Click here to Skip to main content
15,861,168 members
Articles / Programming Languages / C#

Enterprise Library 5 Fluent Configuration API

Rate me:
Please Sign up or sign in to vote.
4.71/5 (6 votes)
21 Jul 2010CPOL2 min read 26.8K   12   3
How to use the Fluent configuration API with the Data Access Application Block.

Introduction

One of the new Enterprise Library 5 improvements is a new Fluent configuration API. In this post, I'll explain the subject and then show how to use the Fluent configuration API with the Data Access Application Block.

Fluent Configuration API

There are times that we would like to configure our application at runtime without using a configuration file such as web.config or app.config. In order to achieve that, we can use the new Fluent configuration API that was shipped with Enterprise Library 5. The API can be used to configure the core, instrumentation, and all of the application blocks not including the Validation and Policy Injection application blocks. Also, if you already have an Enterprise Library configuration in your config file, you will be able to merge the configuration you created at runtime to it or update it.

Using the Fluent Configuration API

In order to use the Fluent configuration API, you need to create a ConfigurationSourceBuilder which is the main class to build a runtime configuration. Each feature in Enterprise Library, such as the application blocks for example, provides extension methods for this class which enables us to use the API in the same manner. The use of extension methods is very intuitive and easy. The ConfigurationSourceBuilder class is located in the Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Common.Configuration DLL and you need to reference it. In order to use the Fluent configuration extension methods for every application block, you need to add a reference to that application block’s DLL.

DAAB Fluent Configuration API Example

Let's look at a DAAB Fluent configuration API example:

C#
public void ConfigureDAAB()
{
  var configBuilder = new ConfigurationSourceBuilder();
  configBuilder.ConfigureData()
         .ForDatabaseNamed("School")
           .ThatIs
           .ASqlDatabase()
           .WithConnectionString(ConnectionString)
           .AsDefault();

  var configSource = new DictionaryConfigurationSource();
  configBuilder.UpdateConfigurationWithReplace(configSource);
  EnterpriseLibraryContainer.Current =
     EnterpriseLibraryContainer.CreateDefaultContainer(configSource);
}

What you see here is that I created a ConfigurationSourceBuilder instance.

Then I use the Fluent configuration API to configure it. I instructed the data configuration to be a SQL Server provider (using the ASqlDatabase method), give it a connection string, and set it to be my default database.

Then I create a DictionaryConfigurationSource which holds my DAAB configuration when I use the UpdateConfigurationWithReplace method in order to update the configurations, or if it exists, to replace it.

In the end, I set the EnterpriseLibraryContainer to be configured from that source.

Summary

Enterprise Library 5 comes with a new Fluent configuration API which enables us to configure our EnterpriseLibraryContainer in runtime.

The API is very intuitive and easy to learn. I have shown above a straightforward example of how to configure the default database for the Data Access Application Block.

License

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)


Written By
Technical Lead sparXys
Israel Israel
Gil Fink is a web development expert and ASP.Net/IIS Microsoft MVP. He is the founder and owner of sparXys. He is currently consulting for various enterprises and companies, where he helps to develop Web and RIA-based solutions. He conducts lectures and workshops for individuals and enterprises who want to specialize in infrastructure and web development. He is also co-author of several Microsoft Official Courses (MOCs) and training kits, co-author of "Pro Single Page Application Development" book (Apress) and the founder of Front-End.IL Meetup. You can read his publications at his website: http://www.gilfink.net

Comments and Discussions

 
QuestionHow to configure and use Microsoft Enterprise Library 5 for logging Pin
Libish Varghese Jacob17-Jul-12 20:14
Libish Varghese Jacob17-Jul-12 20:14 
GeneralAdding a DB connection to an existing configuration [modified] Pin
ellarr27-Oct-10 9:18
ellarr27-Oct-10 9:18 
GeneralRe: Adding a DB connection to an existing configuration Pin
Gil Fink27-Oct-10 21:46
Gil Fink27-Oct-10 21:46 

General General    News News    Suggestion Suggestion    Question Question    Bug Bug    Answer Answer    Joke Joke    Praise Praise    Rant Rant    Admin Admin   

Use Ctrl+Left/Right to switch messages, Ctrl+Up/Down to switch threads, Ctrl+Shift+Left/Right to switch pages.