Problem with ODBC and OUT parameteres using C#

[Mark Toth]

Folks,
I'm having a major problem retrieving OUT parametes in ODBC. I have a stored procedure created like this

delimiter //
CREATE_PROCEDURE sp_CountUsers(OUT param1 INT)
BEGIN
SELECT COUNT(*) INTO param1 FROM users
END
//

delimiter ;

OK I run this procedure like this through the MySQL Command Line Editor

CALL sp_CountUsers(@a);

Then
SELECT @a

and I get the results I expected

----------
@a
----------
2
----------

just like I should so the procedure is working fine

Now I have a C# program that tries to access the stored procedure like this

public void CountUsers()
{
try
{
// see if m_odbcConnection is open already
// if not open it
if( IsOpen == false )
Open();

if( IsOpen )
{
bool ret = false;
string test = "";
m_odbcCommand = new OdbcCommand("CALL sp_CountUsers(?)",
m_odbcConnection );

OdbcParameter param = m_odbcCommand.Parameters.Add( "@param1",
OdbcType.Int);
param.Direction = ParameterDirection.Output;

OdbcDataReader dr = m_odbcCommand.ExecuteReader();
while (dr.Read())
MessageBox.Show(dr.GetString(0));

test = m_odbcCommand.Parameters[0].Value.ToString();

dr.Close();

Close();

}

}
catch( OdbcException dbEx )
{
MessageBox.Show(dbEx.Message);
}
catch( Exception ex )
{
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
}
}

The problem is there is nothing in m_odbcCommand.Paramters[0].Value it is DBNull!

and the
while (dr.Read())
MessageBox.Show(dr.GetString(0));

doesn't run at all since there is nothing in the data reader. And I get NO error back from MySQL no exception what so ever so it seems the database is fine with the procedure call but something is being lost in the ODBC connection when it returns????

Can someone help??????????