Using URL routing for web forms with .ashx files

Question

I am developing a .NET 3.5 website based on web forms that uses URL routing. So far I have created several routes, and I had no problems. I now have a .ashx file that will handle sending .pdf files from a table in SQL Server to the site when someone clicks on the link. Usually, when I create a handler, it looks like this:

return BuildManager.CreateInstanceFromVirtualPath("~/ViewItem.aspx", typeof(Page)) as Page;

For my .ashx file, I tried:

return BuildManager.CreateInstanceFromVirtualPath("~/FileServer.ashx", typeof(Page)) as Page;

This does not work because fileerver.ashx is not a page, so set it to typeof (Page)), because the page will fail. What am I doing VirtualPath instead of a page or is there some other way that I have to do this.

Answer 1

use typeof(IHttpHandler)insteadtypeof(Page)

This is the base class of the ashx file. Also change the return type from the page to IHttpHandler. Then update any other code that depends on what it is a page.

Answer 2

This is an HTTP handler, so you can probably use its IHttpHandler interface type for translation. But you cannot use the page; you must use a type inherited by the handler.