Hi all,

i have to load my connectionString from Config dynamically.
We are using many DataAdapters on different Forms and we have to
change from development to production and vice versa.

The only way to set the connectionString dynamically from app.config
is to set it in the property browser (dynamic settings -
connectionString).

BUT this entry will only write to the appSettings in the config file.
We dont want to include the password in the appSettings so we want to
have our own configSettingsHandler to read the connectionString from a
class (Serialization).
This is not available cause in the appSettings we can't handle any
entry with a own handler ...

Any solutions how to solve this problem?

(Our only solution is to parse all sourcefiles and change the
hardcoded entry from the DataAdapter Wizard into any static access to
a class Classname.ConnectionString....

Thx all

Hi

You can always use encrypted password(encypt using some
alogirthms) in Config file.


HTH
Ravikanth


>-----Original Message-----
>Hi all,
>
>i have to load my connectionString from Config
dynamically.
>We are using many DataAdapters on different Forms and we
have to
>change from development to production and vice versa.
>
>The only way to set the connectionString dynamically
from app.config
>is to set it in the property browser (dynamic settings -
>connectionString).
>
>BUT this entry will only write to the appSettings in the
config file.
>We dont want to include the password in the appSettings
so we want to
>have our own configSettingsHandler to read the
connectionString from a
>class (Serialization).
>This is not available cause in the appSettings we can't
handle any
>entry with a own handler ...
>
>Any solutions how to solve this problem?
>
>(Our only solution is to parse all sourcefiles and
change the
>hardcoded entry from the DataAdapter Wizard into any
static access to
>a class Classname.ConnectionString....
>
>Thx all
>.
>

No i can't.

The wizard can't decrypt the password from the configuration file
automatically.
Wizard only can map a appSettings entry to the ConnectionString
property and this is not enough because your encrypted password has to
be decrypted (there is no automatism - the developer has to decrypt it
manually and this is a very dangerous thing).

Ralf

"Ravikanth[MVP]" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<08da01c350fa$4b6ac380$(E-Mail Removed)>...
> Hi
>
> You can always use encrypted password(encypt using some
> alogirthms) in Config file.
>
>
> HTH
> Ravikanth
>
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >Hi all,
> >
> >i have to load my connectionString from Config
> dynamically.
> >We are using many DataAdapters on different Forms and we
> have to
> >change from development to production and vice versa.
> >
> >The only way to set the connectionString dynamically
> from app.config
> >is to set it in the property browser (dynamic settings -
> >connectionString).
> >
> >BUT this entry will only write to the appSettings in the
> config file.
> >We dont want to include the password in the appSettings
> so we want to
> >have our own configSettingsHandler to read the
> connectionString from a
> >class (Serialization).
> >This is not available cause in the appSettings we can't
> handle any
> >entry with a own handler ...
> >
> >Any solutions how to solve this problem?
> >
> >(Our only solution is to parse all sourcefiles and
> change the
> >hardcoded entry from the DataAdapter Wizard into any
> static access to
> >a class Classname.ConnectionString....
> >
> >Thx all
> >.
> >

I'm curious. Why not keep the password in the config file? Shared hosting
environment?

--
John Saunders
Internet Engineer
(E-Mail Removed)


"heikekrieg" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi all,
>
> i have to load my connectionString from Config dynamically.
> We are using many DataAdapters on different Forms and we have to
> change from development to production and vice versa.
>
> The only way to set the connectionString dynamically from app.config
> is to set it in the property browser (dynamic settings -
> connectionString).
>
> BUT this entry will only write to the appSettings in the config file.
> We dont want to include the password in the appSettings so we want to
> have our own configSettingsHandler to read the connectionString from a
> class (Serialization).
> This is not available cause in the appSettings we can't handle any
> entry with a own handler ...
>
> Any solutions how to solve this problem?
>
> (Our only solution is to parse all sourcefiles and change the
> hardcoded entry from the DataAdapter Wizard into any static access to
> a class Classname.ConnectionString....
>
> Thx all

If the encrypted password were in the config file, your code could decrypt
it before use.

Now, this does leave the problem with actually _using_ the connection in the
designer. I don't know of a good solution for that. It also doesn't play
well with user.config.

--
John Saunders
Internet Engineer
(E-Mail Removed)


"heikekrieg" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> No i can't.
>
> The wizard can't decrypt the password from the configuration file
> automatically.
> Wizard only can map a appSettings entry to the ConnectionString
> property and this is not enough because your encrypted password has to
> be decrypted (there is no automatism - the developer has to decrypt it
> manually and this is a very dangerous thing).
>
> Ralf
>
> "Ravikanth[MVP]" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:<08da01c350fa$4b6ac380$(E-Mail Removed)>...
> > Hi
> >
> > You can always use encrypted password(encypt using some
> > alogirthms) in Config file.
> >
> >
> > HTH
> > Ravikanth
> >
> >
> > >-----Original Message-----
> > >Hi all,
> > >
> > >i have to load my connectionString from Config
> > dynamically.
> > >We are using many DataAdapters on different Forms and we
> > have to
> > >change from development to production and vice versa.
> > >
> > >The only way to set the connectionString dynamically
> > from app.config
> > >is to set it in the property browser (dynamic settings -
> > >connectionString).
> > >
> > >BUT this entry will only write to the appSettings in the
> > config file.
> > >We dont want to include the password in the appSettings
> > so we want to
> > >have our own configSettingsHandler to read the
> > connectionString from a
> > >class (Serialization).
> > >This is not available cause in the appSettings we can't
> > handle any
> > >entry with a own handler ...
> > >
> > >Any solutions how to solve this problem?
> > >
> > >(Our only solution is to parse all sourcefiles and
> > change the
> > >hardcoded entry from the DataAdapter Wizard into any
> > static access to
> > >a class Classname.ConnectionString....
> > >
> > >Thx all
> > >.
> > >

Independant of the question of MSI or of appSettings, how do you _want_ to
distribute the passwords? They have to have _some_ way of getting out to the
client.

Perhaps the following will work:

1) Magically distribute the password to the client program.
2) Have the connection string in appSettings with no password (or with a
password which only works on your development systems)
3) Have the client program get the connection string from appSettings and
have it append "pwd=" & thePassword to the string
4) Open the connection as normal

This allows you to use the designers, specify either no password or a safe
password in appSettings, and then use the deployed password on the deployed
client.
--
John Saunders
Internet Engineer
(E-Mail Removed)


"heikekrieg" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi John,
>
> our application is a client application (with a centralized deployment
> and a msi installer). So we cant outsource the configs cause if the
> network etc. is broken (sometimes this happens :-) ) the client
> application cant work correctly.
>
> We only need a solution like this:
> 1) Work with DataWizard
> 2) DataWizard creates DataAdapter, Connection, Commands etc.
> 3) ConnectionString is taken from DB explorer or mapped to app.config
> (and there only to appSettings).
> 4) If we map to appsettings where do we get our password from (in an
> automatic manner - we dont want to go into source code etc.)
> The problem is that there is no process to set a dynamic
> connectionstring and to encrypt/decrypt the password in the framework.
>
> So what can we do ?
> 1) Dont use the wizard and use a own db framework (that is not well
> cause the wizard has some advantages)
> 2) Write a helper tool that replaces the wizard generated
> connectionstring with a static access like xxx.ConnectionString =
> ConfigSettings.ConnectionString;
>
> I dont understand that there is no solution - there are many projects
> out here and they must have same problems (or they dont use wizard)
>
> Cheers
>
>
>
> "John Saunders" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:<(E-Mail Removed)>...
> > I'm curious. Why not keep the password in the config file? Shared
hosting
> > environment?
> >
> > --
> > John Saunders
> > Internet Engineer
> > (E-Mail Removed)
> >
> >
> > "heikekrieg" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > Hi all,
> > >
> > > i have to load my connectionString from Config dynamically.
> > > We are using many DataAdapters on different Forms and we have to
> > > change from development to production and vice versa.
> > >
> > > The only way to set the connectionString dynamically from app.config
> > > is to set it in the property browser (dynamic settings -
> > > connectionString).
> > >
> > > BUT this entry will only write to the appSettings in the config file.
> > > We dont want to include the password in the appSettings so we want to
> > > have our own configSettingsHandler to read the connectionString from a
> > > class (Serialization).
> > > This is not available cause in the appSettings we can't handle any
> > > entry with a own handler ...
> > >
> > > Any solutions how to solve this problem?
> > >
> > > (Our only solution is to parse all sourcefiles and change the
> > > hardcoded entry from the DataAdapter Wizard into any static access to
> > > a class Classname.ConnectionString....
> > >
> > > Thx all