My content page has many user controls. How do I set the focus to a specific usercontrol?

You can't set the focus to a user control. A user control is something that only exists on the server while the page is created. When the pave reaches the browser, all that is left is the html code that the controls created.

You have to set focus to one of the html elements in the page.

On the master page you can check wether the specific control is loaded or not and if loaded set the focus to that control.
But I would do set the focus in the apropriate content page. You need not to change the onLoad eent of the master page for that. Simply add a script line below the control and you are done.
Like this:

<form name="myForm" >
<input type="text" name="myField" id="myField" >
<script>document.myForm.myField.focus()</script>
<!-- or if you prefer id -->
<script>document.getElementById("myField").focus()</script>

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Zvonko, It is a user control I am trying to set the focus on.  The Id of the user control has an ID of D1009.  Using the script method you suggest gives an error as the page loads. Any other ideas

As I said, you can't set focus to a user control. You have to set focus to a control that is rendered as an html element on the page.

Let's say that the user control in question contains a TextBox control with the id TextBox1.

Put a property in the user control so that the page can reach the text box:

Public ReadOnly Property FocusControl() As TextBox
      Get
            Return TextBox1
      End Get
End Property

In the page you add a Javascript to set focus to the control:

Page.ClientScript.RegisterStartupScript(Page.GetType(), "Focus", "document.getElementById('" + D1009.FocusControl.ClientID + "').focus();", True)

GreenGhost,
I think this is close and thank you for your help.  The user control does have a text box and I set up the property.

The user control is on a content page.  I am putting the Page.client.RegisterStartupScript in the Page_PreRender of the master page.  It does not compile and I get the error:
: Name 'D1009' is not declard.  

If i put it in like this it does compile

Page.ClientScript.RegisterStartupScript(Page.GetType(), "FocusControl", "document.getElementById('D1009.FocusControl.ClientID').focus();", True)

but when I run it I get
document.getElementById(...) is nul or not an object

any ideas?