XhtmlString: Render blocks and convert link to external without HtmlHelper

Here are two code snippets to help you make a XhtmlString display external links instead of the internal ones and also render blocks, dynamic content etc. This could be helpful if you don’t have access to a HtmlHelper like in a WebApi.

The first one just converts links. It loops through all fragments and converts internal UrlFragments to external.

public static XhtmlString ToExternalLinks(this XhtmlString xhtmlString)
        {
            var result = new StringBuilder();
            foreach (var fragment in xhtmlString.Fragments)
            {
                var urlFragment = fragment as UrlFragment;
                result.Append(urlFragment != null ? UrlResolver.Current.GetUrl(new UrlBuilder(urlFragment.InternalFormat), ContextMode.Default) : fragment.InternalFormat);
            }
 
            return new XhtmlString(result.ToString());
        }

public static XhtmlString ToExternalLinks(this XhtmlString xhtmlString)

{

var result = new StringBuilder();

foreach (var fragment in xhtmlString.Fragments)

{

var urlFragment = fragment as UrlFragment;

result.Append(urlFragment != null ? UrlResolver.Current.GetUrl(new UrlBuilder(urlFragment.InternalFormat), ContextMode.Default) : fragment.InternalFormat);

}

return new XhtmlString(result.ToString());

}

Next snippet will also render blocks, dynamic content etc. It creates a “fake” HtmlHelper and then uses the same method as within EPiServer.

public static string ConvertToExternal(this XhtmlString xhtmlstring)
        {
            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(xhtmlstring?.ToHtmlString()) || xhtmlstring.IsEmpty)
            {
                return string.Empty;
            }
            var routeData = new RouteData();
            routeData.Values.Add("controller", "a");
            routeData.Values.Add("subject", "a");

            var hh = new HtmlHelper(new ViewContext()
            {
                HttpContext = new HttpContextWrapper(HttpContext.Current),
                ViewData = new ViewDataDictionary(),
                TempData = new TempDataDictionary(),
                Controller = new DummyController(),
                RouteData = routeData
            }, new ViewPage());


            string result;
            using (var writer = new StringWriter())
            {
                hh.ViewContext.Writer = writer;
                hh.RenderXhtmlString(xhtmlstring);
                writer.Flush();
                result = writer.ToString();
            }
            return result;
        }

public static string ConvertToExternal(this XhtmlString xhtmlstring)

{

if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(xhtmlstring?.ToHtmlString()) || xhtmlstring.IsEmpty)

{

return string.Empty;

}

var routeData = new RouteData();

routeData.Values.Add("controller", "a");

routeData.Values.Add("subject", "a");

var hh = new HtmlHelper(new ViewContext()

{

HttpContext = new HttpContextWrapper(HttpContext.Current),

ViewData = new ViewDataDictionary(),

TempData = new TempDataDictionary(),

Controller = new DummyController(),

RouteData = routeData

}, new ViewPage());

string result;

using (var writer = new StringWriter())

{

hh.ViewContext.Writer = writer;

hh.RenderXhtmlString(xhtmlstring);

writer.Flush();

result = writer.ToString();

}

return result;

}