I am trying to change the backgound color on a datarow in a gridview while it is being built by using an event in the properties of the gridview.  I found an example for an integer check but the field I want to check is a text field with the words "STANDARD" OR "SIGNIFICANT" stored in the field within the database.  Here is the code I am executing below but I get the error below.  (I am including the code I found that does the integer check at the bottom so you can see it as well).  Anyone got any idea as to my problem?

Error 5 Overload resolution failed because no accessible '=' can be called with these arguments: 'Public Shared Operator =(a As String, b As String) As Boolean': Value of type '1-dimensional array of Object' cannot be converted to 'String'.

Sub typeGridView_RowDataBound(ByVal sender As Object, _
  ByVal e As System.Web.UI.WebControls.GridViewRowEventArgs)
        If e.Row.RowType = DataControlRowType.DataRow Then
            'determine the value of the type field
            Dim whattype(DataBinder.Eval(e.Row.DataItem, "type"))
            If whattype = "STANDARD" Then
                ' color the background of the row yellow
                e.Row.BackColor = Drawing.Color.Yellow
            End If
        End If
    End Sub

Code example I found that does an interger.....

Sub productsGridView_RowDataBound(ByVal sender As Object, _
  ByVal e As System.Web.UI.WebControls.GridViewRowEventArgs)
    If e.Row.RowType = DataControlRowType.DataRow Then
        'determine the value of the UnitsInStock field
        Dim unitsInStock As Integer =  _
          Convert.ToInt32(DataBinder.Eval(e.Row.DataItem, _
          "UnitsInStock"))
        If unitsInStock = 0 Then
            ' color the background of the row yellow
            e.Row.BackColor = Drawing.Color.Yellow
        End If
    End If
End Sub

do it on row GridView1_RowCreated event


Protected Sub GridView1_RowCreated(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As GridViewRowEventArgs)
    'Add CSS class on header row.
    If e.Row.RowType = DataControlRowType.Header Then
        e.Row.CssClass = "header"
    End If
    
    'Add CSS class on normal row.
    If e.Row.RowType = DataControlRowType.DataRow AndAlso e.Row.RowState = DataControlRowState.Normal Then
        e.Row.CssClass = "normal"
    End If
    
    'Add CSS class on alternate row.
    If e.Row.RowType = DataControlRowType.DataRow AndAlso e.Row.RowState = DataControlRowState.Alternate Then
        e.Row.CssClass = "alternate"
    End If
End Sub

and create CSS like this....

/*GridViewCSS*/

.grid-view
{
    color:#000;
	margin: 0 auto;
	font-family: "Verdana", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Trebuchet MS;
	font-size: 11px;
}

.grid-view tr.header
{
	color: #ffffff;
	background:#454545;
	height: 25px; 
}
.grid-view tr.header a
{
    color:#FFF;
}

.grid-view tr.normal
{
	background-color:#fdfdfd;
	color: #000;
}

.grid-view tr a
{	
	text-decoration:none;
}
.grid-view tr td a
{	
	text-decoration:none;
	padding-right:5px;
	font-size:12px;
}

.grid-view tr a:hover
{
	text-decoration:underline;
}

.grid-view tr.alternate
{
	background-color:#f3f2f2;
}

.grid-view tr.normal:hover, .grid-view tr.alternate:hover
{
	background-color:#f8f8de;
	color: #000;
}
.GridViewPagerStyle
{
	background:#b5babf;
    height:25px;
    font-weight: bold;
    color:#fff;
    text-align:center;
}
.GridViewPagerStyle a
{
	margin-right:5px;
	padding:5px;
	font-family:Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
	font-size:12px;
	letter-spacing:1px;
	font-weight:bolder;
	text-decoration:none;
	color:#264992;
}
.GridViewPagerStyle a:hover
{
	color:#fff;
	text-decoration:none;
}

You didnt declare 'whattype'. Declare it as string.

 Dim whattype As String = Convert.ToString(DataBinder.Eval(e.Row.DataItem, "type"));

The declare of the variable with the string statement worked !!!  Thanks.  However, it dit not work until I noticed that VS added the Handles GridView1.RowDataBound  at the end of the protected sub.  When I left that in there, it worked once I declared the string.  I am posting the code that actually worked here for anyone else that might be looking at this.

Partial Class Eim
    Inherits System.Web.UI.Page

    Protected Sub GridView1_RowDataBound(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Web.UI.WebControls.GridViewRowEventArgs) Handles GridView1.RowDataBound
        If e.Row.RowType = DataControlRowType.DataRow Then
            'determine the value of the type field
            Dim whattype As String = Convert.ToString(DataBinder.Eval(e.Row.DataItem, "type"))
            If whattype = "Minor" Then
                ' color the background of the row yellow
                e.Row.BackColor = Drawing.Color.Yellow
            End If
        End If
    End Sub
End Class