asp.net mvc - How to store Dictionary<string, string> in hidden field and retrieve the same in controller through FormCollection Id -

the scenario :-

controller part :

    public actionresult goht()     {         dictionary<string, string> col = new dictionary<string, string>();         col.add("a", "c");         col.add("b", "c");         viewbag.cols = col;         return view();     } 

view part :

    <input type="hidden" id="hd" name ="hd" value="@viewbag.cols" /> 

in case hidden value not showing dictionary element id defined instead show as

    <input type="hidden" id="hd" name="hd"  value="system.collections.generic.dictionary`2[system.string,system.string]"> 

here question , how assign dictionary element viewbag , store in hidden field.

and how same dictionary made available @ form submission.

controller :

    [acceptverbs(httpverbs.post)]     public actionresult goht(formcollection formcollection)     {          var mode = (dictionary<string, string>)formcollection["hd"].tostring();     } 

you need multiple hidden fields, each key in dictionary. scott hanselman wrote nice blog post explaining how hidden fields should named. way able retrieve values typed dictionary object in controller.

<input type="text" name="col[0].key" value="a" /> <input type="text" name="col[0].value" value="c" /> <input type="text" name="col[1].key" value="b" /> <input type="text" name="col[1].value" value="c" /> ... 

now controller action directly take dictionary parameter:

[httppost] public actionresult goht(dictionary<string, string> col) {     // col here ... } 

so that's left loop through values of dictionary , generate hidden fields:

@foreach (var item in (dictionary<string, string>)viewbag.cols) {     @html.hidden("cols.key", item.key)     @html.hidden("cols.value", item.value) }