JJ.Framework.Configuration 1.5.6877.41334

JJ.Framework.Configuration

Allows you to work with complex configuration structures in your app.config or web.config files. Doing it the classic way with System.Configuration is difficult and error prone. JJ.Framework.Configuration makes it super easy.

AppSettingsReader<T>

For reading out <appSettings> in a strongly-typed way, cleanly, without generated code.

Example config:

<appSettings>
  <add key="MySetting" value="20"/>
</appSettings>

Helper C# interface:

interface IMySettings
{
    int MySetting { get; }
}

Call:

int value = AppSettingsReader<IMySettings>.Get(x => x.MySetting);

CustomConfigurationManager

Example config:

<configSections>
  <section name="jj.demos.configuration" type="JJ.Framework.Configuration.ConfigurationSectionHandler, JJ.Framework.Configuration"/>
</configSections>

<jj.demos.configuration>
  <items>
    <item value="1" />
    <item value="2" >
      <child value="3" />
    </item>
  </items>
</jj.demos.configuration>

Helper classes:

class ConfigurationSection
{
    public Item[] Items { get; set; }
}

class Item
{
    [XmlAttribute]
    public int Value { get; set; }
    public Item Child { get; set; }
}

Read the config:

var config = CustomConfigurationManager.GetSection<ConfigurationSection>();

Access some data:

int value = config.Items[1].Child.Value;

XML Mapping Details

Here is the documentation about how to map the XML. (Source: https://www.nuget.org/packages/JJ.Framework.Xml/)

Elements

By default properties are mapped to XML elements.

C#:

public int MyElement { get; set; }

XML:

<myElement>3</myElement>

Attributes

To map to XML attributes, mark a property with the XmlAttribute attribute.

C#:

[XmlAttribute]
public int MyAttribute { get; set; }

XML:

myAttribute="3"

Collections

If a property is a collection type, a parent XML element is expected, and a child element for each position in the array.

C#:

public int[] MyArray { get; set; }

XML:

<myArray>
  <int32>2</int32>
  <int32>3</int32>
  <int32>5</int32>
</myArray>

That single collection property maps to both this parent element and the child elements.

The supported collection types are Array types, List<T>, IList<T>, ICollection<T> and IEnumerable<T>.

Composite Types

You can easily work with composite types.

XML:

<myRoot>
  <myObject1 value="3" />
  <myObject2>
    <myArray>
      <item name="Name1" value="1" />
      <item name="Name2" value="2" >
        <childItem name="Child" value="3" />
      </item>
    </myArray>
  </myObject2>
</myRoot>

C#:

class MyRoot
{
    public MyClass MyObject1 { get; set; }
    public MyClass MyObject2 { get; set; }
}

class MyClass
{
    [XmlAttribute]
    public string Name { get; set; }

    [XmlAttribute]
    public int? Value { get; set; }

    [XmlArrayItem("item")]
    public MyClass[] MyArray { get; set; }

    public MyClass ChildItem { get; set; }
}

The composite types in the object structure must have parameterless constructors.

C#:

class MyClass
{
    // Having this constructor with a parameter causes an exception.
    public MyClass(int myConstructorParameter) { }
}

Standard Naming

By default the names in the XML are the camel-case version of the property names.

C#:

public int MyElement { get; set; }

XML:

<myElement>3</myElement>

Standard Naming for Collections

For XML array items, however, it is not the property name, but the camel case version of collection property's item type.

C#:

public int[] MyArray { get; set; }

XML:

<myArray>
  <int32>2</int32>
  <int32>3</int32>
  <int32>5</int32>
</myArray>

Custom Naming

To diverge from the standard naming , you can specify the node name explicitly by using the following .NET attributes on the properties: XmlElement, XmlAttribute, XmlArray and XmlArrayItem.

Custom Naming for Elements

C#:

[XmlElement("Elm")]
public int MyElement { get; set; }

XML:

<Elm>3</Elm>

Custom Naming for Attributes

C#:

[XmlAttribute("Attr")]
public int MyAttribute { get; set; }

XML:

Attr="3"

Custom Naming for Arrays

C#:

[XmlArray("Arr")]
[XmlArrayItem("Item")]
public int[] MyArray { get; set; }

XML:

<Arr>
  <Item>2</Item>
  <Item>3</Item>
  <Item>5</Item>
</Arr>

Nullability

Effort was made to make nullability as intuitive as possible.

Nullability for Reference Types

Reference types are always optional.

C#:

class MyRoot
{
	// Can be null
	public MyClass MyObject { get; set; }
}

XML:

<myRoot>
  <!-- No myObject element here, so the MyObject property in C# will be null. -->
</myRoot>

Nullability for Value Types

Value types are optional, only if they are nullable.

C#:

class MyRoot
{
	// The '?' makes it OK to leave out the XML element.
	public int? MyElement { get; set; }
}

XML:

<myRoot>
  <!-- myElement van be left out. -->
  <!-- Then the MyElement property in the C# code will be null. -->
</myRoot>

C#:

class MyRoot
{
	// Without the '?' the XML element is required.
	public int MyElement { get; set; }
}

XML:

<myRoot>
  <!-- myElement is required, otherwise you will get an exception. -->
  <myElement>3</myElement>
</myRoot>

Nullability for Collections

Collection types are always optional.

C#:

class MyRoot
{
	public int[] MyArray { get; set; }
}

If the parent element is missing from the XML, the collection will be null.

XML:

<myRoot>
  <!-- myArray can be left out, -->
  <!-- but then MyArray in the C# code will be null. -->
</myRoot>

If only the parent element is present, an empty collection will be assigned.

XML:

<myRoot>
  <!-- MyArray in the C# code will not be null, but an empty collection. -->
  <myArray />
</myRoot>

Value Types

Recognized values are the .NET primitive types: Boolean, Char, Byte, IntPtr, UIntPtr, the numeric types, their signed and unsigned variations and String, Guid, DateTime, TimeSpan and Enum types.

Error Messages

Effort was put into making the exception messages clear and accurate if there are structure mismatches.

<appSettings>
  <add key="MySetting" value="20"/>
</appSettings>

interface IMySettings
{
    int MySetting { get; }
}

int value = AppSettingsReader<IMySettings>.Get(x => x.MySetting);

<configSections>
  <section name="jj.demos.configuration" type="JJ.Framework.Configuration.ConfigurationSectionHandler, JJ.Framework.Configuration"/>
</configSections>

<jj.demos.configuration>
  <items>
    <item value="1" />
    <item value="2" >
      <child value="3" />
    </item>
  </items>
</jj.demos.configuration>

class ConfigurationSection
{
    public Item[] Items { get; set; }
}

class Item
{
    [XmlAttribute]
    public int Value { get; set; }
    public Item Child { get; set; }
}

var config = CustomConfigurationManager.GetSection<ConfigurationSection>();

int value = config.Items[1].Child.Value;

public int MyElement { get; set; }

<myElement>3</myElement>

[XmlAttribute]
public int MyAttribute { get; set; }

myAttribute="3"

public int[] MyArray { get; set; }

<myArray>
  <int32>2</int32>
  <int32>3</int32>
  <int32>5</int32>
</myArray>

<myRoot>
  <myObject1 value="3" />
  <myObject2>
    <myArray>
      <item name="Name1" value="1" />
      <item name="Name2" value="2" >
        <childItem name="Child" value="3" />
      </item>
    </myArray>
  </myObject2>
</myRoot>

class MyRoot
{
    public MyClass MyObject1 { get; set; }
    public MyClass MyObject2 { get; set; }
}

class MyClass
{
    [XmlAttribute]
    public string Name { get; set; }

    [XmlAttribute]
    public int? Value { get; set; }

    [XmlArrayItem("item")]
    public MyClass[] MyArray { get; set; }

    public MyClass ChildItem { get; set; }
}

class MyClass
{
    // Having this constructor with a parameter causes an exception.
    public MyClass(int myConstructorParameter) { }
}

public int MyElement { get; set; }

<myElement>3</myElement>

public int[] MyArray { get; set; }

<myArray>
  <int32>2</int32>
  <int32>3</int32>
  <int32>5</int32>
</myArray>

[XmlElement("Elm")]
public int MyElement { get; set; }

<Elm>3</Elm>

[XmlAttribute("Attr")]
public int MyAttribute { get; set; }

Attr="3"

[XmlArray("Arr")]
[XmlArrayItem("Item")]
public int[] MyArray { get; set; }

<Arr>
  <Item>2</Item>
  <Item>3</Item>
  <Item>5</Item>
</Arr>

class MyRoot
{
	// Can be null
	public MyClass MyObject { get; set; }
}

<myRoot>
  <!-- No myObject element here, so the MyObject property in C# will be null. -->
</myRoot>

class MyRoot
{
	// The '?' makes it OK to leave out the XML element.
	public int? MyElement { get; set; }
}

<myRoot>
  <!-- myElement van be left out. -->
  <!-- Then the MyElement property in the C# code will be null. -->
</myRoot>

class MyRoot
{
	// Without the '?' the XML element is required.
	public int MyElement { get; set; }
}

<myRoot>
  <!-- myElement is required, otherwise you will get an exception. -->
  <myElement>3</myElement>
</myRoot>

class MyRoot
{
	public int[] MyArray { get; set; }
}

<myRoot>
  <!-- myArray can be left out, -->
  <!-- but then MyArray in the C# code will be null. -->
</myRoot>

<myRoot>
  <!-- MyArray in the C# code will not be null, but an empty collection. -->
  <myArray />
</myRoot>