Master Pages and User Controls in .NET 2.0
One of the great mysteries of .NET 2.0 is how to reference the class of a master page or user control from code-beside. This is where the MasterType and Reference directives come into play.
Master Page (from content page)
<%
@
MasterType
TypeName
="ClassName"
%>
<%
@
MasterType
VirtualPath
="~/VirtualPath/Master.master"
%>
User Control (from web form)
<%
@
Reference
Control
VirtualPath
="~/VirtualPath/UserControl.ascx"
%>
After adding the MasterType or Reference directive, you should then be able to reference the master pages or user controls class from code-beside.