Is this a bug in WebMatrix PageData?

Question

I think I may have found a bug in WebMatrix\'s PageData, but I am not sure. It concerns how to pass data from a partial page back to a calling page.

In the WebMatrix

Answer 1

Cross-posting my response from: http://forums.asp.net/t/1667665.aspx/1?Is+this+a+bug+in+WebMatrix+PageData+

This is going to sound trite, but the behavior is by design and not a bug. When a partial page is initalized, a copy of the PageData dictionary is passed to it, which is why the values remain unaffected in the original page.

To share values across pages and partials for the lifecycle of a request, you could use Context.Items. Alternatively, you could drop in a dictionary or an ExpandoObject inside PageData and use that to share values:

@{
    Page["Shared"] = new Dictionary();
    Page.Shared["Title"] = "Test";
    @Page["shared"]["Title"]

    @RenderPage("~/Partial.cshtml")

    @Page.Shared["Title"]
}

// Partial.cshtml
@{
    Page.Shared["Title"] = "Updated title";
}