Using a Website-specific ConnectionString with a DLL

Question

The Setup:

I have a DLL that uses a ConnectionString to connect to a SQL database. When I add the DLL to my website i have to add the connectionstring into my web.config in order for my DLL to function properly (this is by design). Once I add it into the web.config then everything works fine (as expected).

The Problem:

The problem begins when I want to move the connectionstring into my Website's ASP.NET Application settings found in IIS > Default Website > Properties > ASP.NET tab > Edit Global Configuration... > Connection string manager

If I remove it from my web.config and put it there my DLL fails to work. If I use the connectionstring anywhere else in my website (and not from a DLL) I can access the database just fine through this method but for some reason my DLL can only access it if it's in the web.config.

The Question:

How can I get my DLL to use the connectionstring that's listed in the ASP.NET Configuration Settings Connection String Manager instead of the web.config?

Answer 1

You have to look for the section from the general ASP.Net configuration settings, which can be retrieved through the WebConfigurationManager class, rather than looking for a connection string via ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings.

    // Get the connectionStrings section.
ConnectionStringsSection connectionStringsSection =
    WebConfigurationManager.GetSection("connectionStrings")
    as ConnectionStringsSection;

// Get the connectionStrings key,value pairs collection.
ConnectionStringSettingsCollection connectionStrings =
    connectionStringsSection.ConnectionStrings;

// Get the collection enumerator.
IEnumerator connectionStringsEnum =
    connectionStrings.GetEnumerator();