.Net Core How to Access Configuration Anywhere in application - asp.net-core

Question

I have read through the documentation on the different ways to setup and access configuration in .Net Core 2.1 and also the options pattern that seems to be recommended (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/fundamentals/configuration/options?view=aspnetcore-2.1). However, I can't seem to get what I want working:
I have done the following:
AppSettings:
{
"ConnectionStrings": {
"DefaultConnStr": "Server=(localdb)\\MSSQLLocalDB;Database=_CHANGE_ME;Trusted_Connection=True;MultipleActiveResultSets=true;Integrated Security=true",
"AW2012ConnStr": "Server=localhost;Database=AW2012;Trusted_Connection=True;MultipleActiveResultSets=true;Integrated Security=true"
}
}
MyConfig:
public class MyConfig
{
public string AWConnStr { get; }
public string DefaultConnStr { get; }
}
Startup:
public class Startup
{
public IConfiguration _config { get; set; }
public Startup(IHostingEnvironment env)
{
var builder = new ConfigurationBuilder()
.SetBasePath(env.ContentRootPath)
.AddJsonFile("appsettings.json", optional: true, reloadOnChange: true);
_config = builder.Build();
}
public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
services.AddOptions();
//add config to services for dependency injection
//services.AddTransient<IMyConfig, MyConfig>();
//services.AddScoped<IMyConfig, MyConfig>();
var section = _config.GetSection("ConnectionStrings");
services.Configure<MyConfig>(section);
}
private static void HandleGetData(IApplicationBuilder app)
{
//DataHelper dataHelper = new DataHelper(_dataHelper);
var _dataHelper = app.ApplicationServices.GetService<DataHelper>();
app.Run(async context =>
{
//await context.Response.WriteAsync("<b>Get Data</b>");
//await context.Response.WriteAsync(dataHelper.GetCompetitions(context.Request.QueryString.ToString()));
await context.Response.WriteAsync(_dataHelper.GetCompetitions(context.Request.QueryString.ToString()));
});
}
public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IHostingEnvironment env)
{
app.Map("/Route1", HandleRoute1);
app.Map("/Route2", HandleRoute2);
app.Map("/GetData", HandleGetData);
app.Run(async (context) =>
{
await context.Response.WriteAsync("Non Mapped Default");
});
}
}
I would like to then access the configuration in any class anywhere in my code. So for example I have the following class where I would like to just read the configuration information:
public interface IDataHelper
{
string GetCompetitions(string val);
}
public class DataHelper : IDataHelper
{
private readonly MyConfig _settings;
public DataHelper(IOptions<MyConfig> options)
{
_settings = options.Value;
}
public string GetCompetitions( string queryStringVals)
{
return _settings.AWConnStr;
}
}
As shown above in my Startup class I then want to access/call something in the HandleGetData function in my startup, so that when I browse to the following route: http://localhost:xxxxx/getdata I get back the response from the Something.GetData function.
Is this correct? The problem I'm having is that when I create an instance of class Something, it is requiring me to pass in the configuration object, but doesn't that defeat the purpose of injecting it. How should I be setting this up to work similar to how DBContext gets the context injected with the configuration options. And what's the difference between services.AddTransient and services.AddScoped? I've seen both as a way to register the service.

Answer 1

I would say that in .Net Core application you shouldn't pass instance of IConfiguration to your controllers or other classes. You should use strongly typed settings injected through IOtions<T> instead. Applying it to your case, modify MyConfig class (also property names should match names in config, so you have to rename either config (DefaultConnection->DefaultConnStr, AW2012ConnStr->AWConnStr or properies vice versa):
public class MyConfig
{
public string AWConnStr { get; set; }
public string DefaultConnStr { get; set; }
}
Register it:
public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
// in case config properties specified at root level of config file
// services.Configure<MyConfig>(Configuration);
// in case there are in some section (seems to be your case)
var section = Configuration.GetSection("ConnectionStrings");
services.Configure<MyConfig>(section);
}
Inject it to required service:
public class MyService
{
private readonly MyConfig _settings;
public MyService(IOptions<MyConfig> options)
{
_settings = options.Value;
}
}
And what's the difference between services.AddTransient and
services.AddScoped? I've seen both as a way to register the service.
Transient lifetime services are created each time they're requested.
Scoped lifetime services are created once per request.

Answer 2

You have to do the same thing for the Something as you did for MyConfig like:
public interface ISomething
{
string GetSomeData();
}
Then:
public class Something : ISomething
{
public IConfiguration _config { get; set; }
public Something(IConfiguration configuration)
{
_config = configuration;
}
public string GetSomeData()
{
return _config["DefaultConnStr"];
}
}
Then in the ConfigureService method of the Startup class as follows:
services.AddScoped<ISomething,Something>();
Then call the GetSomeData() as follows:
public class CallerClass
{
public ISomething _something { get; set; }
public CallerClass(ISomething something)
{
_something = something;
}
public string CallerMethod()
{
return _something.GetSomeData();
}
}
Then:
And what's the difference between services.AddTransient and services.AddScoped? I've seen both as a way to register the service.
Here is the details about this from microsoft:
Service Lifetime details in ASP.NET Core