FindControl - can't find dropdownlist

Question

I have a dropdownlist:

<asp:DropDownList ID="ddlGoalKeeper" runat="server">
                </asp:DropDownList>

A nice little one. I have some code to find it:

DropDownList myControl1 = (DropDownList)Page.FindControl("ddlGoalKeeper");

Not.. it's just that my myControl1 doesn't get set... so when i later in my code try to set visible to true, it doesn't work.

Any ideas?

Solution

One reason I have run in to for that not to work is if the control is when the site uses a master page.

You can use this idea to get a reference first to the master page and then get the right control from the content page:

 ContentPlaceHolder MainContent = Page.Master.FindControl("MainContent") as ContentPlaceHolder;
 DropDownList myControl1 = (DropDownList)MainContent.FindControl("ddlGoalKeeper");

Comments

[huMpty duMpty]

why you using Page.Findcontrol to access the dropdown? why don't you use the "ddlGoalKeeper" to set the visible

[V4Vendetta]

Whatz wrong in using ddlGoalKeeper.Visible ?

[Shadow The Kid Wizard]

It's most likely part of Repeater, or something like this. In such case you won't find it with such logic, you'll have to use the ItemDataBound event and handle the control in there.

[Oedum]

I want to change the string = ddlGoalKeeper, and I don't want to make 28 different if statements to set all my ddl to visible