:

1. Not use relative URL of hyperlink but absolute URL. <a href="http://domain name/ProfileAndOrBlog/UserSuggestionMaint/Index">.
2. Deploy the mvc application as a separate site not a sub application under default web site.
3. Not use but @Html.ActionLink to dynamically generate a hyperlink.