c# - "Templates can be used only with field access, property access, single-dimension array index, or single-parameter custom indexer expressions" error

Question

Why am I receiving the error:

Templates can be used only with field access, property access, single-dimension array index, or single-parameter custom indexer expressions

at this code:

@model IEnumerable<ArtSchoolProject.Models.Trainer>

@{
ViewBag.Title = "Index";
Layout = "~/Views/Shared/_PageLayout.cshtml";
}

<h2>Index</h2>

<p>
@Html.ActionLink("Create New", "Create")
</p>
<ul class="trainers">


@foreach (var item in Model) {
<li>
  <div>
      <div class="left">
          <a href="@Url.Action("Details", "Details", new { id = item.ID })">
              <img src="~/Images/Trainer/@item.Picture" />
          </a>
      </div>
      <div class="right">
          @Html.ActionLink(item.Name,"Details",new {id=item.ID})
          <br />
          @Html.DisplayFor(modelItem=>@string. item.Description.ToString().Substring(0,100))
      </div>
  </div>
  </li>
  }

  </ul>

at line:

@Html.DisplayFor(modelItem=>item.Description.ToString().Substring(0,100))

Update:

Problem solved. I added to my code :

  @{
string parameterValue = item.Description.ToString().Substring(0, 100); 
          }
          @Html.DisplayFor(modelItem=>parameterValue)

My new code:

@foreach (var item in Model) {
<li>
  <div>
      <div class="left">
          <a href="@Url.Action("Details", "Details", new { id = item.ID })">
              <img src="~/Images/Trainer/@item.Picture" />
          </a>
      </div>
      <div class="right">
          @Html.ActionLink(item.Name,"Details",new {id=item.ID})
          <br />
          @{
string parameterValue = item.Description.ToString().Substring(0, 100); 
          }
          @Html.DisplayFor(modelItem=>parameterValue)
      </div>
  </div>
 </li>
}

This is only one possibility. Just for curiosity is there another solution for solving the error?

Answer 1

I had the same problem with something like

@foreach (var item in Model)
{
    @Html.DisplayFor(m => !item.IsIdle, "BoolIcon")
}

I solved this just by doing

@foreach (var item in Model)
{
    var active = !item.IsIdle;
    @Html.DisplayFor(m => active , "BoolIcon")
}

When you know the trick, it's simple.

The difference is that, in the first case, I passed a method as a parameter whereas in the second case, it's an expression.