protectedvoid Page_Load()
{

string conString = WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["myconnection"].ConnectionString;     // okay here
DataContext db = newDataContext(conString); // seems simple enough...
var tMessages = db.GetTable<Messages>();  // getting into new territory but i still get it.
tMessages.Where(m => m.Read == 0);  // This is kinda neat but i want the number of items in the list who have the Read property set to 0 (for false) so i can make my link button say "you have {0} messages!"
 
// and i was taking a shot in the dark thinking i'd be using something similar to this, in the sense of using the Sum method.

tMessages.Sum(m => m.Read == 0); 
}
 

 
protectedvoid Page_Load()
{

if (Page.PreviousPage != null)
{
// I was thinking of making a property on the previouspage i could grab the value from via this page and this property holds the list of messages (preferably just the new ones like so:
 
// PreviousPage.Property
 
// if that is something a professional developer wouldnt agree with, then perhaps it would be better to repeat the process of getting the unread messages list and databind it to a gridview

}
}
 

 
tMessages.Where(m => m.Read == 0);

var UnreadMessages = 
      from m in db.Messages Where m.Read == 0
      Select m.UniqueID.Count();
 
Response.Write(UnreadMessages)