Part 30 - View engines in asp.net mvc

we will discuss, different view engines that are available in asp.net mvc. 

Out of the box asp.net offers the following 2 view engines.
1. ASPX
2. Razor

There are 3 possible interview questions here, to test your understanding of view engines.
1. What is the difference between RAZOR and ASPX view engines?
It mostly, boils down to the syntax. Otherwise there are no major differences between the two. In ASPX view engine, the server side script is wrapped between <% %>, where as in RAZOR we use @. Personally, I prefer using RAZOR views, as it is very easy to switch between HTML and Code. 

Depending on the programming language you have chosen, RAZOR views have the extension of .CSHTML or .VBHTML, where as ASPX views has the extension of .ASPX

2. Is it possible, to have both RAZOR and ASPX views in one application?
Yes, when you right click on any controller action method, and select "Add View" from the context menu, you will have the option to choose the view engine of your choice from the "Add View" dialog box.

3. Is it possible, to use a third party view engine with asp.net mvc?
ASP.NET MVC is designed with extensibility in mind. So, it's very easy to include third party view engine as well.