Dynamically-rendered ASP.NET Core Razor components

By Dave Brock

Use the built-in DynamicComponent component to render components by type.

Dynamic components

A DynamicComponent is useful for rendering components without iterating through possible types or using conditional logic. For example, DynamicComponent can render a component based on a user selection from a dropdown list.

In the following example:

• componentType specifies the type.
• parameters specifies component parameters to pass to the componentType component.

<DynamicComponent Type="componentType" Parameters="parameters" />

@code {
    private Type componentType = ...;
    private IDictionary<string, object> parameters = ...;
}

For more information on passing parameter values, see the Pass parameters section later in this article.

Example

In the following example, a Razor component renders a component based on the user's selection from a dropdown list of four possible values.

User spaceflight carrier selection	Shared Razor component to render
Rocket Lab®	RocketLab.razor
SpaceX®	SpaceX.razor
ULA®	UnitedLaunchAlliance.razor
Virgin Galactic®	VirginGalactic.razor

RocketLab.razor:

<h2>Rocket Lab®</h2>

<p>
    Rocket Lab is a registered trademark of 
    <a href="https://www.rocketlabusa.com/">Rocket Lab USA Inc.</a>
</p>

SpaceX.razor:

<h2>SpaceX®</h2>

<p>
    SpaceX is a registered trademark of 
    <a href="https://www.spacex.com/">Space Exploration Technologies Corp.</a>
</p>

UnitedLaunchAlliance.razor:

<h2>United Launch Alliance®</h2>

<p>
    United Launch Alliance and ULA are registered trademarks of
    <a href="https://www.ulalaunch.com/">United Launch Alliance, LLC</a>.
</p>

VirginGalactic.razor:

<h2>Virgin Galactic®</h2>

<p>
    Virgin Galactic is a registered trademark of 
    <a href="https://www.virgingalactic.com/">Galactic Enterprises, LLC</a>.
</p>

DynamicComponent1.razor:

@page "/dynamic-component-1"

<PageTitle>Dynamic Component 1</PageTitle>

<h1>Dynamic Component Example 1</h1>

<p>
    <label>
        Select your transport:
        <select @onchange="OnDropdownChange">
            <option value="">Select a value</option>
            @foreach (var entry in components.Keys)
            {
                <option value="@entry">@entry</option>
            }
        </select>
    </label>
</p>

@if (selectedType is not null)
{
    <div class="border border-primary my-1 p-1">
        <DynamicComponent Type="selectedType" />
    </div>
}

@code {
    private readonly Dictionary<string, Type> components = new()
    {
        ["Rocket Lab"] = typeof(RocketLab),
        ["SpaceX"] = typeof(SpaceX),
        ["ULA"] = typeof(UnitedLaunchAlliance),
        ["Virgin Galactic"] = typeof(VirginGalactic)
    };
    private Type? selectedType;

    private void OnDropdownChange(ChangeEventArgs e)
    {
        if ((e.Value is string dropdownValue) && 
            !String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(dropdownValue))
        {
            selectedType = components[dropdownValue];
        }
        else
        {
            selectedType = null;
        }
    }
}

In the preceding example:

• An Dictionary<TKey,TValue> is used to manage components to be displayed.
• Names serve as the dictionary keys and are provided as selection options.
• Component types are stored as dictionary values using the typeof operator.

Pass parameters

If dynamically-rendered components have component parameters, pass them into the DynamicComponent as an IDictionary<string, object>. The string is the name of the parameter, and the object is the parameter's value.

The following example configures a component metadata object (ComponentMetadata) to supply parameter values to dynamically-rendered components based on the type name. The example is just one of several approaches that you can adopt. Parameter data can also be provided from a web API, a database, or a method. The only requirement is that the approach returns an IDictionary<string, object>.

ComponentMetadata.cs:

namespace BlazorSample;

public class ComponentMetadata
{
    public required Type Type { get; init; }
    public required string Name { get; init; }
    public Dictionary<string, object> Parameters { get; } = [];
}

The following RocketLabWithWindowSeat component (RocketLabWithWindowSeat.razor) has been updated from the preceding example to include a component parameter named WindowSeat to specify if the passenger prefers a window seat on their flight:

RocketLabWithWindowSeat.razor:

<h2>Rocket Lab®</h2>

<p>
    User selected a window seat: @WindowSeat
</p>

<p>
    Rocket Lab is a trademark of 
    <a href="https://www.rocketlabusa.com/">Rocket Lab USA Inc.</a>
</p>

@code {
    [Parameter]
    public bool WindowSeat { get; set; }
}

In the following example:

• Only the RocketLabWithWindowSeat component's parameter for a window seat (WindowSeat) receives the value of the Window Seat checkbox.
• Component names are used as dictionary keys using the nameof operator, which returns component names as constant strings.
• The dynamically-rendered components are shared components:
  • Shown in this article section: RocketLabWithWindowSeat (RocketLabWithWindowSeat.razor)
  • Components shown in the Example section earlier in this article:
    • SpaceX (SpaceX.razor)
    • UnitedLaunchAlliance (UnitedLaunchAlliance.razor)
    • VirginGalactic (VirginGalactic.razor)

DynamicComponent2.razor:

@page "/dynamic-component-2"

<PageTitle>Dynamic Component 2</PageTitle>

<h1>Dynamic Component Example 2</h1>

<p>
    <label>
        <input type="checkbox" @bind="windowSeat" 
            @bind:after="HandleWindowSeatChanged" />
        Window Seat (Rocket Lab only)
    </label>
</p>

<p>
    <label>
        Select your transport:
        <select @onchange="OnDropdownChange">
            <option value="">Select a value</option>
            @foreach (var c in components)
            {
                <option value="@c.Key">@c.Value.Name</option>
            }
        </select>
    </label>
</p>

@if (selectedComponent is not null)
{
    <div class="border border-primary my-1 p-1">
        <DynamicComponent Type="selectedComponent.Type"
            Parameters="selectedComponent.Parameters" />
    </div>
}

@code {
    private Dictionary<string, ComponentMetadata> components =
        new()
        {
            [nameof(RocketLabWithWindowSeat)] = new ComponentMetadata()
            {
                Type = typeof(RocketLabWithWindowSeat),
                Name = "Rocket Lab with Window Seat",
                Parameters = { [nameof(RocketLabWithWindowSeat.WindowSeat)] = false }
            },
            [nameof(VirginGalactic)] = new ComponentMetadata()
            {
                Type = typeof(VirginGalactic),
                Name = "Virgin Galactic"
            },
            [nameof(UnitedLaunchAlliance)] = new ComponentMetadata()
            {
                Type = typeof(UnitedLaunchAlliance),
                Name = "ULA"
            },
            [nameof(SpaceX)] = new ComponentMetadata()
            {
                Type = typeof(SpaceX),
                Name = "SpaceX"
            }
        };
    private ComponentMetadata? selectedComponent;
    private bool windowSeat;

    private void HandleWindowSeatChanged()
    {
        components[nameof(RocketLabWithWindowSeat)]
            .Parameters[nameof(RocketLabWithWindowSeat.WindowSeat)] = windowSeat;
    }

    private void OnDropdownChange(ChangeEventArgs e)
    {
        if ((e.Value is string dropdownValue) && !String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(dropdownValue))
        {
            selectedComponent = components[dropdownValue];
        }
        else
        {
            selectedComponent = null;
        }
    }
}

Event callbacks (EventCallback)

Event callbacks (EventCallback) can be passed to a DynamicComponent in its parameter dictionary.

ComponentMetadata.cs:

namespace BlazorSample;

public class ComponentMetadata
{
    public required Type Type { get; init; }
    public required string Name { get; init; }
    public Dictionary<string, object> Parameters { get; } = [];
}

Implement an event callback parameter (EventCallback) within each dynamically-rendered component.

RocketLab2.razor:

<h2>Rocket Lab®</h2>

<p>
    Rocket Lab is a registered trademark of
    <a href="https://www.rocketlabusa.com/">Rocket Lab USA Inc.</a>
</p>

<button @onclick="OnClickCallback">
    Trigger a Parent component method
</button>

@code {
    [Parameter]
    public EventCallback<MouseEventArgs> OnClickCallback { get; set; }
}

SpaceX2.razor:

<h2>SpaceX®</h2>

<p>
    SpaceX is a registered trademark of
    <a href="https://www.spacex.com/">Space Exploration Technologies Corp.</a>
</p>

<button @onclick="OnClickCallback">
    Trigger a Parent component method
</button>

@code {
    [Parameter]
    public EventCallback<MouseEventArgs> OnClickCallback { get; set; }
}

UnitedLaunchAlliance2.razor:

<h2>United Launch Alliance®</h2>

<p>
    United Launch Alliance and ULA are registered trademarks of
    <a href="https://www.ulalaunch.com/">United Launch Alliance, LLC</a>.
</p>

<button @onclick="OnClickCallback">
    Trigger a Parent component method
</button>

@code {
    [Parameter]
    public EventCallback<MouseEventArgs> OnClickCallback { get; set; }
}

VirginGalactic2.razor:

<h2>Virgin Galactic®</h2>

<p>
    Virgin Galactic is a registered trademark of
    <a href="https://www.virgingalactic.com/">Galactic Enterprises, LLC</a>.
</p>

<button @onclick="OnClickCallback">
    Trigger a Parent component method
</button>

@code {
    [Parameter]
    public EventCallback<MouseEventArgs> OnClickCallback { get; set; }
}

In the following parent component example, the ShowDTMessage method assigns a string with the current time to message, and the value of message is rendered.

The parent component passes the callback method, ShowDTMessage in the parameter dictionary:

• The string key is the callback method's name, OnClickCallback.
• The object value is created by EventCallbackFactory.Create for the parent callback method, ShowDTMessage. Note that the this keyword isn't supported in C# field initialization, so a C# property is used for the parameter dictionary.

DynamicComponent3.razor:

@page "/dynamic-component-3"

<PageTitle>Dynamic Component 3</PageTitle>

<h1>Dynamic Component Example 3</h1>

<p>
    <label>
        Select your transport:
        <select @onchange="OnDropdownChange">
            <option value="">Select a value</option>
            @foreach (var c in Components)
            {
                <option value="@c.Key">@c.Value.Name</option>
            }
        </select>
    </label>
</p>

@if (selectedComponent is not null)
{
    <div class="border border-primary my-1 p-1">
        <DynamicComponent Type="selectedComponent.Type"
            Parameters="selectedComponent.Parameters" />
    </div>
}

<p>
    @message
</p>

@code {
    private ComponentMetadata? selectedComponent;
    private string? message;

    private Dictionary<string, ComponentMetadata> Components =>
        new()
        {
            [nameof(RocketLab2)] = new ComponentMetadata()
            {
                Type = typeof(RocketLab2),
                Name = "Rocket Lab",
                Parameters = { [nameof(RocketLab2.OnClickCallback)] =
                    EventCallback.Factory.Create<MouseEventArgs>(this, ShowDTMessage) }
            },
            [nameof(VirginGalactic2)] = new ComponentMetadata()
            {
                Type = typeof(VirginGalactic2),
                Name = "Virgin Galactic",
                Parameters = { [nameof(VirginGalactic2.OnClickCallback)] =
                    EventCallback.Factory.Create<MouseEventArgs>(this, ShowDTMessage) }
            },
            [nameof(UnitedLaunchAlliance2)] = new ComponentMetadata()
            {
                Type = typeof(UnitedLaunchAlliance2),
                Name = "ULA",
                Parameters = { [nameof(UnitedLaunchAlliance2.OnClickCallback)] =
                    EventCallback.Factory.Create<MouseEventArgs>(this, ShowDTMessage) }
            },
            [nameof(SpaceX2)] = new ComponentMetadata()
            {
                Type = typeof(SpaceX2),
                Name = "SpaceX",
                Parameters = { [nameof(SpaceX2.OnClickCallback)] =
                    EventCallback.Factory.Create<MouseEventArgs>(this, ShowDTMessage) }
            }
        };

    private void OnDropdownChange(ChangeEventArgs e)
    {
        if ((e.Value is string dropdownValue) && !String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(dropdownValue))
        {
            selectedComponent = Components[dropdownValue];
        }
        else
        {
            selectedComponent = null;
        }
    }

    private void ShowDTMessage(MouseEventArgs e) =>
        message = $"The current DT is: {DateTime.Now}.";
}

Avoid catch-all parameters

Avoid the use of catch-all parameters. If catch-all parameters are used, every explicit parameter on DynamicComponent effectively is a reserved word that you can't pass to a dynamic child. Any new parameters passed to DynamicComponent are a breaking change, as they start shadowing child component parameters that happen to have the same name. It's unlikely that the caller always knows a fixed set of parameter names to pass to all possible dynamic children.

Access the dynamically-created component instance

Use the Instance property to access the dynamically-created component instance.

Create an interface to describe the dynamically-created component instance with any methods and properties that you need to access from the parent component when the component is dynamically loaded. The following example specifies a Log method for implementation in components.

Interfaces/ILoggable.cs:

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components;

namespace BlazorSample.Interfaces;

public interface ILoggable : IComponent
{
    public void Log();
}

Each component definition implements the interface. The following example is a modified Rocket Lab® component from the Example section that logs a string via its Log method.

RocketLab3.razor:

@using BlazorSample.Interfaces
@implements ILoggable
@inject ILogger<RocketLab3> Logger
    
<h2>Rocket Lab®</h2>

<p>
    Rocket Lab is a registered trademark of 
    <a href="https://www.rocketlabusa.com/">Rocket Lab USA Inc.</a>
</p>

@code {
    public void Log() => Logger.LogInformation("Woot! I logged this call!");
}

The remaining three shared components (VirginGalactic3, UnitedLaunchAlliance3, SpaceX3) receive similar treatment:

• The following directives are added to the components, where the {COMPONENT TYPE} placeholder is the component type:

  @using BlazorSample.Interfaces
  @implements ILoggable
  @inject ILogger<{COMPONENT TYPE}> Logger
  

• Each component implements a Log method. The log category written by the logger includes the fully-qualified name of the component type when LogInformation is called:

  @code {
      public void Log()
      {
          Logger.LogInformation("Woot! I logged this call!");
      }
  }
  

The parent component casts the dynamically-loaded component instance as an ILoggable to access members of the interface. In the following example, the loaded component's Log method is called when a button is selected in the UI:

...
@using BlazorSample.Interfaces

...

<DynamicComponent Type="..." @ref="dc" />

...

<button @onclick="LogFromLoadedComponent">Log from loaded component</button>

@code {
    private DynamicComponent? dc;

    ...

    private void LogFromLoadedComponent() => (dc?.Instance as ILoggable)?.Log();
}

For a working demonstration of the preceding example, see the DynamicComponent4 component in the Blazor sample app.

Trademarks

Rocket Lab is a registered trademark of Rocket Lab USA Inc. SpaceX is a registered trademark of Space Exploration Technologies Corp. United Launch Alliance and ULA are registered trademarks of United Launch Alliance, LLC. Virgin Galactic is a registered trademark of Galactic Enterprises, LLC.

Additional resources

• ASP.NET Core Blazor event handling
• DynamicComponent