How can I set a different value when I publish my MVC5 do production server?
Example:
In dev I have
<appSettings>
<add key="XLSFile" value="C:\\temp\\file.xls" />
</appSettings>
And when I publish the project I want to set a different path:
<appSettings>
<add key="XLSFile" value="C:\\projectname\\file.xls" />
</appSettings>
You'll want to use a config file transformation. Essentially you will override the config file for your release build.
For example:
<add key="XLSFile" value="C:\\projectname\\file.xls" xdt:Transform="Replace" xdt:Locator="Match(key)"/>
You can use two config files one with name web.Debug.config and second web.Release.config. First one for development and second for production server when published and now specify different value of key in both files as required
Related
First of all I know there are several pages about this issue e.g. Web.Config Debug/Release, Web.config Transformation Syntax now generalized for any XML configuration file and Web.config File Transformations. But most of them are outdated and does not mentioned clearly about all of the three files: Web.config, Web.Debug.config, Web.Release.config.
So, assume that I have the following settings for Web.config:
Web.config:
<appSettings>
<add key="ClientId" value="xxxxx"/>
<add key="ClientSecret" value="xxxxx"/>
</appSettings>
And I want to use these settings in debug and release in the following ways:
Web.Debug.config:
<appSettings>
<add key="ClientId" value="ddddd"/>
<add key="ClientSecret" value="ddddd"/>
</appSettings>
Web.Release.config:
<appSettings>
<add key="ClientId" value="rrrrr"/>
<add key="ClientSecret" value="rrrrr"/>
</appSettings>
1) What is the procedures to perform this accurately? I think while debugging and publishing, these settings are used automatically according to my selection Debug or Release in Visual Studio run and publish dialog. Is that true?
2) Should I remove these settings from Web.config after moving to Web.Debug.config and Web.Release.config?
3) What is the Test selection in the Configuration field of the Publish dialog in VS?
Any help would be appreciated.
I would recommend reading an overview of how web.config transforms work:
https://blog.elmah.io/web-config-transformations-the-definitive-syntax-guide/
In general, the Web.*.config files will make changes to the Web.config file depending on the selected publish configuration in Visual Studio. For example, if you want to update/replace a value in a debug publish, your Web.Debug.config file should look like:
<configuration xmlns:xdt="...">
<appSettings>
<add key"ClientId" value="ddddd" xdt:Transform="SetAttributes" xdt:Locator="Match(key)" />
<add key"ClientSecret" value="ddddd" xdt:Transform="SetAttributes" xdt:Locator="Match(key)" />
</appSettings>
</configuration>
Here is the current Microsoft documentation on how these work:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/host-and-deploy/iis/transform-webconfig?view=aspnetcore-3.1
There are a lot of similar questions and I have looked at every one I could find, to no avail.
I'm storing API keys for Google+ authentication in a .config file outside of my solution (in the same level as the solution folder).
I'm attempting to read the values back in Startup.Auth.cs, like so:
public void ConfigureAuth(IAppBuilder app)
{
app.UseGoogleAuthentication(new GoogleOAuth2AuthenticationOptions()
{
ClientId = WebConfigurationManager.AppSettings.Get("GoogleClientId"),
ClientSecret = WebConfigurationManager.AppSettings.Get("GoogleClientSecret")
});
}
Root Web.config:
<appSettings file="..\Secrets.config"> <!-- Path is correct, relative to Web.config -->
<add key="webpages:Version" value="3.0.0.0" />
<add key="webpages:Enabled" value="false" />
<add key="ClientValidationEnabled" value="true" />
<add key="UnobtrusiveJavaScriptEnabled" value="true" />
</appSettings>
Secrets.config:
<configuration>
<appSettings>
<add key="GoogleClientId" value="shh" />
<add key="GoogleClientSecret" value="shh" />
</appSettings>
</configuration>
in a .config file outside of my solution (in the same level as the solution folder).
An IIS application is totally unaware of any folders outside of its virtual application folder. There is no "at the same level as a solution file" in the context of a web application because the solution file is not deployed with it.
If you want to put appSettings outside of your application folder, your only built-in choices are the root web.config file, or machine.config file, which are both global to the machine (but specific to the .NET framework version you are running on). See ASP.NET Configuration File Hierarchy and Inheritance.
But just for the record, it is easiest to manage in the long run if you keep application settings in your application's web.config file. Eventually, you will need to change to/add a new web server and you might be scratching your head for a while trying to work out why the settings no longer work when that time comes if they need to be placed outside of your virtual application folder.
Remove the <configuration>...</configuration> tag from Secrets.config
Secrets.config:
<appSettings>
<add key="GoogleClientId" value="shh" />
<add key="GoogleClientSecret" value="shh" />
</appSettings>
Basically you make the appSettingssection the root of the external Secrets.config file.
The same can be done for connection strings using the configSource attribute except that...
Security - Unlike the Secrets.config file, the external connection
strings file must be in the same directory as the root web.config
file, so you'll have to take precautions to ensure you don't check it
into your source repository.
Also try using the ConfigurationManager
app.UseGoogleAuthentication(new GoogleOAuth2AuthenticationOptions()
{
ClientId = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["GoogleClientId"],
ClientSecret = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["GoogleClientSecret"]
});
Referencing articles where I learned about it
Scott Hanselman
Best practices for private config data and connection strings in configuration in ASP.NET and Azure
Official MS documentation
Best practices for deploying passwords and other sensitive data to ASP.NET and Azure App Service
Did you try to verify that the secrets.config is copied after the build?
Verify that by right clicking on the file and viewing the properties that the build action of the file is set to copy always.
Trying to get simple <appSettings> for dev vs. prod.
My Web.config:
<appSettings>
<add key="hello" value="debug" />
</appSettings>
My Web.Release.config:
<appSettings>
<add key="hello" value="prod" />
</appSettings>
(both under <configuration>)
When I have it in Debug mode, and run my MVC site, I can do a simple return Content(WebConfigurationManager.AppSettings["hello"]); in my HomeController.Index and it returns dev. If I switch the mode to Release it still returns dev. I'd like to simulate prod mode without actually publishing to prod.
In the build-specific Web.config file, you have to tell it how to transform the base .config file. So to do what you ask, your Web.Release.config file should look like this:
<appSettings>
<add key="hello" value="prod" xdt:Transform="SetAttributes" xdt:Locator="Match(key)" />
</appSettings>
In the above code the SetAttributes transform will change the attributes of any element that matches the key attribute containing the value hello.
Starting from .NET 4.7.1 feature called Configuration builder is supported which gives developer ability to load configuration not only from Web.Release.Cong but basically from any source. Read more about .NET Framework 4.7.1 ASP.NET and Configuration features
I have more than one solution projects for an application with using one app.config for each solution.
Can i do a separate configuration file (other than app.config) for common setting like db name (connection string) ?
Because currently i put these setting in each and every app.config file.
Please try following.
Create one config called "common.config" like below which will be common to all solutions and let's say it's located # "E:/myconfig". Please keep all common setting in this config.
<appSettings>
<add key="connstring" value="conn string value" />
</appSettings>
Now link this common config in you specific solution config lets say web.config using file attribute
<configuration>
<appSettings file="E:\myconfig\Common.config">
<add key="key1" value="value" />
</appSettings>
</configuration>
Hope this will work for you.
I'm working on a ASP.NET project and I need to add some settings in appSettings section of my web-app.
Now these settings are growing up, so I'd like to organize them in different files. I've created other web.config files in different directories of my application, adding something like this:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<configuration>
<system.web>
</system.web>
<appSettings>
<add key="settingKey" value="settingValue" />
</appSettings>
</configuration>
But when I try to access them via ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["settingKey"], I get null.
So, is it possible to split settings in different files? Is there another way to logically organize app settings values?
I know this is too old and probably doesn't even apply to .NET Core but for those coming from Google and using non-.NET Core json config files. Here's what I normally do...
I use configSources to take all config settings out of the web.config. This allows you to a specific config section to a different file by providing a relative location for example here's how you'd declare a configSource in a configuration section (in the root web.config file)...
<configuration>
<log4net configSource="Config\debug\log4net.config" />
<appSettings configSource="config\debug\settings.config" />
<connectionStrings configSource="config\debug\connections.config" />
...
</configuration>
You can name those files whatever you want, just make sure that the path specified and files exist in the solution. Here's what the settings.config file looks like...
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<appSettings>
<add key="webpages:Version" value="3.0.0.0" />
<add key="webpages:Enabled" value="false" />
<add key="ClientValidationEnabled" value="true" />
<add key="UnobtrusiveJavaScriptEnabled" value="true" />
<add key="foo" value="bar" />
</appSettings>
Now, the relative path is relative to the project root...
In picture above you can see that I have provided two different paths for different deployment environments, that's because obviously my conection strings and settings are different in production.
Then you can use configuration transformations so that the application can use the correct config files whether it is in debug or release mode...
This is what the Web.Debug.config file looks like...
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<configuration xmlns:xdt="http://schemas.microsoft.com/XML-Document-Transform">
<log4net configSource="Config\debug\log4net.config" xdt:Transform="Replace" />
<appSettings configSource="config\debug\settings.config" xdt:Transform="Replace" />
<connectionStrings configSource="config\debug\connections.config" xdt:Transform="Replace" />
</configuration>
The release one is pretty much the same...replace the paths provided to the configSource attributes.And that's pretty much it.
There are other web.config elements that support configSource settings such as many of the system.serviceModel children element.
You will only be able to see the web.config settings within a directory if the currently executing path is within that directory.
So for example:
/MyDirectory/web.config
is only visible if you are loading a page like:
/Mydirectory/MyTestPage.aspx
You would not see the web.config settings here for example:
/OtherDirectory/MyTestPage.aspx
This post may help:
Creating a custom .config file in asp.net