Question

I have an app that has search functionality. The search algorithm is compiled to a separate dll. In the C# code for the search algorithm, I am using strings held in a settings file to point to the directory where the search index resides. But once the search code is compiled, the settings file is somehow incorporated in the dll. I want to have multiple versions of this code running on my server with each pointing to a different location for the index. And I want the operator to change a file to have each version point to something else as they find necessary. Both config files and settings files end up getting incorporated in the dll. How do I then accomplish this? What is the right industry standard way of doing this?

Answer 1

It’s strange that the settings file is compiled… are you sure about that? Setting, config and resx files should be copied to the output directory, it’s even a property you can modify on solution explorer. Then you should get it’s values by doing

System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.AppSettings.Get("YourKey")

But I think this won’t know about user changes until app is restarted. If you want settings to be dynamic you should either store them on a database, or on a file that you open, read and close every time you need it.

Hope this helped!