Create using for own helper? like Html.BeginForm

Question

I was wondering, is it possible to create your own helper definition, with a using? such as the following which creates a form:

using (Html.BeginForm(params)         


        

Answer 1

Yes it is; however, to use Tablehelper.* you would need to subclass the base-view and add a Tablehelper property. Probably easier, though, is to add an extension method to HtmlHelper:

public static SomeType BeginTable(this HtmlHelper html, string id) {
    ...
}

which will allow you to write:

using (Html.BeginTable(id))
{
    ...
}

but this will in turn require various other bits of plumbing (to start the element at BeginTable, and end it in Dispose() on the returned value).