What are the difference between ViewResult and ActionResult in .Net?

 In ASP.NET MVC, both ViewResult() and ActionResult() are used to return a view as a response from a controller action. However, there are some differences between the two:

1. ViewResult():

ViewResult is a type of ActionResult that returns a view with a specific model. It is used when you want to render a view with a model object. This means that the view is strongly typed and the model is passed to the view to display the data.

Example:

csharp
public ViewResult Index()
{
    // retrieve data from the database
    var model = _repository.GetData();

    // pass the data to the view
    return View(model);
}

2. ActionResult():

ActionResult is a base class that can return various types of results, including a ViewResult. It is used when you want to return different types of results from the same action method. It can return a view, a file, a redirect, or any other type of response.

Example:

csharp
public ActionResult Index()
{
    // retrieve data from the database
    var model = _repository.GetData();

    // check if the data is valid
    if (model != null)
    {
        // pass the data to the view
        return View(model);
    }
    else
    {
        // return a different result if the data is not valid
        return RedirectToAction("Error");
    }
}

In this example, the ActionResult is used to return a ViewResult if the data is valid, and a RedirectToAction result if the data is not valid.

In summary, ViewResult is a specific type of ActionResult that is used to return a view with a model, while ActionResult is a base class that can return different types of results from a controller action.