DUDE!!!! You are so smart with this stuff.

I'm not even kidding.... I just posted a boo-hoo about an error I was getting on casting the object type, and you had already replied with a prediction about how using "var" was going to cause the exact problem that I ran into.


You were right on it!

I had to revise my Linq call just like you said:

            IEnumerable<customer_source> customers = from a in db.customers
                                                     where SqlMethods.Like(a.custno, CustomerFilter) || SqlMethods.Like(a.company, CustomerFilter)
                                                     orderby a.custno
                                                     select a;

not this "loosey-goosey, hey C# 3 has anonymous types that will get you in trouble" way:

            var customers = from a in db.customers
             where SqlMethods.Like(a.custno, CustomerFilter) || SqlMethods.Like(a.company, CustomerFilter)
             orderby a.custno
             select new { a.custno, a.company, a.phone, a.faxno };

>You need to get away from var because it won't pass between classes.
>
>Either pass the whole record:
>
>

>            IEnumerable<customer> customers = from a in db.customers
>                            where SqlMethods.Like(a.custno,CustomerFilter) || SqlMethods.Like(a.company,CustomerFilter)
>                            orderby a.custno
>                            select a;
>

>
>Or create a new class:
>
>

>  public class dataitem
>    {
>    public int custno { get; set; }
>    public string company { get; set; }
>    public string phone { get; set; }
>    public string faxno { get; set; }
>
>    public dataitem(int cno, string c, string p, string f)
>      {
>      custno = cno;
>      company = c;
>      phone = p;
>      faxno = f;
>      }
>    }
>

>
>And return it:
>
>

>            IEnumerable<dataitem> customers = from a in db.customers
>                            where SqlMethods.Like(a.custno,CustomerFilter) || SqlMethods.Like(a.company,CustomerFilter)
>                            orderby a.custno
>                            select new dataitem(a.custno, a.company, a.phone, a.faxno) ;
>