App Settings

M

Morris Neuman

Hi,
My website can use either an SQL or Access database, based on the setting in
the web.config file.
<appSettings>
<!--If using Access then set value="AccessDataSource1"/>-->
<!--If using MS SQL then set value="SqlDataSource1"/>-->
<add key="MyDataSource" value="SqlDataSource1"/>
</appSettings>

In my content page I have
1) a gridview defined as follows:
<asp:GridView ID="GridView1" runat="server"
AllowPaging="True" AllowSorting="True"
AutoGenerateColumns="False" DataKeyNames="AttendantID,TimeOfDay"
DataSourceID='<%$ AppSettings:MyDataSource %>' >
<Columns>
< columns defined>
</Columns>

2) a button and textbox defined as:
<asp:Button id="Button2" runat="server" Text="View Selected"
onclick="Button2_Click" />
<br />
<asp:TextBox ID="TextBox2" runat="server"></asp:TextBox>

3) I have also defined a Button2_Click event as follows:
protected void Button2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{
SqlDataSource1.SelectCommand = "SELECT Attendant.AttendantID,
Attendant.TimeOfDay, AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber,
AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayDescription, Attendant.ExtensionToDial,
Attendant.DirectoryListing FROM Attendant INNER JOIN AttTimeOfDayXref ON
Attendant.TimeOfDay = AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber WHERE AttendantID = "
+ TextBox2.Text;
GridView1.DataBind();
}


My question is how can I set the Button2_Click event to allow the
SqlDataSource1.SelectCommand to reflect the chosen database based on the app
setting in web.config.

I tried
<%$ AppSettings:MyDataSource %>.SelectCommand, using different syntax and
keep getting and error.

Can you tell me the code to use in the Button2_Click event so I can
reference the app setting from the web.config in the .SelectCommand?
 
S

Steven Cheng

Hi Morris,

From your description you want to get the reference of the SqlDataSource
whose ID is specified in the appSettings in the web.config. Is my
understanding correct?

If so please try following code to get the reference:

string id = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["MyDataSource"];
SqlDataSource sds = this.FindControl("MyDataSource") as SqlDataSource;

If it's not what you need please clarify your requirement.

In addition, from your code I can see your web site is under the risk of
SQL injection attack. I strongly recommend you read the following article
to learn what it is and how to make your site more secure.

http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2006/09/30/Tip_2F00_Trick_3A00_-Guard
-Against-SQL-Injection-Attacks.aspx

If you need further assistance please feel free to ask.

Sincerely,

Steven Cheng

Microsoft MSDN Online Support Lead


Delighting our customers is our #1 priority. We welcome your comments and
suggestions about how we can improve the support we provide to you. Please
feel free to let my manager know what you think of the level of service
provided. You can send feedback directly to my manager at:
(e-mail address removed).

==================================================
Get notification to my posts through email? Please refer to
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/aa948868.aspx#notifications.

Note: MSDN Managed Newsgroup support offering is for non-urgent issues
where an initial response from the community or a Microsoft Support
Engineer within 2 business day is acceptable. Please note that each follow
up response may take approximately 2 business days as the support
professional working with you may need further investigation to reach the
most efficient resolution. The offering is not appropriate for situations
that require urgent, real-time or phone-based interactions. Issues of this
nature are best handled working with a dedicated Microsoft Support Engineer
by contacting Microsoft Customer Support Services (CSS) at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/aa948874.aspx
==================================================
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.



--------------------
 
M

Morris Neuman

Thanks Steven.

I made the change as suggested, then I changed the .SelectCommand from
SqlDataSource1.SelectCommand to sds.SelectCommand as follows:
protected void Button2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
string id = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["MyDataSource"];
SqlDataSource sds = this.FindControl("MyDataSource") as SqlDataSource;

sds.SelectCommand = "SELECT Attendant.AttendantID,
Attendant.TimeOfDay, AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber,
AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayDescription, Attendant.ExtensionToDial,
Attendant.DirectoryListing FROM Attendant INNER JOIN AttTimeOfDayXref ON
Attendant.TimeOfDay = AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber WHERE AttendantID = "
+ TextBox2.Text;
GridView1.DataBind();
GridView1.Visible = true;
}

I get the following error:
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the
current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about
the error and where it originated in the code.
Exception Details: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set
to an instance of an object.
Source Error:
Line 26: SqlDataSource sds = this.FindControl("MyDataSource") as
SqlDataSource;
Line 27:
Line 28: sds.SelectCommand = "SELECT Attendant.AttendantID,
Attendant.TimeOfDay, AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber,
AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayDescription, Attendant.ExtensionToDial,
Attendant.DirectoryListing FROM Attendant INNER JOIN AttTimeOfDayXref ON
Attendant.TimeOfDay = AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber ORDER BY
Attendant.AttendantID"; ;
Line 29: GridView1.DataBind();
Line 30: GridView1.Visible = true;
Source File:
c:\Inetpub\wwwroot\CMWebManager\SystemAdminOnly\Copies\Test.aspx Line: 28

Three questions for code in the click event?
1) how should I reference the .SelectCommand in your suggestion?
2) How would I be able to check if the app setting is pointing to
SqlDataSource1 or AccessDataSource1?
3) if the app setting is pointing to the AccessDataSource1 I don't think I
could use the SqlDataSource so what would I use? What would I need in the
code in the click event change?

Sorry if this is very basic stuff but I am learning and have not dealt much
with actual coding.
--
Thanks for your time and help
Morris


"Steven Cheng" said:
Hi Morris,

From your description you want to get the reference of the SqlDataSource
whose ID is specified in the appSettings in the web.config. Is my
understanding correct?

If so please try following code to get the reference:

string id = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["MyDataSource"];
SqlDataSource sds = this.FindControl("MyDataSource") as SqlDataSource;

If it's not what you need please clarify your requirement.

In addition, from your code I can see your web site is under the risk of
SQL injection attack. I strongly recommend you read the following article
to learn what it is and how to make your site more secure.

http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2006/09/30/Tip_2F00_Trick_3A00_-Guard
-Against-SQL-Injection-Attacks.aspx

If you need further assistance please feel free to ask.

Sincerely,

Steven Cheng

Microsoft MSDN Online Support Lead


Delighting our customers is our #1 priority. We welcome your comments and
suggestions about how we can improve the support we provide to you. Please
feel free to let my manager know what you think of the level of service
provided. You can send feedback directly to my manager at:
(e-mail address removed).

==================================================
Get notification to my posts through email? Please refer to
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/aa948868.aspx#notifications.

Note: MSDN Managed Newsgroup support offering is for non-urgent issues
where an initial response from the community or a Microsoft Support
Engineer within 2 business day is acceptable. Please note that each follow
up response may take approximately 2 business days as the support
professional working with you may need further investigation to reach the
most efficient resolution. The offering is not appropriate for situations
that require urgent, real-time or phone-based interactions. Issues of this
nature are best handled working with a dedicated Microsoft Support Engineer
by contacting Microsoft Customer Support Services (CSS) at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/aa948874.aspx
==================================================
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.



--------------------
Click to expand...
 
A

Allen Chen [MSFT]

Hi Morris,

I'm Allen Chen. Yesterday I'm out of office so I asked Steven to help me
post my replies to your three posts. Now I'll follow up your cases.

First, sorry that it's my typo. Here's the correct code:

string id = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["MyDataSource"];
SqlDataSource sds = this.FindControl(id) as SqlDataSource;

The first line gets the appsttings value from web.config and the second
line uses FindControl method to get the reference of the SqlDataSource
control.

Quote from Morris =================================================
1) how should I reference the .SelectCommand in your suggestion?


=================================================

Please try the correct code above. Sorry for that again.

Quote from Morris =================================================

2) How would I be able to check if the app setting is pointing to
SqlDataSource1 or AccessDataSource1?

3) if the app setting is pointing to the AccessDataSource1 I don't think I
could use the SqlDataSource so what would I use? What would I need in the
code in the click event change?
=================================================

We can try this way to do so:

string id = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["MyDataSource"];
Control datasourcecontrol = this.FindControl(id);
if (datasourcecontrol is SqlDataSource)
{
//Your code
}
else if (datasourcecontrol is AccessDataSource)
{
//Your code
}

You can refer to the following documentation to learn is operator.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/scekt9xw(VS.71).aspx

Please let me know if you have further questions.

Regards,
Allen Chen
Microsoft Online Community Support
 
M

Morris Neuman

Hi,

1) When I tried the revised code, I get error.
Revised code
protected void Button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
string id = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["MyDataSource"];
SqlDataSource sds = this.FindControl(id) as SqlDataSource;

sds.SelectCommand = "SELECT Attendant.AttendantID,
Attendant.TimeOfDay, AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber,
AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayDescription, Attendant.ExtensionToDial,
Attendant.DirectoryListing FROM Attendant INNER JOIN AttTimeOfDayXref ON
Attendant.TimeOfDay = AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber ORDER BY
Attendant.AttendantID"; ;
GridView1.DataBind();
GridView1.Visible = true;
}

Error
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the
current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about
the error and where it originated in the code.
Exception Details: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set
to an instance of an object.
Source Error:
Line 28: SqlDataSource sds = this.FindControl(id) as SqlDataSource;
Line 29:
Line 30: sds.SelectCommand = "SELECT Attendant.AttendantID,
Attendant.TimeOfDay, AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber,
AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayDescription, Attendant.ExtensionToDial,
Attendant.DirectoryListing FROM Attendant INNER JOIN AttTimeOfDayXref ON
Attendant.TimeOfDay = AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber ORDER BY
Attendant.AttendantID"; ;
Line 31: GridView1.DataBind();
Line 32: GridView1.Visible = true;
Source File:
c:\Inetpub\wwwroot\CMWebManager\SystemAdminOnly\Copies\Test.aspx Line: 30

When I display id in TextBox2 it is set to SqlDataSource1.


3) When I use the button_click as follows, nothing shows in TextBox2. What
am I doing wrong?

protected void Button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
string id = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["MyDataSource"];
Control datasourcecontrol = this.FindControl(id);
if (datasourcecontrol is SqlDataSource)
{
TextBox2.Text = "SqlDataSource";
}
else if (datasourcecontrol is AccessDataSource)
{
TextBox2.Text = "AccessDataSource";
//Your code
}
--
Sorry for so many questions but I have read many articles and examples and
walkthroughs but just cannot understand wht I am doint wrong. Any details
you can provide would be much appreciated.

Thanks for understanding and help.
Morris


Allen Chen said:
Hi Morris,

I'm Allen Chen. Yesterday I'm out of office so I asked Steven to help me
post my replies to your three posts. Now I'll follow up your cases.

First, sorry that it's my typo. Here's the correct code:

string id = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["MyDataSource"];
SqlDataSource sds = this.FindControl(id) as SqlDataSource;

The first line gets the appsttings value from web.config and the second
line uses FindControl method to get the reference of the SqlDataSource
control.

Quote from Morris =================================================
1) how should I reference the .SelectCommand in your suggestion?


=================================================

Please try the correct code above. Sorry for that again.

Quote from Morris =================================================

2) How would I be able to check if the app setting is pointing to
SqlDataSource1 or AccessDataSource1?

3) if the app setting is pointing to the AccessDataSource1 I don't think I
could use the SqlDataSource so what would I use? What would I need in the
code in the click event change?
=================================================

We can try this way to do so:

string id = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["MyDataSource"];
Control datasourcecontrol = this.FindControl(id);
if (datasourcecontrol is SqlDataSource)
{
//Your code
}
else if (datasourcecontrol is AccessDataSource)
{
//Your code
}

You can refer to the following documentation to learn is operator.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/scekt9xw(VS.71).aspx

Please let me know if you have further questions.

Regards,
Allen Chen
Microsoft Online Community Support
Click to expand...
 
A

Allen Chen [MSFT]

Hi Morris,

I think the problem is caused by this line:

Control datasourcecontrol = this.FindControl(id);

If we set a breakpoint after this line and check the value of
datasourcecontrol we may find it's null. (Please confim it on your side.
You can refer to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308469 to learn how to set
breakpoints in Visual Studio).

There're some general reasons that can cause this problem, including trying
to find a control in the ItemTemplate, trying to find a control of the
content page from a master page, etc.

If you want to find the control of the content page from a master page you
can first get the reference of the ContentPlaceHolder, then use
ContentPlaceHolder.FindControl method to get the reference of the control
you need to find.

For example, we need to try following way to find the subButton control
from the master page.

Master Page:
Aspx:
<asp:Button ID="Button1" runat="server" Text="Button"
onclick="Button1_Click" />
<asp:ContentPlaceHolder ID="ContentPlaceHolder1" runat="server">

</asp:ContentPlaceHolder>
Aspx.cs:
protected void Button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Control c = this.ContentPlaceHolder1.FindControl("subButton");
}

Content page:

<asp:Content ID="Content2" ContentPlaceHolderID="ContentPlaceHolder1"
runat="server">
<asp:Button ID="subButton" runat="server" Text="Button" />
</asp:Content>

You don't have to feel sorry, Morris. Everyone will have many questions
when stepping into a new field.

To make our discussion more targeted you can send me a demo. We can discuss
further based on the demo. I think it will help to solve this problem
faster.

Regards,
Allen Chen
Microsoft Online Community Support

Delighting our customers is our #1 priority. We welcome your comments and
suggestions about how we can improve the support we provide to you. Please
feel free to let my manager know what you think of the level of service
provided. You can send feedback directly to my manager at:
(e-mail address removed).

==================================================
Get notification to my posts through email? Please refer to
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/aa948868.aspx#notifications.

Note: MSDN Managed Newsgroup support offering is for non-urgent issues
where an initial response from the community or a Microsoft Support
Engineer within 2 business day is acceptable. Please note that each follow
up response may take approximately 2 business days as the support
professional working with you may need further investigation to reach the
most efficient resolution. The offering is not appropriate for situations
that require urgent, real-time or phone-based interactions. Issues of this
nature are best handled working with a dedicated Microsoft Support Engineer
by contacting Microsoft Customer Support Services (CSS) at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/aa948874.aspx
==================================================
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
 
M

Morris Neuman

You are right, when I set a check point the value of datasourcecontrol is
null. I got around the issue by doing the following:

protected void ViewSelect_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
string id = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["MyDataSource"];
Control datasourcecontrol = this.FindControl(id);

if (id.Equals("SqlDataSource1"))
{
GridView1.DataSourceID = "SqlDataSource1";
SqlDataSource1.SelectCommand = "SELECT Attendant.AttendantID,
Attendant.TimeOfDay, AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber,
AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayDescription, Attendant.ExtensionToDial,
Attendant.DirectoryListing FROM Attendant INNER JOIN AttTimeOfDayXref ON
Attendant.TimeOfDay = AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber WHERE AttendantID = '"
+ TextBox2.Text + "'";
GridView1.DataBind();
GridView1.Visible = true;
}
else if (id.Equals("AccessDataSource1"))
{
GridView1.DataSourceID = "AccessDataSource1";
AccessDataSource1.SelectCommand = "SELECT Attendant.AttendantID,
Attendant.TimeOfDay, AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber,
AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayDescription, Attendant.ExtensionToDial,
Attendant.DirectoryListing FROM Attendant INNER JOIN AttTimeOfDayXref ON
Attendant.TimeOfDay = AttTimeOfDayXref.TimeOfDayNumber WHERE AttendantID = '"
+ TextBox2.Text + "'";
GridView1.DataBind();
GridView1.Visible = true;
}

Hope this is OK to use as I have done.

Thanks for your help.
 
A

Allen Chen [MSFT]

Hi Morris,

In my opinion relying on the id to decide the programming logic is probably
not a good approach. However, if you like to do so you can just keep it.

What I want to warn is the risk of the SQL injection attack of your code.
Please make sure you've read the following article:

http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2006/09/30/Tip_2F00_Trick_3A00_-Guard
-Against-SQL-Injection-Attacks.aspx

And change your code correspondingly.

Regards,
Allen Chen
Microsoft Online Community Support
 

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