ViewData should be part of ViewPage<T> (ViewPage.ViewData), unless I am mistaken.  However, I cannot use ViewData.(my data, passed from the controller), because ViewData is appearing as its own class.

Am I missing something? 

Have you got a type called "ViewData" in your project?

If you have, to resolve the ambiguity, using this.ViewData to force access to the property.

rjcox:

Have you got a type called "ViewData" in your project?

If you have, to resolve the ambiguity, using this.ViewData to force access to the property.

 Using this.ViewData from within the View's .aspx or its code behind yields the same result.
 

Do you have a code sample?

Both  ViewPage and Controller have ViewData properties that should take precedence over the type (which I had not noticed for this reason).

(Since I'm generally using ViewPage<>... I'm not actually using Controller.ViewData anyway.) 

rjcox:

Do you have a code sample?

Both  ViewPage and Controller have ViewData properties that should take precedence over the type (which I had not noticed for this reason).

(Since I'm generally using ViewPage<>... I'm not actually using Controller.ViewData anyway.) 

I'll post some sample code later tonight after when I have access to that machine again.  Do you mean that using ViewPage<T> changes the way to access the ViewData?  I'll create some pseudo-code, which will represent what I am doing (typing without editor, please excuse the rough snippets).

Model 

public List GetFoo(id)
{
    return Foos.Where(f => f.ID == id).ToList();
}

Controller

public class FooController : Controllers
{
    [ControllerAction]
    public void Index(int id)
    {
        genericDataContext dc = new GenericDataContext();

        var fooList = GetFoos(id);
        
        RenderView("Index", fooList);
    }
}

View

public partial class Index : ViewPage< List<Foo> >
{
}

Now, if I try to do something like:

foreach (Foo f in ViewData)
{
    string s = f.Bar;
}

 (tried in both code-behind and inline, with proper modifications)

Then ViewData appears as a type, and I cannot access it.  My code seems to match what has been posted in ScottGu's tutorials.  Of course, unless I am making a large oversight, and this does work, then there must be something subtle in my code that is off, and I'll have to post it later.

Thanks. 

edmccaffrey:

Do you mean that using ViewPage<T> changes the way to access the ViewData?

No... just the type of the property (Dictionary in ViewPage, but TViewData in ViewPage<TViewData>).

edmccaffrey:

foreach (Foo f in ViewData)
{
string s = f.Bar;
}

Which is pretty much what I have 

namespace MvcApplication.Views.Entry {
	public partial class Index : ViewPage<EntryIndexViewData> {
		public void Page_Load() {
			EntryList.DataSource = ViewData.Entries;
			EntryList.DataBind();
		}
	}
}

And this works without problem (and I am using System.Web.Mvc).

What happens if you use "this.ViewData" (or base.ViewData) in place of just ViewData?

rjcox:

And this works without problem (and I am using System.Web.Mvc).

What happens if you use "this.ViewData" (or base.ViewData) in place of just ViewData?

 It will still appear as a type, "class System.Web.Mvc.ViewData"

 
The code you posted is basically what I have tried.  I can try to bind it in the code behind, or I can try to access it inline, and I get the same problem.  I even copied the first MVC tutorial that ScottGu posted and I had the same problem with that.  Unless it is a very subtle error, this seems like it has to be some sort of configuration problem. 

edmccaffrey:

this seems like it has to be some sort of configuration problem

Make that "bizare configuration problem" and I can't disagree.

Can you test for this kind of type/member ambiguity in (say) a Console project to enter something like this: 

namespace ConsoleApplication1 {
	class Foo {
		public int Bar { get; set; }
	}

	class Xyzzy {
		public string Foo { get; set; }
	}
	class Program : Xyzzy {
		private void Run() {
			Foo = "One";
			Foo x = new Foo();
			x.Bar = 1;
		}

		static void Main(string[] args) {
			(new Program()).Run();
		}
	}
}

(this is the complete code, no using statements needed) which works fine on the system I have MVC installed on.

Note the use of inherited property Foo and type Foo in Program.Run.

As expected, I can build and execute that program just fine.

Even if I create a completely new app and immediately attempt to access ViewData from within the View, I have this problem.  Along with the rest of this thread, it leads me to just about exclude a programming error.