asp.net mvc - Url Form Action Without ViewContext

Question

Is it possible to get a URL from an action without knowing ViewContext (e.g., in a controller)? Something like this:

LinkBuilder.BuildUrlFromExpression(ViewContext context, Expression<Action<T>> action)

...but using Controller.RouteData instead of ViewContext. I seem to have metal block on this.

Answer 1

Here's how I do it in a unit test:

    private string RouteValueDictionaryToUrl(RouteValueDictionary rvd)
    {
        var context = MvcMockHelpers.FakeHttpContext("~/");
        // _routes is a RouteCollection
        var vpd = _routes.GetVirtualPath(
            new RequestContext(context, _
                routes.GetRouteData(context)), rvd);
        return vpd.VirtualPath;
    }

Per comments, I'll adapt to a controller:

string path = RouteTable.Routes.GetVirtualPath(
    new RequestContext(HttpContext, 
        RouteTable.Routes.GetRouteData(HttpContext)),
    new RouteValueDictionary( 
        new { controller = "Foo",
              action = "Bar" })).VirtualPath;

Replace "Foo" and "Bar" with real names. This is off the top of my head, so I can't guarantee that it's the most efficient solution possible, but it should get you on the right track.