Year End Sale: Get Upto 40% OFF on Live Training! Offer Ending in
D
H
M
S
Get Now
How to Upload a File in ASP .NET MVC?

How to Upload a File in ASP .NET MVC?

26 Mar 2024
Intermediate
278K Views
9 min read
Learn with an interactive course and practical hands-on labs

ASP.NET MVC with Web API Foundations Course - Free

Uploading a file in ASP .NET MVC: An Overview

In this MVC Tutorial, we will see how to upload a file. Uploading a file in the ASP.NETMVC application is very easy. The posted file is automatically available as a HttpPostedFileBase parameter in the action of the controller. For uploading a file on the server you are required to have a file input control within HTML form having the encoding type set to multipart/form-data. The default encoding type of a form is application/x-www-form-urlencoded and this is not sufficient for posting a large amount of data to the server.

Read More: MVC Interview Questions and Answers

Let's See How to Do It

Step 1: Form for uploading the file

@using (Html.BeginForm("FileUpload", "Home", FormMethod.Post, new { enctype = "multipart/form-data" }))
{ 
 @Html.ValidationSummary();
 <ol>
 <li class="lifile">
 <input type="file" id="fileToUpload" name="file" />
 <span class="field-validation-error" id="spanfile"></span>
 </li>
 </ol>
 <input type="submit" id="btnSubmit" value="Upload" />
}

Step 2: Validating the file on the client side

<script type="text/jscript">
//get file size
function GetFileSize(fileid) {
 try 
 {
 var fileSize = 0;
 //for IE
 if ($.browser.msie) 
 {
 //before making an object of ActiveXObject, 
 //please make sure ActiveX is enabled in your IE browser
 var objFSO = new ActiveXObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject"); var filePath = $("#" + fileid)[0].value;
 var objFile = objFSO.getFile(filePath);
 var fileSize = objFile.size; //size in kb
 fileSize = fileSize / 1048576; //size in mb 
 }
 //for FF, Safari, Opeara and Others
 else 
 {
 fileSize = $("#" + fileid)[0].files[0].size //size in kb
 fileSize = fileSize / 1048576; //size in mb 
 }
 return fileSize;
 }
 catch (e) 
 {
 alert("Error is :" + e);
 }
}

//get file path from client system
function getNameFromPath(strFilepath) 
{
 var objRE = new RegExp(/([^\/\\]+)$/);
 var strName = objRE.exec(strFilepath);
 
 if (strName == null) 
 {
 return null;
 }
 else 
 {
 return strName[0];
 }
}

$("#btnSubmit").live("click", function () 
{
 if ($('#fileToUpload').val() == "") 
 {
 $("#spanfile").html("Please upload file");
 return false;
 }
 else 
 {
 return checkfile();
 }
});

function checkfile() 
{
 var file = getNameFromPath($("#fileToUpload").val());
 if (file != null) 
 {
 var extension = file.substr((file.lastIndexOf('.') + 1));
 // alert(extension);
 switch (extension) {
 case 'jpg':
 case 'png':
 case 'gif':
 case 'pdf':
 flag = true;
 break;
 default:
 flag = false;
 }
 }
 if (flag == false) 
 {
 $("#spanfile").text("You can upload only jpg,png,gif,pdf extension file");
 return false;
 }
 else 
 {
 var size = GetFileSize('fileToUpload');
 if (size > 3) 
 {
 $("#spanfile").text("You can upload file up to 3 MB");
 return false;
 }
 else 
 {
 $("#spanfile").text("");
 }
 }
}

$(function () 
{
 $("#fileToUpload").change(function () {
 checkfile();});
});
</script>

Step 3: Controller's action for receiving the posted file

[HttpPost]
public ActionResult FileUpload(HttpPostedFileBase file)
{
 if (ModelState.IsValid)
 {
 if (file == null)
 {
 ModelState.AddModelError("File", "Please Upload Your file");
 }
 else if (file.ContentLength > 0)
 {
 int MaxContentLength = 1024 * 1024 * 3; //3 MB
 string[] AllowedFileExtensions = new string[] { ".jpg", ".gif", ".png", ".pdf" };
 
 if (!AllowedFileExtensions.Contains(file.FileName.Substring(file.FileName.LastIndexOf('.'))))
 {
 ModelState.AddModelError("File", "Please file of type: " + string.Join(", ", AllowedFileExtensions));
 }
 
 else if (file.ContentLength > MaxContentLength)
 {
 ModelState.AddModelError("File", "Your file is too large, maximum allowed size is: " + MaxContentLength + " MB");
 }
 else
 {
 //TO:DO
 var fileName = Path.GetFileName(file.FileName);
 var path = Path.Combine(Server.MapPath("~/Content/Upload"), fileName);
 file.SaveAs(path);
 ModelState.Clear();
 ViewBag.Message = "File uploaded successfully";
 }
 }
 }
 return View();
}

How it works...

Summary

I hope you will enjoy the tips while working with MVC. I would like to have feedback from my blog readers. Your valuable feedback, questions, or comments about this article are always welcome. Enjoy Coding..!

Unlock the Next level of MVC

FAQs

The posted file is automatically available as a HttpPostedFileBase parameter in the action of the controller. For uploading a file on the server you are required to have a file input control within HTML form having the encoding type set to multipart/form-data.

The Users can select files by dragging and dropping them over the Upload.
Share Article
About Author
Shailendra Chauhan (Microsoft MVP, Founder & CEO at ScholarHat)

Shailendra Chauhan, Founder and CEO of ScholarHat by DotNetTricks, is a renowned expert in System Design, Software Architecture, Azure Cloud, .NET, Angular, React, Node.js, Microservices, DevOps, and Cross-Platform Mobile App Development. His skill set extends into emerging fields like Data Science, Python, Azure AI/ML, and Generative AI, making him a well-rounded expert who bridges traditional development frameworks with cutting-edge advancements. Recognized as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for an impressive 9 consecutive years (2016–2024), he has consistently demonstrated excellence in delivering impactful solutions and inspiring learners.

Shailendra’s unique, hands-on training programs and bestselling books have empowered thousands of professionals to excel in their careers and crack tough interviews. A visionary leader, he continues to revolutionize technology education with his innovative approach.
Accept cookies & close this