Use this property to specify the source of data to populate the System.Web.UI.WebControls.Repeater control. The Repeater.DataSource can be any IEnumerable collection such as a System.Data.DataView for accessing databases, a ArrayList, or an array, or an System.ComponentModel.IListSource object. When you set the Repeater.DataSource property you must manually write the code to bind to the data source.

If the data source specified by the Repeater.DataSource property contains multiple sources of data, use the Repeater.DataMember property to specify the specific source to bind to the control. For example, if you have a System.Data.DataSet with multiple tables, you must specify which table to bind to the control. After you have specified the data source, use the Repeater.DataBind method to bind the data source to the control.

Alternately, you can use the Repeater.DataSourceID property to automatically bind to a data source represented by a data source control. When you set the Repeater.DataSourceID property, the System.Web.UI.WebControls.Repeater control automatically binds to the specified data source control. You do not need to write code that explicitly calls the Repeater.DataBind method unless you dynamically change properties of the System.Web.UI.WebControls.Repeater control.

If values are specified for both the Repeater.DataSource property and the Repeater.DataSourceID property, ASP.NET is not able to resolve the data source and a System.Web.HttpException is thrown.