populating dropdownlist with database values

 hi,
1, two dropdownlists ddl1 and ddl2

2. ddl2 gets populated according to the values selected in the ddl1
3.when  i do not populate ddl1 with a datasourse, and populate it manually by editing items, on page load, some value is automatically selected in ddl1, and ddl2 is also populated accordingly(on page load), without even selecting any item in ddl1

4. but when ddl1 is populated using a datasource, on page load ddl2 does not gets populated automatically, until some value is selected

 what is the reason behind this, and can i get the same behavior as in point 3, while using the datasource to populate ddl1?

 thanks and regards
vegtiger

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