Define @helper in _ViewStart in ASP.NET MVC?

Question

Is it possible to define a shared @helper in _ViewStart.cshtml so that it will be available for use in all views in its directory?

Answer 1

No, defining the @helper in _ViewStart will not work, but you can create a new Razor view for shared helpers and place it in the App_Code folder. One minor drawback is the helper must be called as a static method on a type with the same name as the view making this technique a little more verbose.

Here is an example:

Helper Method in View located here: ~/App_Code/RazorHelpers.cshtml:

@helper LiLink(string url, string title)
{
    <li><a href="@url">@title</a></li>
}

Helper Usage in a View:

@RazorHelpers.LiLink("/about","About")

See this SO Question: Razor Helper In App Code Folder

Answer 2

You can add the helper in a separate file and it will be available to all your views. See the Scoot Gu's post about it: http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2011/05/12/asp-net-mvc-3-and-the-helper-syntax-within-razor.aspx