asp.net mvc - MVC - display a user profile setting in dropdown list on several pages -

i display value of specific user profile setting in header of every page (_layout.cshtml). see how default mvc web application displays user's name in "welcome user!", name obtained calling user.identity.getusername(). setting want display custom setting.

it seem need pass custom setting controller, i'm not sure how controller within _layout.cshtml. i've tried @html.renderpartial, doesn't trigger controller action/method, or can it?

i've tried @html.renderaction gets me controller, requires entire view rendered, or there way around this?

could tell me razor syntax use view trigger controller action render input control? don't need controller/action logic other return statement.

edit

@rowan freeman seems pointing me in direction tried. in fairness didn't know need perform post user setting. here code i've tried:

viewmodel

public class languagelistpartialviewmodel {     public string selectedlanguage { get; set; }     public ienumerable<system.web.mvc.selectlistitem> languages { get; set; } } 

~/views/shared/_languagelistpartial.cshtml

@model gps_web_app.models.languagelistpartialviewmodel  @html.dropdownlistfor(     x => x.selectedlanguage,     model.languages,     new { @class = "form-control", onchange = "this.form.submit();" } ) 

~/views/shared/_layout.cshtml

<form action="/account/languagelistpartial" method="post">     @{html.renderaction("languagelistpartial", "account");}  </form> 

get controller action

[allowanonymous] [childactiononly] public actionresult languagelistpartial() {     // logic create populate model's list<selectlistitem> languages      // logic set model's string selectedlanguage     // logic written , returns correct list.      return partialview("_languagelistpartial", model); } 

post controller action

[allowanonymous] [httppost] public async task<actionresult> languagelistpartial(string selectedlanguage) {     // logic set user profile setting selection     // logic written , correctly sets user profile setting      return redirecttolocal(request.urlreferrer.absolutepath); } 

the reason wrap partial view in _layout.cshtml because there times when want display list within form on different page - example, editprofile page - contains it's own wrapper. have 1 caveat, partialview has onsubmit() has undesirable effect of submitting form it's contained it. i'll fix later.

the problem above layout seems return() in post action - rendered page on return consists of dropdown list instead of rendering dropdown list within page called from.

use html.action in conjunction partial view.

you're close solution. let me clarify steps.

1. create partial view. partial view regular view they're small , used part of final page rendered. partial view might called "_userprofile.cshtml". underscore @ beginning convention indicating partial view. view should use simple model, perhaps userprofilemodel.
2. create appropriate controller , action. controller called partialscontroller , action might userprofile(). attach attribute [childactiononly] action (or controller) can't accessed regular url. action should return partialview("_userprofile");.
3. call action _layout using @html.action("userprofile", "partials").