Overview
![](layout.png)
The default layout file is Pages/Shared/_Layout.cshtml
(Razor Pages) and Views/Shared/_Layout.cshtml
(MVC).
Referencing a Layout
Razor views have a Layout
property that can be used by individual views to reference a layout it wants to use:
SomeView.cshtml
@{
// this could be a full path but ASP.NET Core MVC knows to check /Views/Shared for a .cshtml file:
Layout = "_Layout";
}
Alternatively, use a ViewStart
file placed at /Views/_ViewStart.cshtml
with this same code which will then be used automatically by every View.
Defining a Layout
RenderBody
Every layout must call RenderBody.
This defines where the contents of the view will be rendered:_Layout.cshtml
<!-- ... -->
<div class="container body-content">
@RenderBody()
<hr />
<footer>
<p>© 2018 - WebApplication1</p>
</footer>
</div>
<!-- ... -->
## Sections (`RenderSection`)
Optionally, a layout can reference one or more sections that provide a way to organize where certain page elements should be placed:
```html
<script type="text/javascript" src="~/scripts/global.js"></script>
@RenderSection("Scripts", required: false) // defines this setion as optional; if defined as required
// and not found, an exception is thrown
Views specify the content to be rendered within a section using @section Razor syntax:
@section Scripts { // scripts/main.js is added to the scripts section on this view:
<script type="text/javascript" src="~/scripts/main.js"></script>
}
The body and every section in a Razor page must be either rendered or ignored. Call IgnoreBody
and IgnoreSection
as needed.