SqlConnectionStringBuilder: ApplicationName property not being set - vb.net

As per title, this simple code should create a ConnectionString for SqlServer:
Dim ConnectionBuilder As New SqlConnectionStringBuilder
With ConnectionBuilder
.ApplicationName = "My App Name"
.ConnectionString = $"Server={SQLServerNameAndIstance};Database={TargetDB}"
.UserID = ConnectionUser
.Password = ConnectionPassword
.Pooling = True
.WorkstationID = ClientID
End With
ConnectionString = ConnectionBuilder.ToString
However, in SSMS I see the default name ".Net Sql Client Data Provider": if I set as below
.ConnectionString = $"Server={SQLServerNameAndIstance};Database={TargetDB};Application Name=My App Name"
all works as expected.
What's wrong with that code? Or what's wrong with SqlConnectionStringBuilder?

The best way to solve that problem is by using a .udl file, where you can configure the SQL parameters to make the connection and at the end you'll have a view that will give you all extra parameters and you can compare with the ones you wrote in you code.
Just create on your desktop a text file called test.txt, if you cannot see the extension .txt you need to open a window explorer > go to See/View > Options > See/View > and uncheck the "Hide files with known extensions" (or similar to that).
Then go to your test.txt file and change to test.udl, open the file and configure the values to make the connection you want. After a successful connection, you can go to the last tab ALL and compare all parameters with the ones you put on your code.

Related

Setting MS Access password at runtime in vb.net designer generated system

I am developing a VB.NET update system for a volunteer organisation’s MS Access database. The database is protected by a password as it contains personal information. I have created the application using the VB designer. I need to be able to code the application so that, if the owner decides to change the MS Access password, they will have no need to come back to me to change the code and rebuild the solution. In other words, I do not want the password to be hard coded in the app.config file or the settings.designer.vb file. My code should not need to know the password as a simple call to one of the Fill functions can test any password entered by the user. My problem is that I have found no way to alter the connection string that is tested in the setttings.designer.vb code whenever the database is accessed. I am using Visual Studio 2017.
I have spent a long time searching the web for answers and have tried various solutions involving the configurationmanager without success. I am new to this area so I would be most grateful if anyone here can help.
Here is my latest attempt which still produces an invalid password error even though the third debug statement suggests that the connection string, including the password, has been correctly set.
Public Sub UpdateConnString(connString As String)
Dim configFileMap As New ExeConfigurationFileMap()
Dim config As Configuration = ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(configFileMap.ExeConfigFilename)
Dim connStringName As String = "TestConnectionString"
Debug.Print("0 " + config.ConnectionStrings.ConnectionStrings(connStringName).ConnectionString)
config.ConnectionStrings.ConnectionStrings(connStringName).ConnectionString = connString
Debug.Print("1 " + config.ConnectionStrings.ConnectionStrings(connStringName).ConnectionString)
config.Save(ConfigurationSaveMode.Modified, True)
Debug.Print("2 " + config.ConnectionStrings.ConnectionStrings(connStringName).ConnectionString)
End Sub
Just because a connection string is stored in the config file, you aren't required to use it as it is. You can read in that default value and then edit it before using it, e.g.
Dim builder As New OleDbConnectionStringBuilder(My.Settings.DefaultConnectionString)
builder.DataSource = dataSource
Dim connectionString = builder.ConnectionString
You can add or modify any part of a connection string you want that way at run time.
Thank you for your response. Unfortunately, the code throws a compilation error - "DefaultConnectionString is not a member of My.Settings".
Fortunatley I have now managed to find a working solution:
'My.Settings.Item("TestConnectionString") = connectionString

Unable to set write permission on file

I want to create a file and give a user write permission.
IO.File.Create(Path & "\test.json")
Dim fs As Security.AccessControl.FileSecurity = IO.File.GetAccessControl(Path & "\test.json")
Dim far As Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule = New Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule("DOMAIN\USER", Security.AccessControl.FileSystemRights.WriteData, Security.AccessControl.AccessControlType.Allow)
fs.AddAccessRule(far)
When I check the Security tab for this file, I see no changes. VS2015 output window does not show any exceptions. VS2015 is running as Administrator.
I used this for reference: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/d49cww7f(v=vs.110).aspx
All you have changed in your code is the in-memory file security. In order to apply these changes to the file, you must call SetAccessControl.
For example:
File.SetAccessControl(Path & "\test.json", fs)

connection string path dynamically in vb.net

I made a desktop application in vb.net. I give the reference path of connection string through the .udl. The problem is when I place the folder in another location the path string does not change and hence results in an error. Kindly suggest. Connection details are as follows
_connStr = System.IO.File.ReadAllText("C:\Users\avt\Desktop\New folder\a.udl")
con = New OleDbConnection(_connStr)
First of all, why are you using Text file to save your connection String ?
Go to Project Properties -> Settings and create a ConnectionString setting to save your connection string. That'll solve your problem. Using a Text file for ConnectionString is not a valid way.

Retrieving records from SQL Server CE [is anybody on this planet can solve this issue??]

I have included database in my project(at root).
The connection string
Data Source=|DataDirectory|\TSM_DB.sdf;Password=xxx;Persist Security Info=True;Max Database Size=512
TSM_DB.sdf properties:
Build Action = Content
Copy to Output Directory = Copy if newer
Dataset properties:
Build Action = None
Copy to Output Directory = Do Not Copy
My problem:
When I try to insert data into the database it gets inserted to the database present in Debug folder and not in the database which is included in the project...
And that’s why (obviously) my select statement does not find any record in the database (according to my connection string)...
I think the query (code) is perfectly fine, but some sort of settings need be done.
How do I solve this issue?
EDIT :
Example Select Code (working : when connection string path is Absolute)
Try
Dim cnt_temp
Dim SQLquery As String
Dim myConString As String = My.Settings.TSM_DBConnectionString
con.ConnectionString = myConString
SQLquery = "SELECT * FROM tbl_outward"
Dim DA As SqlCeDataAdapter, Ds As New DataSet, Dtb As New System.Data.DataTable
DA = New SqlCeDataAdapter(SQLquery, con)
DA.Fill(Ds)
Dtb = Ds.Tables(0)
cnt_temp = Dtb.Rows.Count
MsgBox(cnt_temp)
con.Close()
Catch ex As Exception
MsgBox("Error..!", MsgBoxStyle.Exclamation)
End Try
When I try to insert data into the database it gets inserted to the database present in Debug folder and not in the database which is included in the project...
Which is exactly what you told it to do, and is what you want. The database in your project folder is part of the source code. When you test or debug your code, the data changed is part of your test or temporary debug output, not your source code.
When you test your code, would you want the test overwriting your source code? I hope not, that would destroy your source; and when you deploy your project you don't usually deploy your source code. The same is true of your data; the data in your project is part of your application and is not the end-user data. When you install your application your source data gets installed to DataDirectory, which is part of your application and is not user data; the user may not even be able to write to it.
When you uninstall or update your application, DataDirectory gets uninstalled or updated. You don't want to do that to your user's data; would you like it if every time you updated Microsoft Word it deleted every Word file on your drive? That's what would happen if Word stored user data in its equivalent of DataDirectory.
DataDirectory is only for your app's private use. If a user needs this data you should copy it to a user-writable place that won't get deleted, like Environment.SpecialFolder.ApplicationData.
Further explanations at this answer.

Opening a file using impersonation

I have been searching the web looking for a way to open a WORD file from a secure network folder by impersonating a user who has access. The closest I've come to finding the answer was this from 2 years ago:
Impersonating in .net (C#) & opening a file via Process.start
Here is the code that I am using. When I set the arguments = LocalFile_Test, everything works perfectly because the user is accessing the local c:\ that is has access to. But when I set arguments = RemoteFile_Test, Word opens up a blank document which is the same effect as if I put garbage in the arguments. So it appears that it cannot find the file even though when I login with the user/domain/password that I specify in the properties below, I can find that exact file name and it is not empty. Does anything jump out at you right away? I appreciate your time.
Dim LocalFile_Test As String = "C:\New.docx"
Dim RemoteFile_Test As String = "\\Server1\Apps\File\New.docx"
Dim MyStartInfo As New System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo
MyStartInfo.FileName = "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\WINWORD.exe "
MyStartInfo.Arguments = LocalFile_Test
MyStartInfo.LoadUserProfile = True
MyStartInfo.UseShellExecute = False
MyStartInfo.UserName = "specialuser"
MyStartInfo.Domain = "mydomainname"
MyStartInfo.Password = New System.Security.SecureString()
MyStartInfo.Password.AppendChar("p"c)
MyStartInfo.Password.AppendChar("a"c)
MyStartInfo.Password.AppendChar("s"c)
MyStartInfo.Password.AppendChar("s"c)
Process.Start(MyStartInfo)
My understanding is that you are trying to get a password protected file from a server, and when you do process start, it just opens up a blank word doc. I think the error is how you are trying to get the file, I think you have to map the actual physical path of the file on the server, like
System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath("\\Server1\Apps\File\New.docx")
From there, I am fairly certain, you need to create network credentials for the user like
System.Net.NetworkCredential=New NetworkCredential(userName:=, password:=)
Finally, once that is done, you can either write the file, or transmit the file like so...
System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Response.TransmitFile(file name)
System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Response.WriteFile(file name)
Then,once you get the file, you can try to open it with process start.
Hope that helps, let me know if what I said doesn't work.