Using Custom Configuration Section and Configuration Manager class in .NET – 1

At times instead of using appSettings section we would like to define our own custom section within configuration file.

 

Suppose we  want to create a custom config section in this following manner

 

<SimplConfigSection id=“myID“ name=“myName“ />

 

For implementing the above custom section we need to first define a class inheriting from ConfigurationSection class

 

Add reference to System.Configuration dll.

 

Create a new config section class in the following manner

 

// inherit the class ConfigurationSection

    class SimpleConfigSection : ConfigurationSection

    {

        public SimpleConfigSection()

        {

        }

 

        // using ConfigurationProperty attribute to define the attribute

        [ConfigurationProperty(“id”,IsRequired = true)]

        public String ID

        {

            get

            { return (String)this[“id”]; }

            set

            { this[“id”] = value; }

        }

        // using ConfigurationProperty attribute to define the attribute

        [ConfigurationProperty(“name”, IsRequired = true)]

        public String Name

        {

            get

            { return (String)this[“name”]; }

            set

            { this[“name”] = value; }

        }

    }

 

 

Now to register your custom section do the following

 

<configSections>

<section name=“SimplConfigSection“            type=“Namespace.SimpleConfigSection, Namespace“ />

</configSections>

 

 

And to use it within the application

 

SimpleConfigSection simpleConfig = (SimpleConfigSection)ConfigurationManager.GetSection(“SimplConfigSection”);

            string id = simpleConfig.ID;

            string name = simpleConfig.Name;

 

 

That’s it …