Implementing TreeView in ASP.NET Core with ViewModel and JSON Data

Summary:
This tutorial walks through building a TreeView in ASP.NET Core using ViewModel binding and JSON serialization. The TreeView is rendered on the client side using a simple recursive HTML structure. The backend constructs the hierarchy from a static or database source and passes it to the view. The data is structured using parent-child relationships, and the final JSON is passed to the view for rendering. No third-party libraries are used, making it a lightweight and transparent solution.

Key Steps:

• Define a hierarchical ViewModel with recursive child collections.
• Populate the ViewModel with data (manually or from a database).
• Serialize the structure into JSON.
• Render the TreeView in a Razor view using JavaScript.

Best For:
Developers using ASP.NET Core who want a lightweight, client-side rendered TreeView without relying on jQuery plugins or third-party UI components.