Config files have grown so complex that some have suggested that they are their own programming language. If I were to take this analogy further, it would make sense to have some consistencies when editing the file.
I was going to limit this question to WCF, which is very sensitive to the smallest configuration change, but think other sections (web.config) would benefit from a structure as well.
Given that VS2010 will handle the indentation of the file, what other standards are applicable when updating a config file? Some ideas I came up with :
- Sort
<config sections>alphabetically - The name identifier within
<config sections/>should be pushed to the left
Alternatively
- Group identifiers and
config sectionsby similar function
I’m guessing the guidance may vary slightly between specialties (Web vs WCF vs identity model) but I’d appreciate hearing your own perspective.
I always (until something forces the opposite) sort everything alphabetically (sections, nodes, subnodes), except sections’ declaration, which have to going first.