retrieving the connection string from the app.config file

Ken Barrett

I want to retrieve the DB connection string from the app.config file.
Here is my app.config file :




                    connectionString="Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|\App_Data\HREChk.mdf;Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True"
            providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />


Question 1 ) How do I pull this out? I want dbConnection connectionString. This ought to be simple, but the document is driving me nuts.

Question 2 ) You will note that part of the path for the connectionString contains "|DataDirectory|" (obviously a variable, maybe and ENV variable), where is this stored and how is it expanded?

TIA Ken

ETA: edited in Firefox.

4 Replies

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Master Billa17y ago
Hi,

You can read the connection string in easier way

string conectionstring = System.ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["dbConnection"].ToString();

SystemDirectory is main path of the database file.

thank you
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Kirtan Patel17y ago
Hi Friend,

by looking at your problem it looks like

you forgot to Import Namespace

using System.Configuration;

then you can access Connection String using Following Code

Label1.Text = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["dbConnection"].ConnectionString.ToString();

if answer helped you dont foeget to mark "do you like answer" please :)

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17y ago
Hi, if you like my answer please dont forget to "I Like your Answer" to rate me because it give me some credit. to retrieve connection string from app.config you have to do that like: app.config: string conn=ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["connectionstring"]; the connectionstring is the key value passed in your connection string then: SqlConnection con=new SqlConnection(conn); so try it will work and then tell me ok Thanks you
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Ken Barrett17y ago
Not sure why my app.config file didn't appear, and also not sure why my formatting didn't take.

The documentation seems to suggest :

String connString = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["dbConnection"].ToString();

However I'm stumbling over ConfigurationManager, as this does not exist in the current context, and I don't know where to find it.

BY THE WAY.. my formatting issues seem to be linked to my choice of browser.. I was using Opera, this entry was created on Firefox.
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