Creating an ASP.NET MVC Project in Visual Studio: A Step-by-Step Guide

Learn how to set up a new ASP.NET MVC web application in Visual Studio. This tutorial provides a clear, step-by-step guide to creating a basic MVC project, explaining the project structure, default files (HomeController, etc.), and setting up the foundation for building more complex applications.

Creating an ASP.NET MVC Project

Setting up the Project

This guide explains how to create a new ASP.NET MVC web application using Visual Studio 2017 (or a later version). The steps are similar in newer versions of Visual Studio.

  1. Create a New Project: Open Visual Studio and click "File" -> "New" -> "Project".
  2. Select Project Type: Choose "Web" as the project type and give your project a name.
  3. Select MVC Template: Select the "ASP.NET Web Application (.NET Framework)" template. You'll then be prompted to choose an MVC template (e.g., "MVC"). Select the authentication type you want (e.g., "No Authentication").

Click "OK" to create the project. This generates a basic MVC project structure.

Project Structure

Your new MVC project will have a standard folder structure, typically including:

  • Models: Contains classes representing your data and business logic.
  • Views: Contains the user interface (UI) templates for displaying data.
  • Controllers: Contains classes that handle user requests and interact with models and views.

The HomeController is usually the default controller. Here's an example of a basic HomeController:

HomeController.cs (Example):

Code

using System.Web.Mvc;

namespace MvcApplicationDemo.Controllers
{
    public class HomeController : Controller
    {
        public ActionResult Index()
        {
            return View();
        }

        public ActionResult About()
        {
            ViewBag.Message = "Your application description page.";
            return View();
        }

        public ActionResult Contact()
        {
            ViewBag.Message = "Your contact page.";
            return View();
        }
    }
}

The `Index` action is the default action, and it returns the `Index.cshtml` view.

index.cshtml (Example View):

Code

@{
    ViewBag.Title = "Home Page";
}

<h1>ASP.NET</h1>
<p>ASP.NET is a free web framework for building great Web sites and Web applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript.</p>

This simple view displays a heading and some text.