asp.net mvc or javascript return results of another page to method

Question

Is it possible to have results from another page returned to a JavaScript method or a C# controller action?

I have a shared complex page that's used all over my website that's currently used to set a single variable on the user data in the C# back end. When the user has finished the shared complex page, I return to the referring page. The page that I've returned to contains the newly selected variable when the user returns as it's refreshed or alternatively passed as a url parameter to the returning page.

I have a new page where I'd like the variable from my shared complex page to be returned. However there will be multiple instances of this variable on the page and they're actually different data to the previously stored single variable on the user data in the C# back end. ie I'd like to have several buttons on the page that lead to my shared complex page and when the user returns the data for each button will be displayed next to the button.

Is there a way in JavaScript or C# to display another page and have the result returned to the method that instantiated the display of the page? If my back end was implemented in scheme I'd use a continuation to achieve this result. Is there any equivalent in C#? I've been looking at async tasks in C# but none of the examples show a user interacting with another page as part of the asynchronous operation. Is this possible?

If not I'll have to pass the value back to the new page via URL parameters. I would like to avoid this because of the amount of contextual data I'd need to pass between the two pages. I'd thought of using a redirect from the shared complex page to update the new data on the back end before returning to the new page to solve half the problem but this site works on mobile so the network latencies rule out redirects. Also having the complex shared page as a pop up dialog within the new page won't really work as it's a) complex b) the new page can be used a pop up on an existing page and having a pop up from a pop up is unsupported on Bootstrap.

Answer 1

The sharing of data between web pages, without an established continuation medium, requires the use of a shared state somewhere, like session variables or cookies. As each page changes the state, it can go back to the server, update that session, and when the process is done, you'd read that session via ajax and complete your process.