.NET Framework Settings Introduction to strongly-typed application and user settings support from Visual Studio
Example
Visual Studio helps manage user and application settings. Using this approach has these benefits over using the appSettings section of the configuration file.
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Settings can be made strongly typed. Any type which can be serialized can be used for a settings value.
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Application settings can be easily separated from user settings. Application settings are stored in a single configuration file:
web.configfor Web sites and Web applications, and app.config, renamed as assembly.exe.config, where assembly is the name of the executable. User settings (not used by Web projects) are stored in auser.configfile in the user's Application Data folder (which varies with the operating system version). -
Application settings from class libraries can be combined into a single configuration file without risk of name collisions, since each class library can have its own custom settings section.
In most project types, the Project Properties Designer has a Settings tab which is the starting point for creating custom application and user settings. Initially, the Settings tab will be blank, with a single link to create a default settings file. Clicking the link results in these changes:
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If a configuration file (
app.configorweb.config) does not exist for the project, one will be created. -
The Settings tab will be replaced with a grid control which enables you to create, edit, and delete individual settings entries.
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In Solution Explorer, a
Settings.settingsitem is added under the Properties special folder. Opening this item will open the Settings tab. -
A new file with a new partial class is added under the
Propertiesfolder in the project folder. This new file is namedSettings.Designer.__(.cs, .vb, etc.), and the class is namedSettings. The class is code-generated, so it should not be edited, but the class is a partial class, so you can extend the class by putting additional members in a separate file. Furthermore, the class is implemented using the Singleton Pattern, exposing the singleton instance with the property namedDefault.
As you add each new entry to the Settings tab, Visual Studio does these two things:
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Saves the setting in the configuration file, in a custom configuration section designed to be managed by the Settings class.
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Creates a new member in the Settings class to read, write, and present the setting in the specific type selected from the Settings tab.
