Issues with jQuery DataTables, blockUI, and spin.js in ASP.NET Zero Project #12484

7 Answer(s)

• 

  0

  oguzhanagir created one year ago

  Support Team

  Hi @kiali

  Hello, the JavaScript issues you're encountering during your migration to ASP.NET Zero are quite common. They typically arise from trying to add libraries using traditional methods instead of fully adopting the project's built-in asset management system.

  I've analyzed your detailed breakdown. The core problem is a conflict between the CDN scripts you are adding manually and ASP.NET Zero's own bundling and minification mechanism.

  Below you will find an explanation of the causes and a step by step solution.

  Incorrect Asset Management

  ASP.NET Zero manages its JavaScript and CSS assets through *.bundle.json files. When you manually add a library to a .cshtml file or layout using a <script src="..."></script> tag, you will encounter the following problems:

  1. Duplicate Library Loading: ASP.NET Zero already includes essential libraries like jQuery, Bootstrap, and DataTables within its bundled files (e.g., app-layout-libs.js). When you load the same library again from a CDN, you end up with two different versions of jQuery or DataTables on the same page. This is the most common cause of the $(...).DataTable is not a function error. The DataTables plugin attaches itself to the first instance of jQuery that loads, but your $ selector might be referencing the second instance of jQuery that was loaded from the CDN.
  2. Incorrect Load Order: The framework is designed to load dependencies in a specific, correct order (e.g., jQuery first, then Bootstrap, then DataTables plugins). Manual additions disrupt this sequence.
  3. Version Mismatches: The library version from the CDN link you added may be incompatible with the version that ASP.NET Zero is built with and expects.

  ---

  Solution Steps

  Remove All Manual Script References

  First, remove all the manual <script> tags you added from the problematic .cshtml file. This includes the following:

  <script src="https://cdn.datatables.net/1.13.6/js/jquery.dataTables.min.js"></script>
  <script src="https://cdn.datatables.net/1.13.6/js/dataTables.bootstrap5.min.js"></script>
  <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.7.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
  <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/spin.js/2.3.2/spin.min.js"></script>
  <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/spin.js/2.3.2/jquery.spin.js"></script>
  <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery.blockUI/2.70/jquery.blockUI.min.js"></script>
  

  ASP.NET Zero already handles the loading of these libraries for you.

  Use ASP.NET Zero's Page-Specific JavaScript Structure

  ASP.NET Zero recommends that you place the JavaScript for each View in its own dedicated file. This practice keeps your code organized and allows the framework to load scripts at the correct time automatically.

  1. In your project, navigate to the wwwroot/view-resources/Views/ folder.
  2. Create a folder structure here that mirrors the path to your .cshtml file. For example, the JavaScript for Views/MyModule/Details.cshtml should be located at wwwroot/view-resources/Views/MyModule/Details.js.
  3. Write all your page-specific JavaScript code inside this .js file.

  The framework will automatically find this file and include it at the bottom of your page when the view is rendered. This is handled by the @section Scripts { ... } in your layout, which uses IAbpScripts or IScriptBundleManager.

  Resolving the DataTables Issue

  DataTables is already included in ASP.NET Zero. All you need to do is initialize it within your page specific .js file.

  The content of your wwwroot/view-resources/Views/YourView/Index.js file should look something like this:

  (function ($) {
      $(function () {
  
          var _tenantService = abp.services.app.tenant; // Example service
          var _$table = $('#YourTableId'); // The ID of your table
  
          var _$tenantsTable = _$table.DataTable({
              paging: true,
              serverSide: true,
              processing: true,
              listAction: {
                  ajaxFunction: _tenantService.getTenants, // The function to fetch data
                  inputFilter: function () {
                      // Get filtering parameters from the UI
                      return {
                          filter: $('#TenantsTableFilter').val()
                      };
                  }
              },
              columnDefs: [
                  {
                    className: 'dtr-control responsive',
                    orderable: false,
                    render: function () {
                      return '';
                    },
                    targets: 0,
                  },
                  {
                      targets: 1,
                      data: null,
                      orderable: false,
                      autoWidth: false,
                      defaultContent: '',
                      rowAction: {
                          text:
                            '<i class="fa fa-cog"></i> <span class="d-none d-md-inline-block d-lg-inline-block d-xl-inline-block">' + app.localize('Actions') + '</span> <span class="caret"></span>',
                          items: [{
                              text: app.localize('Edit'),
                              action: function (data) {
                                  // e.g., _editTenantModal.open({ id: data.record.id });
                              }
                          }, {
                              text: app.localize('Delete'),
                              action: function (data) {
                                  // e.g., deleteTenant(data.record);
                              }
                          }]
                      }
                  },
                  {
                      targets: 2,
                      data: "name"
                  },
                  {
                      targets: 3,
                      data: "tenancyName"
                  },
                  
              ]
          });
  
      });
  })(jQuery);
  

  Important Note: The "Record Actions" are generated by the rowAction object. The broken rendering you described (Amount Outstanding Actions550$160$150) is a symptom of this rowAction mechanism failing due to the JavaScript conflicts. This will resolve itself once you remove the manual script tags.

  Resolving the $.block and $.spin Issues

  These two functions are wrapped by ASP.NET Zero's UI activity management object, abp.ui. You should not call them directly on the $ object. This is part of the framework's effort to standardize UI interactions.

  • Why are $.block and $.spin undefined? After jquery.blockUI and spin.js are loaded, ASP.NET Zero's own scripts (like abp.jquery.js) wrap these functions into its abp.ui namespace. This process might involve overwriting or removing the original functions from the global $ object.

  • The Correct Way: You must use the abp.ui.setBusy() and abp.ui.clearBusy() functions.

  Incorrect Usage:

  // DO NOT USE THESE
  $('body').block();
  $('body').spin();
  

  Correct Usage:

  // To mark an element or the whole page as busy:
  abp.ui.setBusy($('#my-form')); // Blocks only the form and shows a spinner
  abp.ui.setBusy(); // With no parameter, it blocks the entire page
  
  // To release the block when the operation is complete:
  abp.ui.clearBusy($('#my-form'));
  abp.ui.clearBusy();
  

  The abp.ui.setBusy function manages both blockUI and spin.js for you behind the scenes. The Uncaught TypeError: a.spin is not a function error you saw happens for the same reason—the code inside abp.ui.setBusy could not find the spin function it expected due to the library conflicts.

  1. Clean Up: Delete all CDN links and manual <script> tags from your .cshtml files.
  2. Organize: Move your page-specific JavaScript code into the appropriate .js file under wwwroot/view-resources/Views/.
  3. DataTables: Initialize your table using $(...).DataTable({...}) inside the designated .js file. Use the rowAction property for record actions.
  4. UI Blocking: To show a loading indicator or block the UI, use abp.ui.setBusy() and abp.ui.clearBusy() instead of $.block or $.spin.

  By following these steps, you will be aligning with the ASP.NET Zero asset management system, which will eliminate these library conflicts and make your project more stable and maintainable.

  Related Documents: ASP.NET Zero - Bundling, Minification and Compression Development Tutorial

  If the problem persists, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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  kiali created one year ago

  Hi, thank you for your prompt response. I am not getting the action button to work and the modal pop up yet but will get back to you with comments and update as soon as I have done few checks again. As I mentioned earlier, we are dumping everything here as the old style Controller, Views, Viewmodels and making it work and then bit by bit upgraded over time.

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  kiali created one year ago

  Hi We are still struggling with the DataTables functionality in our ASP.NET Zero project, and we'd like to narrow down the cause of the issue.

  To simplify troubleshooting, we are using one of our minimal pages in our project using a table (#example1) with basic configuration and no complex dependencies like the details page from yesterday. However, we're still encountering issues with data table functionalities:

  (function ($) {

  $(function () {
  
      var _permissions = {
          View: abp.auth.hasPermission('Models.Permissions.View'),
          edit: abp.auth.hasPermission('Models.Permissions.Edit'),
      };
  
  
          var table = $('#example1').DataTable({
              paging: false,
              columnDefs: [
                  {
                      targets: -1,
                      data: null,
                      orderable: false,
                      autoWidth: false,
                      defaultContent: '',
                      rowAction: {
                          text:
                              '<i class="fa fa-cog"></i> <span class="d-none d-md-inline-block d-lg-inline-block d-xl-inline-block">' +
                              app.localize('Actions') +
                              '</span> <span class="caret"></span>',
                          items: [
                              {
                                  text: app.localize('View'),
                                  visible: function () {
                                      return _permissions.View;
                                  },
                                  action: function (data) {
                                      document.location.href = abp.appPath + 'App/Units/Details?id=' + data.record[0];
                                  },
                              },
                              {
                                  text: app.localize('Edit'),
                                  visible: function () {
                                      return _permissions.edit;
                                  },
                                  action: function (data) {
                                      document.location.href = abp.appPath + 'App/Units/Edit?id=' + data.record[0];
                                  },
                              },
                          ],
                      },
                  },
              ],
          });
  
          $('#statusFilter').on('change', function () {
              var selectedStatus = $(this).val();
              table.rows().every(function () {
                  var rowData = this.node();
                  var rowStatus = $(rowData).data('status');
                  if (selectedStatus === "" || rowStatus === selectedStatus) {
                      $(rowData).show();
                  } else {
                      $(rowData).hide();
                  }
              });
          });
      });
  
  });
  

  })(jQuery);

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  oguzhanagir created one year ago

  Support Team

  Hi @kiali

  ASP.NET Zero provides some integrations specific to DataTables, one of which is rowAction.

  This only works with DataTables structures that ASP.NET Zero extends, such as app.createTable() or abp.ajaxTable.

  (function ($) {
      $(function () {
          var _permissions = {
              view: abp.auth.hasPermission('Models.Permissions.View'),
              edit: abp.auth.hasPermission('Models.Permissions.Edit'),
          };
  
          var _table = $('#example1').DataTable(
              $.extend(true, app.createTableOptions(), {
                  paging: false,
                  serverSide: false,
                  processing: false,
                  columnDefs: [
                      {
                          targets: -1, // son kolon
                          data: null,
                          orderable: false,
                          defaultContent: '',
                          rowAction: {
                              text:
                                  '<i class="fa fa-cog"></i> <span class="d-none d-md-inline-block d-lg-inline-block d-xl-inline-block">' +
                                  app.localize('Actions') +
                                  '</span> <span class="caret"></span>',
                              items: [
                                  {
                                      text: app.localize('View'),
                                      visible: function () {
                                          return _permissions.view;
                                      },
                                      action: function (data) {
                                          document.location.href = abp.appPath + 'App/Units/Details?id=' + data.record.id;
                                      },
                                  },
                                  {
                                      text: app.localize('Edit'),
                                      visible: function () {
                                          return _permissions.edit;
                                      },
                                      action: function (data) {
                                          document.location.href = abp.appPath + 'App/Units/Edit?id=' + data.record.id;
                                      },
                                  },
                              ],
                          },
                      },
                  ],
                  listAction: {
                      ajaxFunction: abp.services.app.unit.getAll,
                      inputFilter: function () {
                          return {
                              status: $('#statusFilter').val() || null
                          };
                      },
                  },
              })
          );
  
          $('#statusFilter').on('change', function () {
              _table.ajax.reload();
          });
      });
  })(jQuery);
  

  In other words, a DataTable structure that supports ASP.NET Zero's own listAction and rowAction extensions should be used. In your example it looks like DataTables is trying to read data from a local/HTML table whereas ASP.NET Zero is used to pulling data server-side or at least with listAction.ajaxFunction.

  #example1 table must have ASP.NET Zero's data-table compatible structure (for example, there must be thead → th definitions).

  At the same time, the DTO of your GetAll method should be wrapped with a generic dto of type ListResultDto.

  Example:

  public async Task<ListResultDto<UnitDto>> GetAll(GetAllUnitsInput input)
  {
      var query = _unitRepository.GetAll();
  
      if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(input.Status))
      {
          query = query.Where(x => x.Status == input.Status);
      }
  
      var units = await query.ToListAsync();
      return new ListResultDto<UnitDto>(
          ObjectMapper.Map<List<UnitDto>>(units)
      );
  }
  

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  kiali created one year ago

  Hi, As I mentioned before, we will upgrade to modular features with services and Dtos and returning Json views and we have done that for some of the features mut many of our features are using controllers returning views (e.g. public IActionResult Index() is returning view) and we have viewmodels (not Dtos). These are the scenarios where we have difficult issues with the datatables. Can we make the datatable work with this old design of ours?

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  0

  oguzhanagir created one year ago

  Support Team

  Hi @kiali

  Why rowAction Doesn't Work with Your Current Design

  The rowAction feature you're trying to use is a custom extension that ASP.NET Zero adds to DataTables. It is specifically designed to work with tables that are populated via an AJAX call using the listAction: { ajaxFunction: ... } property.

  When the table data is loaded from the server as JSON, the rowAction function receives a structured data.record object for each row, which contains the properties of your DTO.

  In your "old design" the controller returns a complete View with the table HTML already rendered. DataTables is simply enhancing this existing HTML table. In this context, DataTables doesn't have a data.record object to pass to the rowAction function, which is why it fails to render the action buttons.

  The "Classic" Approach for Server Rendered Tables

  The solution is to fall back to the standard way of handling actions in a server-rendered table. You will render the action buttons directly in your Razor View (.cshtml) and then use simple jQuery to handle the clicks.

  This approach gives you the exact same result and is fully compatible with your current architecture.

  ---

  Here’s a step by step guide

  Modify Your View (.cshtml file)

  Instead of letting DataTables create the action buttons, you will create them yourself inside your table's foreach loop. Add data-* attributes to your buttons to hold the record's ID.

  Your Index.cshtml table structure should look something like this:

  <table id="example1" class="table table-striped table-bordered">
      <thead>
          <tr>
              <th>Unit Name</th>
              <th>Status</th>
              <th>Outstanding Amount</th>
              <th style="width: 150px;">Actions</th>
          </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
          @foreach (var unit in Model.Units) // Assuming your ViewModel has a list of units
          {
              <tr data-status="@unit.Status">
                  <td>@unit.Name</td>
                  <td>@unit.Status</td>
                  <td>@unit.OutstandingAmount</td>
                  <td>
                      <a href="@Url.Action("Details", "Units", new { id = unit.Id })" class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-info">
                          <i class="fa fa-eye"></i> View
                      </a>
  
                      <button type="button" class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary edit-unit-button" data-unit-id="@unit.Id">
                          <i class="fa fa-pencil-alt"></i> Edit
                      </button>
                  </td>
              </tr>
          }
      </tbody>
  </table>
  
  

  Changes:

  • We added a <th>Actions</th> in the table header.
  • In the <tbody>, we loop through your ViewModel's items.
  • For each item, we manually create the "View" and "Edit" buttons.
  • The "View" button is a simple anchor tag (<a>) that points directly to the Details URL.
  • The "Edit" button has a class (edit-unit-button) and a data-unit-id attribute that stores the ID of the unit. This makes it easy for jQuery to find the button and get the ID.

  ---

  Update Your Page-Specific JavaScript

  Now, in your .../Index.js file, you will initialize DataTables but without the columnDefs for the rowAction. Then, you'll add a simple jQuery click handler for your edit buttons.

  Your .../Index.js file should be simplified to this:

  (function ($) {
      $(function () {
  
          var table = $('#example1').DataTable({
              paging: false, // Or true, depending on your needs
              // No need for columnDefs with rowAction here, as the buttons are already in the HTML.
              // You can keep other columnDefs for sorting, visibility, etc., if needed.
          });
  
          // Click handler for the edit buttons
          $('#example1').on('click', '.edit-unit-button', function () {
              var unitId = $(this).data('unit-id');
              document.location.href = abp.appPath + 'App/Units/Edit?id=' + unitId;
          });
  
          $('#statusFilter').on('change', function () {
              var selectedStatus = $(this).val();
              table.rows().every(function () {
                  var rowNode = this.node();
                  var rowStatus = $(rowNode).data('status');
                  if (selectedStatus === "" || rowStatus === selectedStatus) {
                      $(rowNode).show();
                  } else {
                      $(rowNode).hide();
                  }
              });
          });
  
      });
  })(jQuery);
  

  Easy to debug, and perfectly suited for the migration phase you are in. As you continue to upgrade features to use services and DTOs, you can then switch those specific pages over to the listAction/rowAction pattern to take full advantage of ASP.NET Zero's framework.

  With this transition, you can display your data on the dataTable while maintaining compatibility with the old code structure. If you need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

  Thank You

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  kiali created one year ago

  Thanks, That is a good solution. I tried with one change, the controller to return json, and it worked without incorporating Dtos or services. Thanks for the help.

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