How do I get jqGrid to work using ASP.NET + JSON on the backend?

Question

ok, I'm back. I totally simplified my problem to just three simple fields and I'm still stuck on the same line using the addJSONData method. I've been stuck on this for days and no matter how I rework the ajax call, the json string, blah blah blah...I can NOT get this to work! I can't even get it to work as a function when adding one row of data manually. Can anyone PLEASE post a working sample of jqGrid that works with ASP.NET and JSON? Would you please include 2-3 fields (string, integer and date preferably?) I would be happy to see a working sample of jqGrid and just the manual addition of a JSON object using the addJSONData method. Thanks SO MUCH!! If I ever get this working, I will post a full code sample for all the other posting for help from ASP.NET, JSON users stuck on this as well. Again. THANKS!!

tbl.addJSONData(objGridData); //err: tbl.addJSONData is not a function!!

Here is what Firebug is showing when I receive this message:

• objGridData Object total=1 page=1 records=5 rows=[5]
○ Page "1"
Records "5"
Total "1"
Rows [Object ID=1 PartnerID=BCN, Object ID=2 PartnerID=BCN, Object ID=3 PartnerID=BCN, 2 more... 0=Object 1=Object 2=Object 3=Object 4=Object]
(index) 0
(prop) ID (value) 1 (prop) PartnerID (value) "BCN" (prop) DateTimeInserted (value) Thu May 29 2008 12:08:45 GMT-0700 (Pacific Daylight Time)
* There are three more rows

Here is the value of the variable tbl (value) 'Table.scroll'

<TABLE cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" style="width: 245px;" class="scroll grid_htable"><THEAD><TR><TH class="grid_sort grid_resize" style="width: 55px;"><SPAN> </SPAN><DIV id="jqgh_ID" style="cursor: pointer;">ID <IMG src="http://localhost/DNN5/js/jQuery/jqGrid-3.4.3/themes/sand/images/sort_desc.gif"/></DIV></TH><TH class="grid_resize" style="width: 90px;"><SPAN> </SPAN><DIV id="jqgh_PartnerID" style="cursor: pointer;">PartnerID </DIV></TH><TH class="grid_resize" style="width: 100px;"><SPAN> </SPAN><DIV id="jqgh_DateTimeInserted" style="cursor: pointer;">DateTimeInserted </DIV></TH></TR></THEAD></TABLE>

Here is the complete function:

 $('table.scroll').jqGrid({  
    datatype: function(postdata) {    
        mtype: "POST",    
    $.ajax({  
        url: 'EDI.asmx/GetTestJSONString',  
        type: "POST",  
        contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",  
        data: "{}",  
        dataType: "text", //not json . let me try to parse  
        success: function(msg, st) {  
            if (st == "success") {                    
                 var gridData;  

                //strip of "d:" notation  
                var result = JSON.parse(msg);   
                for (var property in result) {  
                    gridData = result[property];  
                    break;  
                }  

                var objGridData = eval("(" + gridData + ")"); //creates an object with visible data and structure  
                var tbl = jQuery('table.scroll')[0];  

                alert(objGridData.rows[0].PartnerID); //displays the correct data  

                //tbl.addJSONData(objGridData); //error received: addJSONData not a function  

                //error received: addJSONData not a function (This uses eval as shown in the documentation)  
                //tbl.addJSONData(eval("(" + objGridData + ")"));   

                //the line below evaluates fine, creating an object and visible data and structure  
                //var objGridData = eval("(" + gridData + ")");  
                //BUT, the same thing will not work here  
                //tbl.addJSONData(eval("(" + gridData + ")"));  
                //FIREBUG SHOWS THIS AS THE VALUE OF gridData:  
               // "{"total":"1","page":"1","records":"5","rows":[{"ID":1,"PartnerID":"BCN","DateTimeInserted":new Date(1214412777787)},{"ID":2,"PartnerID":"BCN","DateTimeInserted":new Date(1212088125000)},{"ID":3,"PartnerID":"BCN","DateTimeInserted":new Date(1212088125547)},{"ID":4,"PartnerID":"EHG","DateTimeInserted":new Date(1235603192033)},{"ID":5,"PartnerID":"EMDEON","DateTimeInserted":new Date(1235603192000)}]}"         

            }  
        }  
    });  
    },  
    jsonReader: {  
        root: "rows", //arry containing actual data  
        page: "page", //current page  
        total: "total", //total pages for the query  
        records: "records", //total number of records  
        repeatitems: false,  
        id: "ID" //index of the column with the PK in it   
    },  
    colNames: [  
        'ID', 'PartnerID', 'DateTimeInserted'  
          ],    
    colModel: [    
    { name: 'ID', index: 'ID', width: 55 },    
    { name: 'PartnerID', index: 'PartnerID', width: 90 },  
    { name: 'DateTimeInserted', index: 'DateTimeInserted', width: 100}],  
    rowNum: 10,  
    rowList: [10, 20, 30],  
    imgpath: 'http://localhost/DNN5/js/jQuery/jqGrid-3.4.3/themes/sand/images',  
    pager: jQuery('#pager'),  
    sortname: 'ID',  
    viewrecords: true,  
    sortorder: "desc",  
   caption: "TEST Example")};