jQuery Grid Plugin - jqGrid

When I setup my post data during a call-back to the beforeSearch event it does not send the newly appended search data:

My HTML:

My filterGrid (item = #ListPhoneTypeCalls:

$(item.replace('#', '#t_')).filterGrid(item, {
            gridModel: true,
            beforeSearch: function() {
               $(item).appendPostData({ _search: true, Contact: $('#Contact').val() });
                }
            }
});

Actually I am not sure if this is the best way to dynamically change my postdata. What I want to ultimately do is to be able to change my search data because I use the grid to show a list of calls for an Account, and then also the same grid for a filtered list of calls for a particular Contact in that Account. So what I have done is I setup the postData to contain the extra Contact's id if I am on the contact screen. When on the server-side it sees the contact parm also, it simply filters it by the contact. This way I can define one grid and use it on two different screens, one for all calls on the account screen, and another for all calls for a specific contact on the contact screen. Unfortunately once I have set the postData with the contact's id in it (#Contact), it gets overridden during search and that is why I also wanted to set ut during the beforeSearch event. Not sure if this is the best way.

My Json object sent to the server when the grid loads:

111

true

1

1248103740125

1

true

5

CallDateUrl

asc

When I search via the gridToolbar it looks like this (note Contact is missing):

3

true

1

1248103849270

1

true

5

CallDateUrl