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Desktop Development » Files and Folders » Configuration Files     Intermediate

A custom configuration file AppSettings reader class

By Daniel Fisher (lennybacon)

This article describes how to create a custom configuration file AppSettings reader class.
C#CE .NET 4.0, CE .NET 4.1, CE .NET 4.2, .NET 1.0, .NET 1.1, Win2K, WinXP, Win2003, Windows, Win Mobile, .NETVisual Studio, VS.NET2003, Dev

Posted: 3 Oct 2003
Updated: 21 Oct 2003
Views: 72,434
Bookmarked: 29 times
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16 votes for this Article.
Popularity: 3.89 Rating: 3.23 out of 5
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Introduction

I'll explain how to build a AppSettings reader class that can be used with every .config file you want.

Background

When you deploy .dll assemblies (especially for ASP.NET applications), you are forced to use the main application's configuration file. Some of my applications have a lot of entries to add to the AppSettings section of the .config file and it is annoying to do all the modification to the configuration file to just run the application.

The code

To access the configuration file, the following class returns a custom IDictionary object:

public class CustomConfigurationSettings
{
    public static AppSettingsReader AppSettings(string configFile)
    {
        return new AppSettingsReader(configFile);
    }
}

You can call it in your code like this:

object settingsValue = 
    StaticDust.Configuration.CustomConfigurationSettings.AppSettings(
      "C:\\yourFile.config")["yourKey"];

To get the file named {yourAssembly}.config in a web application, call it as follows:

Assembly assmebly = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly();
string configFile = 
    System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Request.PhysicalApplicationPath + 
      "bin\\" + assmebly.GetName().ToString().Split(',')[0] + ".config";

object settingsValue = 
   StaticDust.Configuration.CustomConfigurationSettings.AppSettings(
      configFile)["yourKey"];

History

  • 10/04/2003 v.1.0.0.0.
  • 10/22/2003 Changed class name to CustomConfigurationSettings.

License

This article has no explicit license attached to it but may contain usage terms in the article text or the download files themselves. If in doubt please contact the author via the discussion board below.

A list of licenses authors might use can be found here

About the Author

Daniel Fisher (lennybacon)


Daniel Fisher is co-founder of devcoach. He supports since 1997 customers and projects in Germany and throughout Europe. As a consultant and developer he has worked several years on projects for insurance companies, distributors, mobile communications hardware, construction supplies and various other companies of different branches. He has a strong emphasis on service-orientation, agile methods, the web and data access. He is a frequent speaker on national and international software developer conferences in Germany, England and Poland. Daniel is actively contributing the software developer community as lead of a user group and organizer of the biggest regional software developer community event. You can read his blog by visiting lennybacon.com.
Occupation: Web Developer
Location: Germany Germany

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FAQ FAQ Noise ToleranceSearch Search Messages 
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 Msgs 1 to 13 of 13 (Total in Forum: 13) (Refresh)FirstPrevNext
Generalmy solution to dll's configmember4:30 26 Feb '07  
GeneralNullmemberZachry Baker21:25 11 Jul '05  
GeneralRe: Nullmemberjlsirera2:02 11 Nov '05  
GeneralAdding key to configuration filememberAllenConquest23:48 13 Apr '05  
GeneralRe: Adding key to configuration filememberflip_trickle11:47 30 May '05  
GeneralNicememberElNoNo5:06 15 Oct '03  
GeneralRe: NicememberDaniel Fisher (lennybacon)5:14 15 Oct '03  
GeneralThere is no AppSettings(string) constructor - alternative solutionmemberArjan Burggraaf0:24 10 Oct '03  
GeneralRe: There is no AppSettings(string) constructor - alternative solutionmemberDaniel Fisher (lennybacon)9:36 10 Oct '03  
GeneralRe: There is no AppSettings(string) constructor - alternative solutionmemberAdamFox11:00 31 May '05  
GeneralRe: There is no AppSettings(string) constructor - alternative solutionmemberAdamFox11:04 31 May '05  
GeneralRe: There is no AppSettings(string) constructor - alternative solutionsusssreenivasa Rao20:39 21 Oct '03  
GeneralRe: There is no AppSettings(string) constructor - alternative solutionmemberDaniel Fisher (lennybacon)0:03 22 Oct '03  

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Last Updated: 21 Oct 2003
Editor: Smitha Vijayan
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