Question

In my main page (call it index.aspx) I call

<%Html.RenderPartial('_PowerSearch', ViewData.Model);%> 

Here the viewdata.model != null When I arrive at my partial:

<%=ViewData.Model%> 

Says viewdata.model == null

What gives?!

Answer 1

Have you tried just passing in ViewData instead of ViewData.Model? This is an abridged version what I use in my helpers (shamelessly stolen from the Storefront series):

    /// <summary>     /// Renders a LoggingWeb user control.     /// </summary>     /// <param name='helper'>Helper to extend.</param>     /// <param name='control'>Type of control.</param>     /// <param name='data'>ViewData to pass in.</param>     public static void RenderLoggingControl(this System.Web.Mvc.HtmlHelper helper, LoggingControls control, object data)     {         string controlName = string.Format('{0}.ascx', control);         string controlPath = string.Format('~/Controls/{0}', controlName);         string absControlPath = VirtualPathUtility.ToAbsolute(controlPath);         if (data == null)         {             helper.RenderPartial(absControlPath, helper.ViewContext.ViewData);         }         else         {             helper.RenderPartial(absControlPath, data, helper.ViewContext.ViewData);         }     } 

Note that I pass in the current ViewData and not the Model.