Quick question (no really it is)

[eluser]jedd[/eluser]
Hey Tim - not so sudden if it changed behaviour when you changed the code, eh? It sounds like it's being thwarted by something you do after your method declaration and before you do whatever it is you're doing with the variable. This is why I reckon you should post your controller code - fresh pair of eyes, and all that.

And don't panic - all of our bugs are because of something silly that we do. The important thing to remember is that this isn't a bad thing at all.