Set selected value in SelectList after instantiation

Question

Am I right to think that there is no way to set the selected value in the C# class SelectList after it is created? Isn't that a bit silly?

Answer 1

I think you are fighting the framework. The data going into your views should be created at the Last Possible Minute (LPM).

Thinking this way, a SelectList is a type to feed the DropDownList HTML helper. It is NOT a place to store data while you decide how to process it.

A better solution would be to retrieve your data into a List<T> and then initialize the SelectList(s) when you need to. An immediate benefit of this practice is that it allows you to reuse your List<T> for more than one DropDownList, such as:

Country of birth Country of residence 

These SelectLists all use the Countries list of type List<Country>.

You can use your List<T> at the 'last minute' like in this example:

public class TaxCheatsFormViewModel {     private List<Country> countries { get; set; }      public TaxCheat Cheat { get; private set; }     public SelectList CountryOfBirth { get; private set; }     public SelectList CountryOfResidence { get; private set; }     public SelectList CountryOfDomicile { get; private set; }      public TaxCheatsFormViewModel(TaxCheat baddie)     {         TaxCheat = baddie;         countries = TaxCheatRepository.GetList<Country>();         CountryOfBirth = new SelectList(countries, baddie.COB);         CountryOfResidence = new SelectList(countries, baddie.COR);         CountryOfDomicile = new SelectList(countries, baddie.COD);     } } 

The point being that you should keep your data in a List<T> till you really need to output it; the last possible minute (LPM).