Viewing Properties.Settings.Default variables - c#

I am trying to use Settings.settings to define/persist some vars. For brevity, I've set up a test file to demonstrate the behavior I'm seeing:
First, I define a setting in Settings.settings:
I then have the following code to test changing variableName:
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
string newString = Properties.Settings.Default.variableName;
Properties.Settings.Default.variableName = "This is a new string";
Properties.Settings.Default.Save();
}
Running the above in the debugger for the first time, I grab the current value (the value I set in the Settings.settings window initially) of variableName from Properties.Settings. As expected, newString is set to "This is a string". Good.....
After executing the next two lines, the debugger shows variableName changed to "This is a new string". Good....
I then run the app through the debugger again. I hit the string newString line and, prior to execution, newString is undefined (of course). Good....
As soon as I execute...
string newString = Properties.Settings.Default.variableName;
... and on subsequent executions of the code, the actual value of variableName is defined as "This is a new string" (Good...as expected).
I then go back to the Settings.settings window. variableName has not changed - it's still "This is a string". I've even closed VSE 2012 and re-opened the project. Settings.settings never changes.
Where is the new value being stored? I've checked all of the .config files ([appname].exe.config, [appname].vshost.exe.config, app.config, and the Settings.settings file) and the new value, "This is a new string" isn't anywhere to be found.
In summary, I'm getting the result I desire from the code, but I can't seem to view the result at design time other than to check the value of the var in the debugger. This seems not only peculiar to me, but impossible.
What am I missing/where am I not looking? I would fully expect the value of variableName to change in the Settings.settings window, but it never does. I've looked everywhere on StackOverflow/Google and can't seem to find the answer.
Thanks in advance....

The original value that you configured via Settings.settings is stored in a .config file alongside your executable's assembly. This will never change unless you modify the Settings file directly via Visual Studio; it's essentially a read-only file.
The user's customized setting is stored in a separate config file within the user's profile. The location of this file depends on your assembly's metadata. For example, on Windows 7/Vista the location might look like:
C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\<company name>\<assembly name>\
AssemblyName\<version>\user.config
If you haven't customized the company name in your assembly's metadata then it may default to Microsoft. Also note that AppData is a hidden folder that may not be visible in Windows Explorer depending on your view settings.

I am not sure if I understand your question. That variable content stay persistent. Thats it. Why you would set a persistent variable to change it later?

Related

Directory.Exists(#"\\SERVERIP\aFolder\bFolder"); always returns false

The following path always returns false:
Directory.Exists(#"\\SERVERIP\aFolder\bFolder");
// where SERVERIP is the server-IP which is being accessed using Impersonation
After debugging the code, it places double-slashes in the Debugger.
I have accessed the above file path without the # and double-quotes in WindowsExplorer.
What am I doing wrong?
[ The code will run on a network ]
The problem might be in the paths-[Source/Destinations] (both or one of it[source/destination] might be causing the problem) due to the default-paths used by Visual-Studio. So let me explain how to check wether the paths are correct/incorrect step by step.
Configuring ** SOURCE-PATH **:
Some times this path DRIVE:\ProgramFiles\IISExpress (or some other path depending on the installation location of IIS) gets concatenated with the SOURCE-PATH you give in the input To solve this problem, follow/verify these steps:
Ensure that the SOURCE-PATH or File you are using is in the Project-Folder
To Access the SOURCE-PATH or File. Always use this path/way:
// 1. SOURCE-PATH + fileName with Extension<br>
Server.MapPath("~\FolderInsideProjectFolder\", "fileName.extension");
Configuring ** DESTINATION-PATH (to a Mapped-NETWORK) **:
This path creates a problem if the path you entered has some words mispelled OR if you don't have access to the specified Server-IP[DestinationServerIP]. To solve this problem, follow/verify these steps:
Before Accessing the DESTINATION-PATH or File , ensure that the IP-Address you are referring to is Accessible to the Account under which your Application-code is running.To learn how to run Applications under an Account. See Impersonization
To Access the DESTINATION-PATH or File. Always use this path/way:
// 2. DESTINATION-PATH + fileName with Extension
#"\\SERVERIP\aFolder\bFolder" + "fileName.extension";
NOTE:
Remember that the SOURCE-PATH can be checked if it (exists/does not exist) by addressing its Fully-Qualified-Address and in that case, it will return true if it exists (The full-path that windows-explorer shows you in the Address Bar (Windows-Explorer) like DRIVE:/....../
EXTRA-INFORMATION: (as it was the basic INTENSION)
One line instruction to Copy the file from local-system → networked-mapped drive/path is:
System.IO.File.Copy(
Server.MapPath("~\FolderInsideProjectFolder\", "fileName.extension"),
#"\\SERVERIP\aFolder\bFolder" + "fileName.extension"
[, true ] // Optional if you want the file to be over-written or not
);
Please inform, if any thing still is not cleared (but after some nice searching ☋ ☛ )
Many a times I have seen file (or directory) access problems when the user (a human, system user such as IIS_IUSR or an application) lacks required privileges.
According to this question where the asker is facing similar problem, I believe that this may help you.
Let us know, if it helps.

Properties.Settings.Default.Variable does not exists in current Context

I have gone through various question regarding Properties.Settings.Default.<My Settings Name> in stackoverflow and google, but none of them resolved my issue.
I want check whether my application is running for the first time or not, If first time then load particular form, else skip it.
I have a piece of code in My MDIParent Form load
bool isFirstRun = Properties.Settings.Default.IsFirstRun;
MessageBox.Show(Properties.Settings.Default.IsFirstRun.ToString());
if (isFirstRun){
OrganizationDetailsFrm childForm = new OrganizationDetailsFrm();
childForm.MdiParent = this;
childForm.Show();
Properties.Settings.Default.IsFirstRun = false;
Properties.Settings.Default.Save();
}
I checked and found that, every time isFirstRun value is false. When I checked in debug mode, I tried to add Properties.Settings.Default.<My Settings Name> in Add Watch, It show The name 'IsFirstRun' does not exist in the current context.
I have faced the same problem in my project.
Possible Reasons:
You may have multiple 'setting' files in your project.
Name space problem can also be the problem (I was unable to figured it out what is exactly is)
Possible Solutions:
Backup your project first.
Delete your existing settings file.
Make a new settings file in the project.
Drag that new settings file into the Properties Folder (Remember don't do this from Visual Studio, do it from project directory). Now it should work.
Thanks,
Muhammad Fuzail Zubari

How to correctly iterate application settings in C# using reflection

I am trying to iterate through application properties in C# using reflection (.NET 3.5 using VS 2010). The code "works" in that it successfully gets properties. However, it always gets the property values that were defined at design time and does not see the current values in myapp.exe.config. Properties that I access directly by name do reflect what is in the .config file. Here is the reflection-based code which only sees design-time properties:
List<StringDictionary> dictList = new List<StringDictionary>();
StringCollection bogus = new StringCollection();
foreach (PropertyInfo info in Properties.Settings.Default.GetType().GetProperties())
{
if (!("logLevel".Equals(info.Name) || "eventURL".Equals(info.Name)))
{
if (bogus.GetType().IsAssignableFrom(info.PropertyType))
{
StringCollection rawConfig = (StringCollection)info.GetValue(Properties.Settings.Default, null);
// do something
}
}
}
This code does pick up the current values in myapp.exe.config.
String logLevelStr = Properties.Settings.Default.logLevel
What am I doing wrong in my reflection code that causes me to pull only the properties defined at design time and not what is currently in myapp.exe.config?
To get the current value you need to use something like this which looks at Default.PropertyValues instead of Default.Properties
foreach (SettingsPropertyValue property in Properties.Settings.Default.PropertyValues)
{
Debug.WriteLine(string.Format("Property {0}'s value is {1}",property.Name,property.PropertyValue));
}
// note: the above may not work in some multi-form app, even if the applicaton prefix is prepended in front of Properties esp for visual studio 2010 compiled app with .net frame work 4
I think that there is a fundamental misunderstanding here. Settings can be one of two types- Application settings and User settings.
Application settings are intended to be written only at design time. As Henk points out it is possible to edit them after deployment if you are admin, but that isn't really the intent. Also, it should be noted that while Application settings are stored in the .config file, they are only read once and then cached in memory. That's why you don't see the new values when you edit the file.
User settings can be overwritten at run time by application code and saved, but they are saved at a user scope, so a different user running the same application can have different values. The intention there was things like user preferences. There is a drop down in the settings designer grid to switch between Application and User scope for each Setting.
Either way, you shouldn't be accessing them via reflection.
There must be some kind of misunderstanding here.
If you want to read the configurations from myapp.exe.config you should use ConfigurationManager. This class allows you to access AppSettings and ConnectionString directly through static properties or read custom sections by the GetSection method.
Beside, application configurations are meant to be design-time only. You shouldn't alter myapp.exe.config at runtime. Never. This file must be the same for each execution of your application.
Beside, what is Properties.Settings.Default.logLevel ???
Consider:
foreach (SettingsProperty sp in Settings.Default.Properties)
{
Console.WriteLine(sp.Name + "=" + Settings.Default.Properties.Default[sp.Name].ToString());
}

Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture not working consistently

I've been working on a pet project on the weekends to learn more about C# and have encountered an odd problem when working with localization. To be more specific, the problem I have is with System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture.
I've set up my app so that the user can quickly change the language of the app by clicking a menu item. The menu item in turn, saves the two-letter code for the language (e.g. "en", "fr", etc.) in a user setting called 'Language' and then restarts the application.
Properties.Settings.Default.Language = "en";
Properties.Settings.Default.Save();
Application.Restart();
When the application is started up, the first line of code in the Form's constructor (even before InitializeComponent()) fetches the Language string from the settings and sets the CurrentUICulture like so:
public Form1()
{
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = new CultureInfo(Properties.Settings.Default.Language);
InitializeComponent();
}
The thing is, this doesn't work consistently. Sometimes, all works well and the application loads the correct language based on the string saved in the settings file. Other times, it doesn't, and the language remains the same after the application is restarted.
At first I thought that I didn't save the language before restarting the application but that is definitely not the case. When the correct language fails to load, if I were to close the application and run it again, the correct language would come up correctly. So this implies that the Language string has been saved but the CurrentUICulture assignment in my form constructor is having no effect sometimes.
Any help? Is there something I'm missing of how threading works in C#? This could be machine-specific, so if it makes any difference I'm using Pentium Dual-Core CPU.
UPDATE
Vlad asked me to check what the CurrentThread's CurrentUICulture is. So I added a MessageBox on my constructor to tell me what the CurrentUICulture two-letter code is as well as the value of my Language user string.
MessageBox.Show(string.Format("Current Language: {0}\nCurrent UI Culture: {1}", Properties.Settings.Default.Language, Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture.TwoLetterISOLanguageName));
When the wrong language is loaded, both the Language string and CurrentUICulture have the wrong language. So I guess the CurrentUICulture has been cleared and my problem is actually with the Language Setting.
So I guess the problem is that my application sometimes loads the previously saved language string rather than the last saved language string. If the app is restarted, it will then load the actual saved language string.
I got the same problem. I figured out that Application.Restart() do not really make an absolutely restart, see MSDN.
So Application.Restart() do not call the initializing things within the forms constructor
like InitializeComponent(), more the "Applications are restarted in the context in which they were initially run."
So your code is correct
Properties.Settings.Default.Language = "en";
Properties.Settings.Default.Save();
public Form1()
{
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = new CultureInfo(Properties.Settings.Default.Language);
//...
InitializeComponent();
}
but it doesn't work this way with Application.Restart(). If You close the app and open it again your (new) settings are taken.
So we have to find a way to initialize the form again to make the new language settings happen.
Could you check what is your thread's CurrentUICulture?
I remember having a problem like yours; it was solved by reloading the resource dictionary containing the strings to be localized:
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = <new culture>;
ResourceDictionary newDict = new ResourceDictionary();
newDict.Source = localizedStrings.Source;
localizedStrings = newDict;
(and this approach worked dynamically as well; here is some more information).
You could manually change the language of the current form similar to this:
CultureInfo cInfo = new CultureInfo("en-US");
ResourceManager rm = new ResourceManager(GetType());
// For each control on the form, perform the translation manually (probably better in a loop)
control1.Text = rm.GetString(control1.Name + ".Text", cInfo);
// Now set the culture for all other dialogs
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = cInfo;
Hope that helps!
You could simply "reset" your application by closing the open forms and re-creating them. Then you could directly set the culture when the user changes the setting.
Also, try giving some debug output so you see what values are being set and if the culture is actually what you expect.
EDIT: My guess: Since the data has to be written to a file, and then loaded from that file, you may be restarting too quickly for the write to have been completed.
By using CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture, and then changing the form, you don't need to restart the application. Ref my old post here

Sharepoint web.config changes using SPWebConfigModification

I've written a sharepoint application that needs to change web.config
I have a feature that is supposed to make all these configurations. The code for that feature is like this:
SPSite site = properties.Feature.Parent as SPSite;
List<SPWebConfigModification> modifications = new List<SPWebConfigModification>();
modifications.AddRange(CustomErrorsModeConfig.Modifications);
webConfigModificationHelper.AddWebConfigModifications(site.WebApplication, modifications);
CustomErrorsModeConfig.Modifications property contains this code:
public static SPWebConfigModification[] Modifications = {
new SPWebConfigModification()
{
Owner = WebConfigModificationOwner,
Name = "mode",
Type = SPWebConfigModification.SPWebConfigModificationType.EnsureAttribute,
Path = "system.web/customErrors",
Sequence = 0,
Value = "Off"
}
};
Then finally the webConfigModificationHelper.AddWebConfigModifications method:
foreach (SPWebConfigModification modification in modifications)
{
webApp.WebConfigModifications.Add(modification);
}
webApp.Farm.Services.GetValue<SPWebService>().ApplyWebConfigModifications();
webApp.Update();
The problem is that I keep getting this error:
Name cannot begin with the ''' character, hexadecimal value 0x27. Line 1, position 1453
Could this be a problem with the web.config before I try to apply my changes ?
Could the SPWebConfigModification property be incorrectly defined ?
Is there some glitch in my code that leads to this error ?
Might there be some property I am missing (e.g. web.AllowUnsafeUpdates) ?
Some sharepoint site configuration ?
I've been trying to solve this issue for some time now with no luck :( Any ideas ?
I can recommend using stsadmwebconfig for making changes to web.config files. I've implemented this in many features and it has always been a pain, especially while developing. Using this tool makes it a lot easier.
Ive seen this before when the file format is not correctly set between the file and the declaration.
Open the web.config file into a advanced text editor (Notepad++ or Visual Studio) and manually force the file type to match what is specified. Usually its going to be UTF-8.
For more info:
http://www.dumpsterdoggy.com/tutorials/?xmlexception-name-cannot-begin-with
Try taking the List template and for loop out and set the property using straightforward syntax. Here's a post for setting the property in your example, see if you can get this to work and then progress to building up a more generic solution with a List and iteration over the items in the list.
http://www.sharepointkings.com/2008/05/how-to-modify-webconfig-file-in.html

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