Html.Grid can't find a model property that is clearly there

Question

The grid in question is a simple list of locations, based on this collection:

public class Locations : BaseGrid
{
    public string zipCode { get; set;}
    public string city { get; set; }
    public string state { get; set; }
    public string timeZone { get; set;}
    public IPagination<Location> LocationList { get; set; }
}

and this entity:

[DataContract] // DataContract/DataMember used for JsonSerializer
public class Location
{
    public int ID { get; set; }
    public string Address;
    public string AlternateSupportingLocationNumber;
    public string City;
    public string CompanyName;
    [DataMember]
    public string CTU;
    public string Description;
    public double Distance;
    [DataMember]
    public string LocationNumber;
    public string ManagerName;
    public string PhoneNumber;
    public string State;
    public string SupportingLocationNumber;
    public string TimeZone;
    public string ZipCode;
    public bool IsInPhysicalInventory;
    public bool IsEslOwned;
}

The controller, which looks like this:

    public ActionResult NearestStoreCoverage( Locations locations )
    {
        if ( string.IsNullOrEmpty( locations.SortBy ) )
            locations.SortBy = "Distance";
        var list = _locationService.NearestStoreCoverage( locations, 50, ModelState );
        locations.LocationList = list.AsPagination(locations.Page ?? 1, list.Count);

        //go get locations that are close
        return View( "Details/NearestStoreCoverage", locations );

    }

Gets the view a list of Locations as a LocationList member of the Locations model, and populates this control:

<%@ Control Language="C#" Inherits="System.Web.Mvc.ViewUserControl<Locations>" %>
<%@ Import Namespace="Models.Common"%>

<div class="detailSection" style="width:98%">
    <h1>Locations close to Zip Code -- <%=Model.zipCode %></h1>
    <div>
    <%= Html.Grid(Model.LocationList).Columns(column =>
         {
             column.For(x => x.LocationNumber)
                 .Named(Html.SortByLink("Location","LocationNumber"));
             column.For(x => x.Distance.ToString("N2")).Named(
                 Html.SortByLink("Distance", "Distance"));
             column.For(x => x.PhoneNumber.ToFormattedString()).
                 Named(Html.SortByLink("Phone Number",
                                       "PhoneNumber"));
             column.For(x => x.Address).Named(
                 Html.SortByLink("Address", "Address"));
             column.For(x => x.City).Named(
                 Html.SortByLink("City", "City"));
             column.For(x => x.State).Named(
                 Html.SortByLink("State", "State"));
             column.For(x => x.ZipCode).Named(
                 Html.SortByLink("ZipCode", "ZIpCode"));
         })
            .Attributes(style => "width:100%")
            .Attributes(id => "locationClosesttoZipGrid")
            .Empty("There are no locations close to this zipcode") %>
    <%= Html.Pager( Model.LocationList ).Link( page => Html.WritePageLink( page ) )%>
    </div>
</div>

Whren this is run, the runtime error is

System.ArgumentException was unhandled by user code
  Message=The property Models.Common.Location.LocationNumber could not be found.
  Source=System.Web.Mvc
  InnerException:

(I removed the stack trace for the client, it is boring anyway)

However, if you debug and look at the Model (this is from Html.Grid(Model.LocationList).Columns), you can clearly see that LocationNumber is populated:

A look at the Model in the debugger http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/6538/34gridresults.png

Think it can't get stranger? If I comment out the reference to the LocationNumber, the debugger allows the Distance and Phone Number, and then fails again on Address (which is also clearly there).

I have tried a rebuild, and have F12ed all of the relevant symbols to make sure they go where I think they should go.

The debugger won't let me look at x, which is a bummer. Any idea what could be wrong, or at least how to start looking?

Answer 1

The troublesome properties are declared as fields.

Apparently, the grid can handle properties and method calls: the fields which have method calls on them are the ones that are working. Looks like fields don't work.

(thanks to Craig Stuntz for pointing that out)