How do I read a specific value from a config file?

[John Galt]

I am trying to read the "ConnectionString" value from my app.exe.config
file, but am not sure of the format to do this.

It is of the form:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>

<appParams>
<add key="ConnectionString" value="User
Id=MyID;Password=MyPW;Initial Catalog=MyDB;Server=d-sql;" />
</appParams>

etc.

</configuration>

In particular, I am interesting in getting the "Server=d-sql" info.

It seems like is should be something like
System.Configuration.ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings("ConnectionString"),
but that doesn't seem to work.

 

[John Galt]

The problem is that this is being used by Microsoft's Data Application
Block. I need the connection screen info to display which system the
application is pointing to (Development, Production, etc.)

 

[Olivier DALET]

Are you really sure the tag isn't appSettings ?... For appParams isn't part
of standard .net config files:
If you want to use appParams, you've got to declare it inthe xml and then
the way you access it isn't as simple as for appSettings:

1 - sample App.exe.config:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
<configSections>
<section name="appParams"
type="System.Configuration.NameValueSectionHandler,system,
Version=1.0.3300.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089,
Custom=null"/>
</configSections>
<appSettings>
<add key="key1" value="value1" />
</appSettings>
<appParams>
<add key="key2" value="value2" />
</appParams>
</configuration>

You'll notice that because appParams isn't standard, you have to declare it
in the configSections part.

2 - Accessing values (in C#) :

using System.Configuration;
using System.Collections.Specialized;

// It's easy to retreive value1:
string s1 = ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["key1"]; // s1 contains
"value1".

// A little more tricky for value2:
NameValueCollection nvc = ConfigurationSettings.GetConfig("appParams") as
NameValueCollection;
string s2 = nvc["key2"]; // s2 contains "value2".

Olivier DALET
---------------

 

[John Galt]

Are you really sure the tag isn't appSettings ?... For appParams isn't part
of standard .net config files:
If you want to use appParams, you've got to declare it inthe xml and then
the way you access it isn't as simple as for appSettings:

Yes. This is the format used by the Application Block.

Not sure why it works, but it does.

 

[Olivier DALET]

What application block are you talking about: I've just downloaded versions
1 and 2 of MS Data Application Block, and I've seen nothing concerning
configuration reading, neither appParams sections...

I've downloaded these blocks at
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...FamilyID=76FE2B16-3271-42C2-B138-2891102590AD
(V1)
and
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...0A-9877-4A7B-88EC-0426B48DF275&displaylang=en
(V2)

could you tell which block you are using and provide a link to it?

Olivier DALET
---------------