Question

How I parse tnsnames.ora file using Visual C# (Visual Studio 2008 Express edition) to get the tnsnames ?
For instance, my tnsnames.ora file contains

ORCL =
  (DESCRIPTION =
    (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = shaman)(PORT = 1521))
    (CONNECT_DATA =
      (SERVER = DEDICATED)
      (SERVICE_NAME = orcl)
    )
  )
BILL =
  (DESCRIPTION =
    (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = 192.168.10.58)(PORT = 1522))
    (CONNECT_DATA =
      (SERVER = DEDICATED)
      (SERVICE_NAME = orcl)
    )
  )

How can I parse this file to get the TNSNAMES (ie, ORCL, BILL etc). Forgive me if this question sounds too obvious, I’m learning & trying my hand in C#

Answer 1

First of all, you will need the syntax rules for this file.

There is probably a hack for this, but I would personally go with a full parser, like ANTLR combined with the proper grammar (a complete list of ANTLR grammars can be found here).