For Visual Studio 2010 Web based application we have Config Transformation features by which we can maintain multiple configuration files for different environments. But the same feature is not available for App.Config files for Windows Services/WinForms or Console Application. 

There is a workaround available as suggested here: [Applying XDT magic to App.Config][1].

However it is not straightforward and requires a number of steps. Is there an easier way to achieve the same for app.config files?


  [1]: http://vishaljoshi.blogspot.com/2010/05/applying-xdt-magic-to-appconfig.html

App.Config Transformation for projects which are not Web Projects in Visual Studio?

    var connection = ConnectionFactory.GetConnection(
        ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings[&quot;Test&quot;]
        .ConnectionString, DataBaseProvider);

And this is my App.config: 

&lt;!-- language: lang-xml --&gt;

    &lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;utf-8&quot; ?&gt;
    &lt;configuration&gt;
        &lt;connectionStrings&gt;
            &lt;add name=&quot;Test&quot; connectionString=&quot;Data Source=.;Initial Catalog=OmidPayamak;Integrated Security=True&quot; providerName=&quot;System.Data.SqlClient&quot; /&gt;
        &lt;/connectionStrings&gt;
    &lt;/configuration&gt;

But when my project runs this is my error:

&gt;Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

Get connection string from App.config

I have set up my AppSettings data in file appsettings/Config .json like this:

    {
      &quot;AppSettings&quot;: {
            &quot;token&quot;: &quot;1234&quot;
        }
    }

I have searched online on how to read AppSettings values from .json file, but I could not get anything useful.

I tried:

    var configuration = new Configuration();
    var appSettings = configuration.Get(&quot;AppSettings&quot;); // null
    var token = configuration.Get(&quot;token&quot;); // null

I know with ASP.NET 4.0 you can do this:

    System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.AppSettings[&quot;token&quot;];

But how do I do this in ASP.NET Core?





How to read AppSettings values from a .json file in ASP.NET Core

While converting a project that used SlimDX, and therefore has unmanaged code, to .NET 4.0 I ran into the following error:

&gt; Mixed mode assembly is built against version &#39;v2.0.50727&#39; of the runtime and cannot be loaded in the 4.0 runtime without additional configuration information.

Googling around gave me the solution, which is to add this to the applications config:

    &lt;configuration&gt;
      &lt;startup useLegacyV2RuntimeActivationPolicy=&quot;true&quot;&gt;
        &lt;supportedRuntime version=&quot;v4.0&quot;/&gt;
      &lt;/startup&gt;
    &lt;/configuration&gt;

My question is, what is the `useLegacyV2RuntimeActivationPolicy` doing? I can&#39;t find any documentation about it.

What does &#39;useLegacyV2RuntimeActivationPolicy&#39; do in the .NET 4 config?

I have done a project in C#.NET where my database file is an Excel workbook. Since the location of the connection string is hard coded in my coding, there is no problem for installing it in my system, but for other systems there is.

Is there a way to prompt the user to set a path once after the setup of the application is completed?

The answers I got was &quot;Use App.Config&quot;... can anyone tell what is this App.config and how to use it in my context here?

What is App.config in C#.NET? How to use it?

I&#39;ve got a method that reads settings from my config file like this: 

    var value = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings[key];

It compiles fine when targeting .NET Standard 2.0 only. 

Now I need multiple targets, so I updated my project file with: 

    &lt;TargetFrameworks&gt;netcoreapp2.0;net461;netstandard2.0&lt;/TargetFrameworks&gt;

But now, the compilation fails for `netcoreapp2.0` with the following error message: 

&gt; Error	CS0103	The name &#39;ConfigurationManager&#39; does not exist in the current context	(netcoreapp2.0)

Separately, I created a new .NET Core 2.0 console application (only targeting .NET Core 2.0 this time), but likewise there seems to be no `ConfigurationManager` under the namespace `System.Configuration`. 

I&#39;m quite confused because it&#39;s available under .NET Standard 2.0, so I would expect it to be available in .NET Core 2.0, as .NET Core 2.0 is .NET Standard 2.0 compliant. 

What am I missing? 


Is ConfigurationManager.AppSettings available in .NET Core 2.0?

Im trying to add an app.config file to my DLL, but all attempts have failed. 

According to MusicGenesis in &#39;[Putting configuration information in a DLL][1]&#39; this should not be a problem. So obviously I&#39;m doing something wrong...


  [1]: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/161763/putting-configuration-information-in-a-dll

The following code should return my ConnectionString from my DLL:

    return ConfigurationManager.AppSettings[&quot;ConnectionString&quot;];

However, when I copy the app.config file to my console application, it works fine.

Any ideas?





C# DLL config file

I&#39;m trying to finish this exception handler:

    if (ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings[&quot;ConnectionString&quot;]==null)
    {
        string pathOfActiveConfigFile = ...?
        throw new ConfigurationErrorsException(
           &quot;You either forgot to set the connection string, or &quot; +
           &quot;you&#39;re using a unit test framework that looks for  &quot;+
           &quot;the config file in strange places, update this file : &quot; 
           + pathOfActiveConfigFile);
    }

This problem seems to only happen to me when I&#39;m using nUnit.

How to find path of active app.config file?

When developing a .NET Windows Forms Application we have the choice between those `App.config` tags to store our configuration values. Which one is better?

    &lt;configuration&gt;

      &lt;!-- Choice 1 --&gt;
      &lt;appSettings&gt;
        &lt;add key=&quot;RequestTimeoutInMilliseconds&quot; value=&quot;10000&quot;/&gt;
      &lt;/appSettings&gt;

      &lt;!-- Choice 2 --&gt;
      &lt;configSections&gt;
        &lt;sectionGroup name=&quot;applicationSettings&quot; type=&quot;System.Configuration.ApplicationSettingsGroup, System, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c5612342342&quot; &gt;
            &lt;section name=&quot;Project1.Properties.Settings&quot; type=&quot;System.Configuration.ClientSettingsSection, System, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c5612342342&quot; requirePermission=&quot;false&quot; /&gt;
        &lt;/sectionGroup&gt;
      &lt;/configSections&gt;
      &lt;applicationSettings&gt;
        &lt;Project1.Properties.Settings&gt;
          &lt;setting name=&quot;TABLEA&quot; serializeAs=&quot;String&quot;&gt;
            &lt;value&gt;TABLEA&lt;/value&gt;
          &lt;/setting&gt;
        &lt;/Project1.Properties.Settings&gt;
      &lt;/applicationSettings&gt;

    &lt;/configuration&gt;


Pros and cons of AppSettings vs applicationSettings (.NET app.config / Web.config)

I am trying to implement a custom configuration section in a project and I keep running up against exceptions that I do not understand. I am hoping someone can fill in the blanks here. 

I have `App.config` that looks like this: 

&lt;!-- language: lang-xml --&gt;

    &lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;utf-8&quot; ?&gt;
    &lt;configuration&gt;
    	&lt;configSections&gt;
    		&lt;section name=&quot;ServicesSection&quot; type=&quot;RT.Core.Config.ServicesConfigurationSectionHandler, RT.Core&quot;/&gt;
    	&lt;/configSections&gt;
    	&lt;ServicesSection type=&quot;RT.Core.Config.ServicesSection, RT.Core&quot;&gt;
    			&lt;Services&gt;
    				&lt;AddService Port=&quot;6996&quot; ReportType=&quot;File&quot; /&gt;
    				&lt;AddService Port=&quot;7001&quot; ReportType=&quot;Other&quot; /&gt;
    			&lt;/Services&gt;
    		&lt;/ServicesSection&gt;
    &lt;/configuration&gt;

I have a `ServiceConfig` element defined like so: 

    public class ServiceConfig : ConfigurationElement
      {
        public ServiceConfig() {}
    
        public ServiceConfig(int port, string reportType)
        {
          Port = port;
          ReportType = reportType;
        }
    
        [ConfigurationProperty(&quot;Port&quot;, DefaultValue = 0, IsRequired = true, IsKey = true)]
        public int Port 
        {
          get { return (int) this[&quot;Port&quot;]; }
          set { this[&quot;Port&quot;] = value; }
        }
    
        [ConfigurationProperty(&quot;ReportType&quot;, DefaultValue = &quot;File&quot;, IsRequired = true, IsKey = false)]
        public string ReportType
        {
          get { return (string) this[&quot;ReportType&quot;]; }
          set { this[&quot;ReportType&quot;] = value; }
        }
      }

And I have a `ServiceCollection` defined like so: 

    public class ServiceCollection : ConfigurationElementCollection
      {
        public ServiceCollection()
        {
          Console.WriteLine(&quot;ServiceCollection Constructor&quot;);
        }
    
        public ServiceConfig this[int index]
        {
          get { return (ServiceConfig)BaseGet(index); }
          set
          {
            if (BaseGet(index) != null)
            {
              BaseRemoveAt(index);
            }
            BaseAdd(index, value);
          }
        }
    
        public void Add(ServiceConfig serviceConfig)
        {
          BaseAdd(serviceConfig);
        }
    
        public void Clear()
        {
          BaseClear();
        }
    
        protected override ConfigurationElement CreateNewElement()
        {
          return new ServiceConfig();
        }
    
        protected override object GetElementKey(ConfigurationElement element)
        {
          return ((ServiceConfig) element).Port;
        }
    
        public void Remove(ServiceConfig serviceConfig)
        {
          BaseRemove(serviceConfig.Port);
        }
    
        public void RemoveAt(int index)
        {
          BaseRemoveAt(index);
        }
    
        public void Remove(string name)
        {
          BaseRemove(name);
        }
      }

The part I am missing is what to do for the handler. Originally, I tried to implement an `IConfigurationSectionHandler` but found two things:

1. it didn&#39;t work
2. it&#39;s deprecated. 

I&#39;m completely lost now on what to do so I can read my data from config. Any help please!



How to implement a ConfigurationSection with a ConfigurationElementCollection

I am unit testing a .NET application (.exe) that uses an app.config file to load configuration properties.  The unit test application itself does not have an app.config file.  

When I try to unit test a method that utilizes any of the configuration properties, they return *null*.  I&#39;m assuming this is because the unit test application is not going to load in the target application&#39;s app.config.

Is there a way to override this or do I have to write a script to copy the contents of the target app.config to a local app.config?  

[This][1] post kind-of asks this question but the author is really looking at it from a different angle than I am.

**EDIT:** I should mention that I&#39;m using VS08 Team System for my unit tests.


  [1]: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/168931/unit-testing-the-appconfig-file-with-nunit

Can a unit test project load the target application&#39;s app.config file?

Is there an equivalent to `app.config` for libraries (DLLs)? If not, what is the easiest way to store configuration settings that are specific to a library? Please consider that the library might be used in different applications.

Equivalent to &#39;app.config&#39; for a library (DLL)

I have the following problem:  
We have an application that loads modules (add ons). These modules might need entries in the app.config (e.g. WCF configuration). Because the modules are loaded dynamically, I don&#39;t want to have these entries in the app.config file of my application.  
What I would like to do is the following:

- Create a new app.config in memory that incorporates the config sections from the modules
- Tell my application to use that new app.config

Note: I do not want to overwrite the default app.config!

It should work transparently, so that for example `ConfigurationManager.AppSettings` uses that new file.

During my evaluation of this problem, I came up with the same solution as is provided here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/949696/reload-app-config-with-nunit.  
Unfortunately, it doesn&#39;t seem to do anything, because I still get the data from the normal app.config.

I used this code to test it:

    Console.WriteLine(ConfigurationManager.AppSettings[&quot;SettingA&quot;]);
    Console.WriteLine(Settings.Default.Setting);

    var combinedConfig = string.Format(CONFIG2, CONFIG);
    var tempFileName = Path.GetTempFileName();
    using (var writer = new StreamWriter(tempFileName))
    {
        writer.Write(combinedConfig);
    }

    using(AppConfig.Change(tempFileName))
    {
        Console.WriteLine(ConfigurationManager.AppSettings[&quot;SettingA&quot;]);
        Console.WriteLine(Settings.Default.Setting);
    }

It prints the same values twices, although `combinedConfig` contains other values than the normal app.config.



Change default app.config at runtime

The Amazon Elastic Beanstalk blurb says:

&gt; Elastic Beanstalk lets you &quot;open the hood&quot; and retain full control  ...  even pass environment variables through the Elastic Beanstalk console.

[http://aws.amazon.com/elasticbeanstalk/][1]

  [1]: http://aws.amazon.com/elasticbeanstalk/

How to pass other environment variables besides the one in the Elastic Beanstalk configuration?

How do you pass custom environment variable on Amazon Elastic Beanstalk (AWS EBS)?

I recently had to edit my app.config file to change the connection string for an Entity Framework data model (`.edmx` file). But I&#39;d like to know: **Is there a way to edit the EF connection string using the designer?** 

The original connection string is auto-generated by the Entity Data Model wizard. The connection string then cannot be changed - it remains disabled in the properties window of the .edmx designer. I like to avoid editing XML by hand if I can (in app.config), so I was wondering if there is a way to get back into the original wizard screen to make connection string changes and let the tool edit the app.config file for me.

How should I edit an Entity Framework connection string?

I am developing the console application and when I run the .exe file, I get the following error:

&gt; `system.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException`:  Only one `&lt;configSections&gt;` element allowed per config file and if present must be the first child of the root `&lt;configuration&gt;` element.

Here&#39;s my `App.config` file:

```xml
&lt;configuration&gt;
	&lt;startup useLegacyV2RuntimeActivationPolicy=&quot;true&quot;&gt;
		&lt;supportedRuntime version=&quot;v4.0&quot;/&gt;
	&lt;/startup&gt;
	&lt;configSections&gt;
		&lt;section name=&quot;Reva.Properties.Settings&quot; type=&quot;System.Configuration.ClientSettingsSection, System, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089&quot; requirePermission=&quot;false&quot; /&gt;
		&lt;section name=&quot;log4net&quot; type=&quot;log4net.Config.Log4NetConfigurationSectionHandler, log4net&quot; /&gt;
	&lt;/configSections&gt;
    &lt;!-- ... --&gt;
```

However, if I remove the following `startup` section, then it works fine

```xml
&lt;startup useLegacyV2RuntimeActivationPolicy=&quot;true&quot;&gt;
    &lt;supportedRuntime version=&quot;v4.0&quot;/&gt;
&lt;/startup&gt;
```


Only one configSections element allowed per config file and if present must be the first child of the root configuration element

I&#39;m doing some work in Visual Studio 2012 Express Edition. I have added an App.config XML file as follows:

    &lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;utf-8&quot; ?&gt;
    &lt;configuration&gt;
    &lt;/configuration&gt;

The first thing that happens is a warning comes up that says &quot;The &#39;configuration&#39; element is not declared&quot;. Does anyone know why this is happening? It looks like elements can not be declared inside of &lt;configuration&gt; until this is resolved.

Thanks!

This is the entire XML:

    &lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;utf-8&quot;?&gt;
    &lt;configuration&gt;
    &lt;appSettings&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;Version&quot; value=&quot;779&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;TimeOut&quot; value=&quot;60000&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;LogFileName&quot; value=&quot;Log.txt&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;!-- your Developer Id with eBay --&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;Environment.DevId&quot; value=&quot;&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;!-- your Application Id with eBay --&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;Environment.AppId&quot; value=&quot;&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;!-- your Application Certificate with eBay --&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;Environment.CertId&quot; value=&quot;&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;!-- API Server URL --&gt;
    &lt;!-- For production site use: https://api.ebay.com/wsapi --&gt;
    &lt;!-- For Sandbox use: https://api.sandbox.ebay.com/wsapi --&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;Environment.ApiServerUrl&quot; value=&quot;https://api.sandbox.ebay.com/wsapi&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;!-- EPS Server URL --&gt;
    &lt;!-- For production site use: https://api.ebay.com/ws/api.dll&quot;/--&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;Environment.EpsServerUrl&quot; value=&quot;https://api.sandbox.ebay.com/ws/api.dll&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;!-- eBay Signin URL --&gt;
    &lt;!-- For production site use: https://signin.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?SignIn --&gt;
    &lt;!-- https://signin.sandbox.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?SignIn --&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;Environment.SignInUrl&quot; value=&quot;https://signin.sandbox.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?SignIn&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;!-- ViewItem URL --&gt;
    &lt;!-- For production site use: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&amp;amp;item={0} --&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;Environment.ViewItemUrl&quot; value=&quot;http://cgi.sandbox.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&amp;amp;item={0}&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;!-- token is for both API server and EPS server --&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;UserAccount.ApiToken&quot; value=&quot;&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;!-- eBay site ID --&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;UserAccount.eBayUserSiteId&quot; value=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;logexception&quot; value=&quot;true&quot;/&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;logmessages&quot; value=&quot;true&quot;/&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;logsdkmessages&quot; value=&quot;true&quot;/&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;logsdk&quot; value=&quot;true&quot;/&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;logfile&quot; value=&quot;Log.txt&quot;/&gt;
    &lt;!-- Rule Name--&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;RuName&quot; value=&quot;&quot;/&gt;
    &lt;!-- Set this if you access eBay API server behind a proxy server--&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;Proxy.Host&quot; value =&quot;&quot;/&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;Proxy.Port&quot; value =&quot;&quot;/&gt;
    &lt;!-- set proxy server username/password if necessary--&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;Proxy.Username&quot; value=&quot;&quot;/&gt;
    &lt;add key=&quot;Proxy.Password&quot; value=&quot;&quot;/&gt;
  &lt;/appSettings&gt;
&lt;/configuration&gt;

The configuration element is not declared

We have several .NET projects where we store certain settings in configuration files.

Now each developer will have their own configuration files that differ a little (different connection strings to connect to local databases, different [WCF][1] endpoints, etc.)

At the moment we tend to check out app/web.config files and modify them to suit our needs.

This leads to many problems since from time to time someone will check in their own settings or loose custom configuration when getting latest version from [TFS][2].

How do you deal with situations like this? Or don&#39;t you have this problem at all?

  [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Communication_Foundation
  [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Foundation_Server





Developer specific app.config/web.config files in Visual Studio

I want to add a custom configuration section in my `app.config` file.
Is there a way to do it and how can I access these settings in my program.
Following is the config section I want to add to my `app.config`:

    &lt;RegisterCompanies&gt;
        &lt;Companies&gt;
          &lt;Company name=&quot;Tata Motors&quot; code=&quot;Tata&quot;/&gt;
          &lt;Company name=&quot;Honda Motors&quot; code=&quot;Honda&quot;/&gt;
        &lt;/Companies&gt;
    &lt;/RegisterCompanies&gt;

How to create custom config section in app.config?

&gt; **Possible Duplicate:**  
&gt; [What is the difference between app.config file and XYZ.settings file?](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/909688/what-is-the-difference-between-app-config-file-and-xyz-settings-file)  

&lt;!-- End of automatically inserted text --&gt;

I am quite confused by the apparent redundancy of these two mechanisms in Visual Studio to store and manage desktop application settings:

 - You can use the XML `app.config` file, adding items to the `&lt;appSettings&gt;` section. These can be retrieved from code using the `ConfigurationManager` class.
 - Alternatively, you can use the Settings.settings file to add individual settings through an editor. Visual Studio will generate a `Settings` class for type-safe retrieval of settings at run-time.

These two mechanisms seem to serve the same (or nearly the same) purpose. I am aware there are some differences, but I am also puzzled by the overlap and its consequences. For example, when I use Visual Studio to add settings to the `Settings.settings` file, all the information that I put in ends up as entries in the `app.config` file as well. Apparently, a synchronisation mechanism exists: if I change a setting in the `app.config` file, Visual Studio prompts me to update the `Settings.settings` file next time I open it up in the editor.

My questions are:

 - Why two mechanisms and not just one?
 - What are the most common scenarios for using `app.config` over `Settings.settings`, and vice versa?
 - What happens if my app is using `Settings.settings` and I change a value in `app.config` after it&#39;s been deployed? No syncronisation of `Settings.settings` can happen since it&#39;s already been compiled and distributed.

Note. I have searched for questions on this topic, but I am even more confused. For example, answers to [this question here][1] are quite contradictory and do not shed much light.

Note 2. I am aware that `app.config` is a design-time file name, and I am familiar with the dynamics of Visual Studio copying and renaming it to the executable folder.


  [1]: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3371433/storing-application-settings-in-c

Settings.settings vs. app.config in .NET desktop app

I have added App.config file in my project.
I have created two settings from Project &gt; Properties &gt; Settings panel - 

[![enter image description here][2]][2]

I have noticed that when I am adding a setting, I can define scope as `User` or `Application`. -

 1. User
 2. Application

If I define setting as `User` it goes to`userSettings` section, &lt;br/&gt;
if I define setting as `Application` it goes to `applicationSettings` section

**App.config**

    &lt;configuration&gt;

        &lt;userSettings&gt;
            &lt;DemoApp.Properties.Settings&gt;
                &lt;setting name=&quot;MySetting1&quot; serializeAs=&quot;String&quot;&gt;
                    &lt;value&gt;Value1&lt;/value&gt;
                &lt;/setting&gt;
            &lt;/DemoApp.Properties.Settings&gt;
        &lt;/userSettings&gt;

        &lt;applicationSettings&gt;
            &lt;DemoApp.Properties.Settings&gt;
                &lt;setting name=&quot;MySetting2&quot; serializeAs=&quot;String&quot;&gt;
                    &lt;value&gt;Value2&lt;/value&gt;
                &lt;/setting&gt;
            &lt;/DemoApp.Properties.Settings&gt;
        &lt;/applicationSettings&gt;

    &lt;/configuration&gt;



But, these settings can be accessed in the same way from `.cs` -

**Code**

    string mySetting1 = DemoApp.Properties.Settings.Default.MySetting1;
    string mySetting2 = DemoApp.Properties.Settings.Default.MySetting2;


What is the difference between `User` and `Application` scope and under what circumstances one should choose between these two?


  [1]: http://i.stack.imgur.com/NsJaO.png
  [2]: http://i.stack.imgur.com/FHMTf.png

App.config: User vs Application Scope

Is it is possible to do something like the following in the `app.config` or `web.config` files?

    &lt;appSettings&gt;
     &lt;add key=&quot;MyBaseDir&quot; value=&quot;C:\MyBase&quot; /&gt;
     &lt;add key=&quot;Dir1&quot; value=&quot;[MyBaseDir]\Dir1&quot;/&gt;
     &lt;add key=&quot;Dir2&quot; value=&quot;[MyBaseDir]\Dir2&quot;/&gt;
    &lt;/appSettings&gt;

I then want to access Dir2 in my code by simply saying:

     ConfigurationManager.AppSettings[&quot;Dir2&quot;]

This will help me when I install my application in different servers and locations wherein I will only have to change ONE entry in my entire `app.config`.
(I know I can manage all the concatenation in code, but I prefer it this way).


Variables within app.config/web.config

How do I create a custom app.config section that is just a simple list of `add` elements?

I have found a few examples (e.g. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1316058) for custom sections that look like this:

&lt;!-- language-all: xml --&gt;

    &lt;RegisterCompanies&gt;
      &lt;Companies&gt;
        &lt;Company name=&quot;Tata Motors&quot; code=&quot;Tata&quot;/&gt;
        &lt;Company name=&quot;Honda Motors&quot; code=&quot;Honda&quot;/&gt;
      &lt;/Companies&gt;
    &lt;/RegisterCompanies&gt;

But how do I avoid the extra collection element (&quot;Companies&quot;) so that it looks the same as the `appSettings` and `connectionStrings` sections? In other words, I&#39;d like:

    &lt;registerCompanies&gt;
      &lt;add name=&quot;Tata Motors&quot; code=&quot;Tata&quot;/&gt;
      &lt;add name=&quot;Honda Motors&quot; code=&quot;Honda&quot;/&gt;
    &lt;/registerCompanies&gt;


Custom app.config section with a simple list of &quot;add&quot; elements

The following example fills the **ItemsControl** with a List&lt;string&gt; of **BackupDirectories** which I get from code.

**How can I change this so that I get the same information from the app.config file?**

**XAML:**

&lt;!-- language: lang-xml --&gt;

    &lt;Window x:Class=&quot;TestReadMultipler2343.Window1&quot;
        xmlns=&quot;http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation&quot;
        xmlns:x=&quot;http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml&quot;
        Title=&quot;Window1&quot; Height=&quot;300&quot; Width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;
        &lt;Grid Margin=&quot;10&quot;&gt;
            &lt;Grid.RowDefinitions&gt;
                &lt;RowDefinition Height=&quot;30&quot;/&gt;
                &lt;RowDefinition Height=&quot;Auto&quot;/&gt;
            &lt;/Grid.RowDefinitions&gt;
            &lt;Grid.ColumnDefinitions&gt;
                &lt;ColumnDefinition Width=&quot;120&quot;/&gt;
                &lt;ColumnDefinition Width=&quot;160&quot;/&gt;
            &lt;/Grid.ColumnDefinitions&gt;
            &lt;TextBlock 
                Grid.Row=&quot;0&quot;
                Grid.Column=&quot;0&quot;
                Text=&quot;Title:&quot;/&gt;
            &lt;TextBlock 
                Grid.Row=&quot;0&quot;
                Grid.Column=&quot;1&quot; 
                Text=&quot;{Binding Title}&quot;/&gt;
            &lt;TextBlock 
                Grid.Row=&quot;1&quot;
                Grid.Column=&quot;0&quot;
                Text=&quot;Backup Directories:&quot;/&gt;
            &lt;ItemsControl 
                Grid.Row=&quot;1&quot;
                Grid.Column=&quot;1&quot;
                ItemsSource=&quot;{Binding BackupDirectories}&quot;/&gt;
        &lt;/Grid&gt;
    &lt;/Window&gt;

**code-behind:**

    using System.Collections.Generic;
    using System.Windows;
    using System.Configuration;
    using System.ComponentModel;
    
    namespace TestReadMultipler2343
    {
        public partial class Window1 : Window, INotifyPropertyChanged
        {
    
            #region ViewModelProperty: Title
            private string _title;
            public string Title
            {
                get
                {
                    return _title;
                }
    
                set
                {
                    _title = value;
                    OnPropertyChanged(&quot;Title&quot;);
                }
            }
            #endregion
    
            #region ViewModelProperty: BackupDirectories
            private List&lt;string&gt; _backupDirectories = new List&lt;string&gt;();
            public List&lt;string&gt; BackupDirectories
            {
                get
                {
                    return _backupDirectories;
                }
    
                set
                {
                    _backupDirectories = value;
                    OnPropertyChanged(&quot;BackupDirectories&quot;);
                }
            }
            #endregion
    
            public Window1()
            {
                InitializeComponent();
                DataContext = this;
    
                Title = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings.Get(&quot;title&quot;);
    
                GetBackupDirectoriesInternal();
            }
    
            void GetBackupDirectoriesInternal()
            {
                BackupDirectories.Add(@&quot;C:\test1&quot;);
                BackupDirectories.Add(@&quot;C:\test2&quot;);
                BackupDirectories.Add(@&quot;C:\test3&quot;);
                BackupDirectories.Add(@&quot;C:\test4&quot;);
            }
    
            void GetBackupDirectoriesFromConfig()
            {
                //BackupDirectories = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings.GetValues(&quot;backupDirectories&quot;);
            }
    
    
            #region INotifiedProperty Block
            public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
    
            protected void OnPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
            {
                PropertyChangedEventHandler handler = PropertyChanged;
    
                if (handler != null)
                {
                    handler(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
                }
            }
            #endregion
    
        }
    }


**app.config:**

&lt;!-- language: lang-xml --&gt;

    &lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;utf-8&quot; ?&gt;
    &lt;configuration&gt;
      &lt;appSettings&gt;
        &lt;add key=&quot;title&quot; value=&quot;Backup Tool&quot; /&gt;
        &lt;!--&lt;add key=&quot;backupDirectories&quot;&gt;
          &lt;add value=&quot;C:\test1&quot;/&gt;
          &lt;add value=&quot;C:\test2&quot;/&gt;
          &lt;add value=&quot;C:\test3&quot;/&gt;
          &lt;add value=&quot;C:\test4&quot;/&gt;
        &lt;/add&gt;--&gt;
      &lt;/appSettings&gt;
    &lt;/configuration&gt;




How to get a List&lt;string&gt; collection of values from app.config in WPF?

I used the second solution of
[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/179927/how-to-resolve-could-not-find-schema-information-for-the-element-attribute-xxx][1]

I.e. created a XSD with the button to create a scheme. I changed the stylesheet in app.config to app.xsd but now I get the warning:

   The Global element &#39;configuration&#39; has already been declared in app.xsd

Even when changing the name the warning is shown.
Does anybody have a solution for this?



  [1]: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/179927/how-to-resolve-could-not-find-schema-information-for-the-element-attribute-xxx

Fix: The Global element &#39;configuration&#39; has already been declared

I know this may looks like a previously asked question but I&#39;m facing a different problem here.

I have a utility class that has only static methods. I don&#39;t and I won&#39;t take an instance from it.

    public class Utils{
    	private static Properties dataBaseAttr;
    	public static void methodA(){
    	
    	}
    	
    	public static void methodB(){
    	
    	}
    }

Now I need Spring to fill dataBaseAttr with database attributes Properties.Spring config is:

&lt;!-- language: xml --&gt;

    &lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot;?&gt;
    &lt;beans xmlns=&quot;http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans&quot;
    	xmlns:xsi=&quot;http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance&quot; xmlns:util=&quot;http://www.springframework.org/schema/util&quot;
    	xsi:schemaLocation=&quot;http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-3.0.xsd
    	http://www.springframework.org/schema/util http://www.springframework.org/schema/util/spring-util-3.0.xsd&quot;&gt;
    	
    &lt;util:properties id=&quot;dataBaseAttr&quot;
    		location=&quot;file:#{classPathVariable.path}/dataBaseAttr.properties&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;/beans&gt;

I already done it in other beans but the problem here in this class (Utils) isn&#39;t a bean, And if I make it a bean nothing changes I still can&#39;t use the variable since the class will not be instantiated and variable always equals null.

How to make spring inject value into a static field

I&#39;ve created a simple unit test project to read an app.config file. Target framework is Core 2.0. I also created a Core 2.0 console app, to sanity-check myself to make sure I wasn&#39;t doing anything weird (same test passed as expected in a .NET 4.6.1 unit test project).  

The console app reads the app.config fine, but the unit test method fails and I cannot figure out why. Both are using a copy of the same app.config (not added as a link) and both have the System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager v4.4.1 NuGet package installed.  

**The App.config**  

    &lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;utf-8&quot; ?&gt;
    &lt;configuration&gt;
      &lt;appSettings&gt;
        &lt;add key=&quot;Test1&quot; value =&quot;This is test 1.&quot;/&gt;
        &lt;add key=&quot;Test2&quot; value =&quot;42&quot;/&gt;
        &lt;add key=&quot;Test3&quot; value =&quot;-42&quot;/&gt;
        &lt;add key=&quot;Test4&quot; value=&quot;true&quot;/&gt;
        &lt;add key=&quot;Test5&quot; value=&quot;false&quot;/&gt;
        &lt;add key=&quot;Test6&quot; value =&quot;101.101&quot;/&gt;
        &lt;add key=&quot;Test7&quot; value =&quot;-1.2345&quot;/&gt;
      &lt;/appSettings&gt;
    &lt;/configuration&gt;

**The Unit Test**  

    using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
    using System.Configuration;
    
    namespace ConfigTest
    {
        [TestClass]
        public class UnitTest1
        {
            [TestMethod()]
            public void ConfigTest()
            {
                foreach (string s in ConfigurationManager.AppSettings.AllKeys)
                {
                    System.Console.WriteLine(s);
                    System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine(s);
                }
    
                //AllKeys.Length is 0? Should be 7...
                Assert.IsTrue(ConfigurationManager.AppSettings.AllKeys.Length == 7);
            }
        }
    }

**The Console App**  

    using System;
    using System.Configuration;
    
    namespace ConfigTestApp
    {
        class Program
        {
            static void Main(string[] args)
            {
                foreach (string s in ConfigurationManager.AppSettings.AllKeys)
                {
                    Console.WriteLine(s);
                    System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine(s);
                }
    
                //Outputs 7 as expected
                Console.WriteLine(ConfigurationManager.AppSettings.AllKeys.Length);
            }
        }
    }  

Given that I&#39;m still pretty new to the whole .NET Core world, am I doing something totally incorrect here? I sort of just feel crazy at the moment...  

[![Both projects with an app.config][1]][1]


  [1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/O8si3.jpg

Can&#39;t read app.config in C# .NET Core unit test project with ConfigurationManager

I want to use my app config to store the settings for 2 companys, and i&#39;d prefer if it was possible to use a section to seperate the data for one from the other rather then giving them diffrent key names.

I have been checking online but i seem to get a bit overwhelmed when people use sections or find outdated easy ways to use them. could anyone pass me a beginner guide on them?

Below is an example of what my app.config would look like:

      &lt;configSections&gt;
        &lt;section name=&quot;FBI&quot; type=&quot;&quot; /&gt;
        &lt;section name=&quot;FSCS&quot; type=&quot;&quot; /&gt;
      &lt;/configSections&gt;
    
      &lt;FSCS&gt;
        &lt;add key=&quot;processingDirectory&quot; value=&quot;C:\testfiles\ProccesFolder&quot;/&gt;
      &lt;/FSCS&gt;
      &lt;FBI&gt;
        &lt;add key=&quot;processingDirectory&quot; value=&quot;C:\testfiles\ProccesFolder&quot;/&gt;
      &lt;/FBI&gt;

Update:

Advanced solution based on the anwer. in case anyone wanted to know.

App.config:

    &lt;configuration&gt;
        &lt;configSections&gt;
            &lt;sectionGroup name=&quot;FileCheckerConfigGroup&quot;&gt;
              &lt;section name=&quot;FBI&quot; type=&quot;System.Configuration.NameValueSectionHandler&quot; /&gt;
              &lt;section name=&quot;FSCS&quot; type=&quot;System.Configuration.NameValueSectionHandler&quot; /&gt;
            &lt;/sectionGroup&gt;
        &lt;/configSections&gt;
        &lt;FileCheckerConfigGroup&gt;
            &lt;FSCS&gt;
                &lt;add key=&quot;processingDirectory&quot; value=&quot;C:\testfiles\ProccesFolder&quot;/&gt;
            &lt;/FSCS&gt;
            &lt;FBI&gt;
                &lt;add key=&quot;processingDirectory&quot; value=&quot;C:\testfiles\ProccesFolder&quot;/&gt;
            &lt;/FBI&gt;
        &lt;/FileCheckerConfigGroup&gt;
    &lt;/configuration&gt;

Code:

    // Get the application configuration file. 
    System.Configuration.Configuration config = ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(ConfigurationUserLevel.None);

    // Get the collection of the section groups. 
    ConfigurationSectionGroupCollection sectionGroups = config.SectionGroups;

    foreach (ConfigurationSectionGroup sectionGroup in sectionGroups)
    {
        if (sectionGroup.Name == &quot;FileCheckerConfigGroup&quot;)
        {
            foreach (ConfigurationSection configurationSection in sectionGroup.Sections)
            {
              var section = ConfigurationManager.GetSection(configurationSection.SectionInformation.SectionName) as NameValueCollection;
              inputDirectory = section[&quot;inputDirectory&quot;]; //&quot;C:\\testfiles&quot;;
            }
        }
    }

How do you use sections in c# 4.0 app.config?

The VS solutions I often work with consist of a **single executable project** (console app, web app) and **many class library projects** that are all referenced by the executable.

When working with NuGet and installing packages, there&#39;s often an `app.config` file created for each project, usually containing nothing else than a list of binding redirects that consolidate versions of referenced assemblies. Sometimes there&#39;s some third-party library-specific content (like Entity Framework config section), but let&#39;s leave that aside for now.

When I build the solution and use the binaries of the main executable project, I see all the class library project assemblies in the build output together with the corresponding `*.config` files (the `app.config` file gets renamed to `AssemblyName.config` when built).

When launching the main executable, do the config files of the class library assemblies take any effect? Or is it just the `app.config` file of the executable that has an effect in this case? What if there are some binding redirects set up on some of the class library projects, and some different binding redirects set up on the main executable project &amp;mdash; How are these combined, which take priority?

I&#39;ve tried to research this online and from what I&#39;ve read, it looks to me like the `app.config` files for non-executable assemblies are useless (with regards to binding redirects). Can someone confirm this or elaborate a bit more on the topic?

If it is that way, is it actually undesirable to have these `app.config` files created by NuGet in class libraries if they contain just the binding redirects? It feels to me that NuGet shouldn&#39;t create those binding redirects for class library projects, as it will only increase the confusion about what settings are actually applied.

---

I found these existing Stack Overflow questions on the topic, but their **accepted answers are actually contradictory even when they&#39;re marked as duplicates of each other**.

- https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22227675/why-nuget-adds-app-config-with-assemblybinding-to-library-projects-during-a-nuge

- https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21795507/is-the-bindingredirect-config-file-needed-or-all-assemblies-in-an-application

[The accepted answer to the first question](https://stackoverflow.com/a/22228738/108374) mentions that app.config files are actually used during compile-time, which means they could have effect. Sources like [MSDN](http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/7wd6ex19.aspx) and [MSBuild source code](https://github.com/Microsoft/msbuild/blob/5df95761c73cd6b1b2c35a827ed168e32546388e/src/Tasks/AssemblyDependency/ResolveAssemblyReference.cs#L2088-L2100) are cited there as a proof it&#39;s used during compile-time. Unfortunately, I&#39;m not proficient enough in MSBuild to understand how it&#39;s being used, and if it&#39;s really a valid argument.

### Can anybody describe an example scenario to prove that an app.config with binding redirects for a class library can do anything?

Do binding redirects in app.config for class libraries do anything?

Here is what my solution is looking like at the moment:

![enter image description here][1]

In the Tutomentor.Branding project, I&#39;d like to save branding information in the App.config file, like names, colors, etc.

In the Tutomentor.Data project, the App.config was created when I added an entity .edmx model file.

Is this possible? Any recommendations?

When deploying, will the output COMBINE these App.config files into a single one?

  [1]: http://i.stack.imgur.com/9OpOZ.jpg

Can a class library have an App.config file?

My scala application will be packaged into a jar. When I run my app, it needs to read an additional config file stored externally to my app jar. I am looking for functionality similar to the Typesafe Config library but other solutions are welcome too ! Is there a way to do something like below:

    val hdfsConfig = ConfigFactory.load(&quot;my_path/hdfs.conf&quot;)

Typesafe config: Load additional config from path external to packaged scala application

Is there a way to automatically use a separate app.config when building in release mode?

In other words, I want to test with one app.config, and release with another.

Currently, I keep a separate copy called app.config.production, and manually overwrite bin\Release\Application.exe.config after building for release.

Visual Studio: differentiate app.config for debug and release mode

I have the following piece of config in my App.config file:

    &lt;add key=&quot;ConnectionString&quot; 
         value=&quot;INITIAL CATALOG=myDatabase;DATA SOURCE=myServer;User ID=myUser;Password=!&amp;myPass99;&quot;/&gt;

The above connection string is rejected by Visual Studio intellisense. It says entity `myPass99` not defined. The problem is caused by the &amp; in the password. 

How do I escape it?

Escape &amp; in App.config

I was wondering why nuget added the following code to my applications `app.config` file, after installing the `Microsoft.Bcl.Async`:

	&lt;runtime&gt;
		&lt;assemblyBinding xmlns=&quot;urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1&quot;&gt;
			&lt;dependentAssembly&gt;
				&lt;assemblyIdentity name=&quot;System.Runtime&quot; publicKeyToken=&quot;b03f5f7f11d50a3a&quot; culture=&quot;neutral&quot; /&gt;
				&lt;bindingRedirect oldVersion=&quot;0.0.0.0-2.5.19.0&quot; newVersion=&quot;2.5.19.0&quot; /&gt;
			&lt;/dependentAssembly&gt;
			&lt;dependentAssembly&gt;
				&lt;assemblyIdentity name=&quot;System.Threading.Tasks&quot; publicKeyToken=&quot;b03f5f7f11d50a3a&quot; culture=&quot;neutral&quot; /&gt;
				&lt;bindingRedirect oldVersion=&quot;0.0.0.0-2.5.19.0&quot; newVersion=&quot;2.5.19.0&quot; /&gt;
			&lt;/dependentAssembly&gt;
		&lt;/assemblyBinding&gt;
	&lt;/runtime&gt;

If I remove this XML-element from the config, the app will not work properly.

As far as I understand it, we can use the `bindingRedirect` to make the app load a newer or older version of an assembly in case the version we were using when compiling the EXE is gone.  
However I am using exactly the version `2.5.19.0`, why would I need a redirect then?

![the version of my dll][1]

***Why* do I need this `bindingRedirect`?**

  [1]: http://i.stack.imgur.com/t7cne.png

Why is a &quot;bindingRedirect&quot; added to the app.config file after adding the Microsoft.Bcl.Async package?

I&#39;d like to programmatically modify my app.config file to set which service file endpoint should be used.  What is the best way to do this at runtime?  For reference:

    &lt;endpoint address=&quot;http://mydomain/MyService.svc&quot;
        binding=&quot;wsHttpBinding&quot; bindingConfiguration=&quot;WSHttpBinding_IASRService&quot;
        contract=&quot;ASRService.IASRService&quot; name=&quot;WSHttpBinding_IASRService&quot;&gt;
        &lt;identity&gt;
            &lt;dns value=&quot;localhost&quot; /&gt;
        &lt;/identity&gt;
    &lt;/endpoint&gt;



How to programmatically modify WCF app.config endpoint address setting?

I am having trouble encrypting a connection string in app.config.  I have code that will protect the connectionStrings section of app.config, but the password is still displayed in plain text.

I need to encrypt the connection string in so it is not in plain text when deployed.  I see similiar questions on SO for web.config, but not app.config.

All App Config Solutions on Gang of Coders

Total of 36 App Config Solutions