If you are using Razor, you cannot access the field directly, but you can manage its value.
The idea is that the first Microsoft approach drive the developers away from Web Development and make it easy for Desktop programmers (for example) to make web applications.
Meanwhile, the web developers, did not understand this tricky strange way of ASP.NET.
Actually this hidden input is rendered on client-side, and the ASP has no access to it (it never had). However, in time you will see its a piratical way and you may rely on it, when you get use with it. The web development differs from the Desktop or Mobile.
The model is your logical unit, and the hidden field (and the whole view page) is just a representative view of the data. So you can dedicate your work on the application or domain logic and the view simply just serves it to the consumer - which means you need no detailed access and "brainstorming" functionality in the view.
The controller actually does work you need for manage the hidden or general setup. The model serves specific logical unit properties and functionality and the view just renders it to the end user, simply said. Read more about MVC.
Model
public class MyClassModel
{
public int Id { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public string MyPropertyForHidden { get; set; }
}
This is the controller aciton
public ActionResult MyPageView()
{
MyClassModel model = new MyClassModel(); // Single entity, strongly-typed
// IList model = new List<MyClassModel>(); // or List, strongly-typed
// ViewBag.MyHiddenInputValue = "Something to pass"; // ...or using ViewBag
return View(model);
}
The view is below
//This will make a Model property of the View to be of MyClassModel
@model MyNamespace.Models.MyClassModel // strongly-typed view
// @model IList<MyNamespace.Models.MyClassModel> // list, strongly-typed view
// ... Some Other Code ...
@using(Html.BeginForm()) // Creates <form>
{
// Renders hidden field for your model property (strongly-typed)
// The field rendered to server your model property (Address, Phone, etc.)
Html.HiddenFor(model => Model.MyPropertyForHidden);
// For list you may use foreach on Model
// foreach(var item in Model) or foreach(MyClassModel item in Model)
}
// ... Some Other Code ...
The view with ViewBag:
// ... Some Other Code ...
@using(Html.BeginForm()) // Creates <form>
{
Html.Hidden(
"HiddenName",
ViewBag.MyHiddenInputValue,
new { @class = "hiddencss", maxlength = 255 /*, etc... */ }
);
}
// ... Some Other Code ...
We are using Html Helper to render the Hidden field or we could write it by hand - <input name=".." id=".." value="ViewBag.MyHiddenInputValue"> also.
The ViewBag is some sort of data carrier to the view. It does not restrict you with model - you can place whatever you like.