Hi Drew, thanks for your reply, please see my reply in-line: On Fri, 7 Mar 2003 11:36:56 -0500, Marsh, Drew <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
[snip] >Ok, first things first. You're right, the configuration model is intended to >be read-only. That said, there's nothing preventing you from opening the >.config file with an XmlDocument and going in and replacing nodes using the >DOM. However, while that's possible, you're failing to take into >consideration many variables of multi-user environments, permissions and >windows application certification requirements. The application .config file >should be used to store basically static configuration information that can >*maybe* be changed by admins or power users. It is not intended to be used >to save user settings. It sounds to me, like your specific propblem relates >to user settings. The solution for user settings is to maintain a separate >file stored in the user's application data directory that is specific to >them. If you need to maintain settings for all users on a machine, you write >to the All Users program data directory. That describes pretty much the scenario I have - the settings I'm attempting to store are application specific, not user specific and not necessarily machine-specific (i.e. these settings are not expected to be shared between apps). They relate to hardware the PC is connected to and which the application is question must communicate with. It is expected that only admins/power users would alter these settings after install. Here's a bit more detail about the scenario I have - I've written an SDK for handling interfacing with a particular class of hardware devices. Applications are then written using this SDK, to control these devices. What I want to be able to do is serialize the device's connection settings to an external XML config file. These settings can be complex and are therefore currently contained in classes which often contain other classes and have collections etc.. Because the settings are complex I can't use dynamic properties. I want the settings to be stored in an external (i.e. not embedded in the app as a resource) XML config file, in order to enable two things :- configuration after install by a secondary configurator application, and to enable backup/restore of configuration data. I think I've got a handle on how to do the code serialization and XML serialization, so that I can appropriately have the IDE insert code to read the settings for the component's property which refers to these settings. I am concerned however, that if I attempt to serialize to the app.config file during code serialization in the IDE that it may conflict with how the IDE itself writes to the config file for dynamic properties. For example, given the lack of documentation, it could end up with my code first writing to the app.config file, only to have the IDE overwrite the config file, thereby losing my settings. So, I was wondering, first, if what I'm attempting to do seems acceptable to you, given the scenario and if you knew of any documentation on the IDE's method of config serialization ? I suppose, I could always write to a secondary XML configuration file. This would avoid any conflicts with the IDE but it just seems like it would be more elegant to store in the app.config file. I also, then have some other issues to handle - 1. how to have the config file in question automatically copied to the build directory for the app. 2. how to have configurator applications find the secondary configuration file for the app to be configured (naming polocies ?) Thanks Phil > >This has been hashed over several times, so check the archives for details. > >HTH, >Drew > >[ .NET MVP | weblog: http://dotnetweblogs.com/dmarsh ] > >=================================== >This list is hosted by DevelopMentorŪ http://www.develop.com >You may be interested in Guerrilla .NET, 24 March 2003, in London >http://www.develop.com/courses/gdotnet > >View archives and manage your subscription(s) at http://discuss.develop.com =================================== This list is hosted by DevelopMentorŪ http://www.develop.com You may be interested in Guerrilla .NET, 24 March 2003, in London http://www.develop.com/courses/gdotnet View archives and manage your subscription(s) at http://discuss.develop.com
