MVC 4 Validation with a partial view

Question

I'm using MVC 4 and Entity Framework to develop a web app. I'm working with partial views which are loaded with javascript. One of them is a create view which includes validation. And that's my problem : the validation. I have a custom validation logic and, for example, if a user enters some numbers into a field such as "Name", it displays an error.

Here, with the partial views, it redirects me on my partial with the errors displayed but what I wanted to do is to stay on my main view (Index view) and keep my partial view which displays the errors.

EDIT :

Here is my partial view :

@model BuSIMaterial.Models.Person

@using (Html.BeginForm()) {
    @Html.ValidationSummary(true)
    <fieldset>
        <legend>Person</legend>

        <div class="editor-label">
            First name : 
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.FirstName, new { maxlength = 50 })
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.FirstName)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            Last name : 
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.LastName, new { maxlength = 50 })
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.LastName)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            National number : 
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.NumNat, new { maxlength = 11 })
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.NumNat)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            Start date : 
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.StartDate, new {@class = "datepicker", @placeholder="yyyy/mm/dd"})
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.StartDate)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            End date : 
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.EndDate, new { @class = "datepicker", @placeholder = "yyyy/mm/dd" })
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.EndDate)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            Distance House - Work (km) : 
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.EditorFor(model => model.HouseToWorkKilometers)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.HouseToWorkKilometers)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            Category : 
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.DropDownList("Id_ProductPackageCategory", "Choose one ...")
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Id_ProductPackageCategory) <a href = "../ProductPackageCategory/Create">Add a new category?</a>
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            Upgrade? : 
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.EditorFor(model => model.Upgrade)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Upgrade)
        </div>

        <br />

        <div class="form-actions">
          <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary">Create</button>
        </div>
    </fieldset>
}


@section Scripts {
    @Scripts.Render("~/bundles/jqueryval")
    @Scripts.Render("~/bundles/jqueryui")
    @Styles.Render("~/Content/themes/base/css")
}

In my view Index, I have this :

<div class="form-actions"><button type="button" id="create" class="btn btn-primary">Create</button> </div>
<div id ="create_person"></div>

And the way I load my Partial View :

            $("#create").click(function () {
                var form = $("#create_person").closest("form");
                form.removeData('validator');
                form.removeData('unobtrusiveValidation');
                $.validator.unobtrusive.parse(form);

                $.ajax({
                    url: "/Person/CreateOrUpdate",
                    type: "POST",
                    data: $("#create_person").serialize(),
                    cache: false
                });

//                var url = '/Person/CreatePerson';
//                $("#create_person").load(url);

            });

The actions :

[HttpGet]
        public ActionResult CreateOrUpdate()
        {
            ViewBag.Id_ProductPackageCategory = new SelectList(db.ProductPackageCategories, "Id_ProductPackageCategory", "Name");
            return View();
        }


        [HttpPost]
        public JsonResult CreateOrUpdate(Person person)
        {
            ViewBag.Id_ProductPackageCategory = new SelectList(db.ProductPackageCategories, "Id_ProductPackageCategory", "Name", person.Id_ProductPackageCategory);

            try
            {
                if (!ModelState.IsValid)
                {
                    string messages = string.Join("; ", ModelState.Values
                                        .SelectMany(x => x.Errors)
                                        .Select(x => x.ErrorMessage));
                    throw new Exception("Please correct the following errors: " + Environment.NewLine + messages);
                }

                db.Persons.AddObject(person);
                db.SaveChanges();

                return Json(new { Result = "OK" });
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                return Json(new { Result = "ERROR", Message = ex.Message });
            }
        }

Answer 1

If you post the page it will not come back to the dynamically loaded partial view. Try to make a ajax call to /Person/CreatePerson. Your CreatePerson will look similar to

[HttpPost]
    public JsonResult CreatePerson(Person person)
    {
        ViewBag.Id_ProductPackageCategory = new SelectList(db.ProductPackageCategories, "Id_ProductPackageCategory", "Name", person.Id_ProductPackageCategory);

    try
    {
        if (!ModelState.IsValid)
        {
            string messages = string.Join("; ", ModelState.Values
                                .SelectMany(x => x.Errors)
                                .Select(x => x.ErrorMessage));
            throw new Exception("Please correct the following errors: " + Environment.NewLine + messages);
        }

        db.Persons.AddObject(person);
        db.SaveChanges();

        return Json(new { Result = "OK" });
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        return Json(new { Result = "ERROR", Message = ex.Message });
    }
}                                                                                                    `

The ajax call to /Person/CreatePerson will look similar to

`

$.ajax({
                url: '/Person/CreatePerson',
                type: "POST",
                data: $("#form").serialize(),
                success: function (responce) {
                    alert(responce.Message);
                },
                error: function (xhr, textStatus) {
                    alert(xhr.status + " " + xhr.statusText);
                }
            });

Besides unobtrusive validation will not work easily with dynamic content. check the link unobtrusive validation on dynamically added partial view (not working)