javascript - c# html array of form elements -

@using (html.beginform()) {     @html.validationsummary(true)     <div id="elem">         <div class="fields">             <select name="items[1][0]" id="items[1][0]">             <option value="1">book</option>             <option value="2">brush</option>             </select>&nbsp;&nbsp;             <input type="text" value="1" name="items[1][1]" id="items[1][1]">&nbsp;&nbsp;             <a id="test" href="#">remove item</a>         </div>     </div>            </div><a href="#" id="addelem">add item</a></div>     <br />     <input type="submit" name="name" value="submit" /> } 

basically, has set of 2 fields name field , serial field defined in 2 dimensional array. add item link works in way when user clicks on, adds new set of fields id being current time var new_id = new date().gettime(); using javascript. example, new set of fields be:

<div class="fields"> <select name="items[1368034980308][0]" id="items[1368034980308][0]"> <option value="1">book</option> <option value="2">brush</option> </select>  <input type="text" name="items[1368034980308][1]" id="softwareperasset[1368034980308][1]"> </div> 

i submit them edit action edit action go through items array , add 2 fields.

my edit action looks this:

[httppost] public actionresult edit(formcollection col, string[,] items) {     return view(); } 

i have set break point on action items array empty , can access fields through formcollection col variable.

is there missing items array not set properly.

json rescue. redesigned form using idea blog (http://haacked.com/archive/2008/10/23/model-binding-to-a-list.aspx) section non-sequential indices adding them using using timestamp:

<div class="fields">  <input type="hidden" name="items.index" value="1" />  <select name="items[1].name" id="items[1].name">   <option value="1">visio</option>   <option value="2">painter</option>  </select>&nbsp;&nbsp;  <input type="text" name="items[1].serial" id="items[1].serial" />&nbsp;&nbsp;  <a id="test" href="#">remove item</a> </div> 

in controller, serialize formcollection variable json easier manipulate:

[httppost] public actionresult edit(formcollection col) {  string json = jsonhelper.tojson(col);  return view(); } 

an example of json string this:

{ "btnsubmit" : "submit",   "items.index" : "1,2,1368212161686,1368212162374,1368212162966,1368212163750",   "items[1368212161686].name" : "1",   "items[1368212161686].serial" : "",   "items[1368212162374].name" : "2",   "items[1368212162374].serial" : "",   "items[1368212162966].name" : "1",   "items[1368212162966].serial" : "98765",   "items[1368212163750].name" : "2",   "items[1368212163750].serial" : "43210",   "items[1].name" : "1",   "items[1].serial" : "12345",   "items[2].name" : "2",   "items[2].serial" : "67890" } 

i had create tojson extension able retrieve values or else names being retrieved

public static class jsonhelper     {         public static string tojson(this system.web.mvc.formcollection collection)         {             var list = new dictionary<string, string>();             foreach (string key in collection.keys)             {                 list.add(key, collection[key]);             }             return new system.web.script.serialization.javascriptserializer().serialize(list);         }     }