Develop Reference

Extend an element in App.config

We have an app.config we are using with Carbonator:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
<configSections>
<section name="carbonator" type="Crypton.Carbonator.Config.CarbonatorSection, Crypton.Carbonator"/>
</configSections>
<carbonator defaultCulture="en-US" logLevel="1" collectionInterval="1000" reportingInterval="1000" >
<statsd server="127.0.0.1" port="8125" />
<counters>
<add path="processor_information.pct_processor_time.total" category="Processor" counter="% Processor Time" instance="_Total" />
<add path="memory.available_MBytes" category="Memory" counter="Available MBytes" instance="" />
<add path="memory.pct_commited_bytes_in_use" category="Memory" counter="% Committed Bytes In Use" instance="" />
</counters>
</carbonator>
</configuration>
We want to allow users to configure their own custom counters in an external config file that we reference from the <counters> element. For example, we would like to allow the user config file to look like:
<add path="logical_disk.pct_free_space.C" category="LogicalDisk" counter="% Free Space" instance="C:" />
<add path="logical_disk.disk_read_bytes_per_sec.C" category="LogicalDisk" counter="Disk Read Bytes/sec" instance="C:" />
<add path="logical_disk.disk_write_bytes_per_sec.C" category="LogicalDisk" counter="Disk Write Bytes/sec" instance="C:" />
I don't even know if this is possible outside of an appConfig element, but any help is appreciated.

According to this answer it should be possible. Same way is also described in this article.
But I don't think it's a good idea for one reason - if a user makes a mistake in his configuration extension, it will prevent the application from executing since the application configuration became invalid.
I would rather use the configuration in the app.config file to provide default values and implement some user configuration myself. Is such case, you can use whatever configuration format you like, for example JSON, which would be also better (easier to create and edit) for users. In your application, you simply merge both configurations (app.config values are default values which will be overwritten by the user's configuration).

How to deal with changed ConfigurationSection-Definition?

I have a Configuration-File that I read with the ConfigurationManager. There are some Sections that I defined by myself.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
<configSections>
<section name="applicationWideSettingsSection" type="MyTestApp.ApplicationSettings.ApplicationWideSettingsSection, MyTestAssembly, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null" />
</configSections>
<applicationWideSettingsSection>
<pathToSomeFile value="C:\Users\..." />
</applicationWideSettingsSection>
</configuration>
There are new requirements: now I have to store another value in the applicationWideSettingsSection like this:
<applicationWideSettingsSection>
<pathToSomeFile value="C:\Users\..." />
<pathToSomeOtherFile value="C:\Programs\..." />
</applicationWideSettingsSection>
So I change my definition of the applicationWideSettingsSection. If I now run the application with an old config-File it throws an exception on this line:
var configSection = _config.GetSection("applicationWideSettingsSection");
because there is only the pathToSomeFile-Setting and the other one is missing.
Is there a way to manually add another (default value) to this section?
How would you deal with this??
Thanks in advance, Joerg

Because I didn't want to change my design away from my custom Setting-Types I found a different way:
I set the IsRequired to false so no exception is thrown when the setting is missing. If it's missing I set it to some value from code.
In a different approach I wanted to override some of the Configuration-Section methods but did not get it to work...

now I have to store another value in the applicationWideSettingsSection
Instead of your custom type ApplicationWideSettingsSection you can use a key-value pairs, so
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
<configSections>
<section name="applicationWideSettingsSection"
type="System.Configuration.NameValueSectionHandler" />
</configSections>
<applicationWideSettingsSection>
<pathToSomeFile value="C:\Users\..." />
</applicationWideSettingsSection>
</configuration>
This will store 1 or many parameters and allow you to enumerate on the inner parameters. You can also try DictionarySectionHandler. I found sample code in this post.

Can't get app.config value "connectionStrings"?

I am writing a program in visual studio,now i can't get the value of app.config.My app.config look like this:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<configuration>
<connectionStrings>
<add name="connStr" connectionString="Data Source=Dolphin-PC;Initial Catalog=jsptpd_SYS;Persist Security Info=True;User ID=sa;Password=ccir"/>
</connectionStrings>
</configuration>
And the code i am try to get the value:
try
{
con2 = System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["connStr"].ConnectionString;
logger.Info("try to get connectionstr success:" + connStr);
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
logger.Info("try to get connectionstr failed:" + ex.ToString());
}
The log's output:
2013-12-14 16:22:28,710 [1] INFO ApplicationInfoLog [(null)] <(null)>
- try to get connectionstr failed:System.NullReferenceException:
object reference not set to instance.
on Jsptpd.JobScheduler.jsptpdJobScheduler..ctor()
location D:\jsptpd\Code\jsptpdJobScheduler\jsptpdJobScheduler\jsptpdJobShedule.cs:line 46
Where is wrong? Why can't read the ConnectionStrings?

Your section is declared as NameValueSectionHandler. As this article points out, this handler returns a NameValueCollection, not the IDictionary that you cast it to afterwards. That's why as IDictionary results in a null value.
Either declare your section as DictionarySectionHandler or change IDictionary to NameValueCollection.

If that config you posted is really what you have, then that config is just plain wrong.... you have two nested <configuration> sections - that won't ever work!
If your config really looks like what you posted, you need to change it to look like this:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<configuration> <!-- one and ONLY one <configuration> node! -->
<configSections> <!-- directly under <configuration> -->
<section name="quartz" type="System.Configuration.NameValueSectionHandler, System, Version=1.0.5000.0,Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089"/>
<configSections>
<connectionStrings> <!-- directly under <configuration> -->
<add name="connStr" connectionString="Data Source=Dolphin-PC;Initial Catalog=jsptpd_SYS;Persist Security Info=True;User ID=sa;Password=ccir"/>
</connectionStrings>
<quartz> <!-- directly under <configuration> -->
...........
</quartz>
<appSettings> <!-- directly under <configuration> -->
<add key="connStr" value="Data Source=Dolphin-PC;Initial Catalog=jsptpd_SYS;Persist Security Info=True;User ID=sa;Password=ccir"/>
</appSettings>
</configuration>
There should be only one <configuration> section, and all other tags, like <configSections>, <quartz>, <connectionStrings> and <appSettings> should be directly inside the one and only <configuration> element

Check your app.config file attribute set,make sure that Generate Operation is not embeded resource.
Because you read the app.config through ConfiguationManager class,the Configuration read file like this:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.configuration.configurationmanager.aspx
•Read and write configuration files as a whole. Your application can read and write configuration settings at any level, for itself or for other applications or computers, locally or remotely. Use one of the methods provided by the ConfigurationManager class to open a configuration file such as SampleApp.exe.config. These methods return a Configuration object that in turn exposes methods and properties you can use to work with the associated configuration files. The methods perform read or write operations and create the configuration data every time that a file is written.
If you set embeded resource,the bin directionary could not generate the SampleApp.exe.config file,so the ConfigurationManager could read your config file.
So if you want to correct the problem,do this
choose the app.config file in resource manager of visual studio:
set the copy to outout dirctionary to:
No copy
set the generte operation to:
None
The problem will fixed.

Merge .net configuration files

My application has 2 config files at the moment.
App.config
Custom.config
The App.config references the Custom.config via a custom section handler like below:
<configuration>
<configSections>
<section name="Custom" type="MyApp.CustomConfigSection, MyApp" />
</configSections>
<Custom configSource="Custom.config" />
</configuration>
The problem is the Custom.config file contains a single section with many elements. I'd like to split this out so some of the elements are in one file and some are in another.
e.g. Right now I have
'<Custom>
<Group1 ../>
<Group2 ../>
<Group3 ../>
</Custom>
I'd like to make 2 or more files like below.
'<Custom>
<Group1 ../>
</Custom>'
'<Custom>
<Group2 ../>
<Group3 ../>
</Custom>'
At the moment I call ConfigurationManager.GetSection("Custom") as MyCustomConfigSection. I then have a number of classes with various configuration attributes that are populated automatically by the .net configuration.
Is there a way to do this split or can you not split 1 section into multiple files?
Thanks in advance

My config file for dll or why cannot parse Section..?

I encountered a problem that I have no way to parse a document standard configurations.
For example:
private string GetConfigKey(string param)
{
Configuration dllConfig = ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(this.GetType().Assembly.Location);
AppSettingsSection dllConfigAppSettings = (AppSettingsSection)dllConfig.GetSection("appSettings");
return dllConfigAppSettings.Settings[param].Value;
}
As a result, I get the settings from the file in a form:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
<appSettings>
<add key="host" value="mail.ololo.by"/>
</appSettings>
<configSections>
<section name="provideConfig" type="System.Configuration.DictionarySectionHandler"/>
<section name="provideMailStatus" type="System.Configuration.DictionarySectionHandler" />
</configSections>
<provideConfig>
<add key="post#gate.ololo.by" value="Mail Subject 1"/>
<add key="guga#gate.ololo.by" value="Mail Subject 2"/>
</provideConfig>
<provideMailStatus>
<add key="status1" value="send"/>
<add key="status2" value="draft"/>
<add key="status2" value="other"/>
</provideMailStatus>
</configuration>
but
Hashtable hashtable =
(Hashtable)ConfigurationManager.GetSection("provideConfig");
foreach (DictionaryEntry dictionaryEntry in hashtable)
{
Console.WriteLine(dictionaryEntry.Key+" "+dictionaryEntry.Value);
}
but that's unfortunately a configSections have a problem. I can not seem to get it.
MB, I go in the wrong direction?
P.S. Config file cannot be named "app.config" - only project dll name

Config file should be named as executable file name and ".config". Even this executable file uses this dll-file.
For example: ConSoleApplication.exe uses MyLibrary.dll. Then config file must be named ConSoleApplication.exe.config
If You need some other name for config file read this

Thank you all, I coped with the problem.
I can tell if someone will be interested.
Configuration Section Designer Codeplex
.NET Configuration Code Generator
Best regards, yauhen.