Understanding Web.Config *RESOLVED*

[fungi]

I'm using the config file for storing some application-wide settings. So I have an entry like this in web.config:

<appSettings>
&nbsp&nbsp<add key="A" value="whatever" />
</appSettings>

I then grab the value for a key like like this:

ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings("A")

Nothing special so far...

But what I've also got is a web app nested within another web app, so it kind of looks like:

Parent Virtual Directory
&nbsp;&nbsp;Web.Config (Key="A"...)
&nbsp;&nbsp;Parent.aspx
&nbsp;&nbsp;Child Virtual Directory
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Web.Config (Key="B"...)
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Child.aspx

The behavior I'm seeing is the Child code can retreive a config setting defined at the parent level. In other words in the above example, child.aspx can make 2 calls :

ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings("A")
ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings("B")

and get a value for each, but each value is coming from a different config file.

Is this legitimate stuff? Understanding better will really help me out. Thanks!

[Redth]

well, this is how it works...

if you don't have a web.config file in a subfolder of the folder above it, the subfolder will use the web.config file from the folder that the subfolder is in...

example...

wwwroot
   -MySite
    Web.Config
       -MySubFolder
        Web.Config

If -MySubFolder didn't contain a web.config, all settings from the wwwroot/MySite/Web.Config file would apply to all files in MySubFolder....

and even if you do have a Web.Config file in MySubFolder, all settings that are specified in wwwroot/MySite/Web.Config apply to MySubFolder, unless the Web.Config file in MySubFolder specifies otherwise...

it's kind of like inheritable permissions in winnt/2k/xp... it assumes all the settings of the parent directory's config file unless the setting is specific in the owner's own config file...

that is why your Key A and Key B both work.... try putting the A Key, and a different value for Key A in the child directorie's config file... it will return that value...

i hope that's somewhat clear.. it's late and it's hard for me to get my point across in words

[fungi]

Thanks redth, you clarified nicely just what I was suspecting. Any ideas on where I'd look to find this information discussed officially like in MSDN?