c# - Repository w/ View Model returning null on one property -

i’ve searched number of hours, can’t find i’m looking answer wise. have following:

(repository.cs)

public class apprespository {     private datacontext db = new datacontext();      public ienumerable<selectlistitem> loadstates()     {         var query = d in db.states.tolist()                     select new selectlistitem                     {                         value = d.stateid.tostring(),                         text = d.state.tostring()                     };         return query;     } } 

datacontext.cs

public class datacontext : dbcontext {     public dbset<states> states { get; set; } } 

viewmodel (states.cs)

public class states {     [key]     public int stateid { get; set; }     public ienumerable<selectlistitem> state { get; set; } } 

controller (applicantcontroller.cs)

// get: /applicant/      public actionresult index()     {         apprespository repo = new apprespository();         states viewmodel = new states();         viewmodel.state = repo.loadstates();         return view(viewmodel);     } 

view:

@html.dropdownlistfor(model=>model.stateid, model.state, "select") 

why when debugging application null on line repository class?

text = d.state.tostring(), 

state null, while stateid getting set. have loaded drop down before using model , controller, pattern. i'm intermediate w/ asp mvc i'm missing something.

any appreciated.

looks need move things around bit here. i'm making assumptions want achieve,

(repository.cs)

public class apprespository {     private datacontext db = new datacontext();      public ienumerable<selectlistitem> loadstates()     {         var query = d in db.states.tolist()                     select new selectlistitem                     {                         value = d.stateid.tostring(),                         text = d.state                     };         return query;     } } 

dbcontext

public class datacontext : dbcontext {     public dbset<stateentity> states { get; set; } } 

state entity

public class stateentity {     [key]     public int stateid { get; set; }     public string state { get; set; } } 

viewmodel

public class statemodel {     public ienumerable<selectlistitem> states {get; set;} } 

controller action

// get: /applicant/

public actionresult index() {     apprespository repo = new apprespository();     statemodel viewmodel = new statemodel();     viewmodel.states = repo.loadstates();     return view(viewmodel); } 

hopefully helps of way there. i'm assuming want load list of int / string pairs stateentity