How to create custom config section in app.config?

Question

I want to add a custom configuration section in my app.config file. Is there a way to do it and how can I access these settings in my program. Following is the config section I want to add to my app.config:

<RegisterCompanies>
    <Companies>
      <Company name="Tata Motors" code="Tata"/>
      <Company name="Honda Motors" code="Honda"/>
    </Companies>
</RegisterCompanies>

Answer 1

Import namespace :

using System.Configuration;

Create ConfigurationElement Company :

public class Company : ConfigurationElement
{

        [ConfigurationProperty("name", IsRequired = true)]
        public string Name
        {
            get
            {
                return this["name"] as string;
            }
        }
            [ConfigurationProperty("code", IsRequired = true)]
        public string Code
        {
            get
            {
                return this["code"] as string;
            }
        }
}

ConfigurationElementCollection:

public class Companies
        : ConfigurationElementCollection
    {
        public Company this[int index]
        {
            get
            {
                return base.BaseGet(index) as Company ;
            }
            set
            {
                if (base.BaseGet(index) != null)
                {
                    base.BaseRemoveAt(index);
                }
                this.BaseAdd(index, value);
            }
        }

       public new Company this[string responseString]
       {
            get { return (Company) BaseGet(responseString); }
            set
            {
                if(BaseGet(responseString) != null)
                {
                    BaseRemoveAt(BaseIndexOf(BaseGet(responseString)));
                }
                BaseAdd(value);
            }
        }

        protected override System.Configuration.ConfigurationElement CreateNewElement()
        {
            return new Company();
        }

        protected override object GetElementKey(System.Configuration.ConfigurationElement element)
        {
            return ((Company)element).Name;
        }
    }

and ConfigurationSection:

public class RegisterCompaniesConfig
        : ConfigurationSection
    {

        public static RegisterCompaniesConfig GetConfig()
        {
            return (RegisterCompaniesConfig)System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.GetSection("RegisterCompanies") ?? new RegisterCompaniesConfig();
        }

        [System.Configuration.ConfigurationProperty("Companies")]
            [ConfigurationCollection(typeof(Companies), AddItemName = "Company")]
        public Companies Companies
        {
            get
            {
                object o = this["Companies"];
                return o as Companies;
            }
        }

    }

and you must also register your new configuration section in web.config (app.config):

<configuration>       
    <configSections>
          <section name="Companies" type="blablaNameSpace.RegisterCompaniesConfig, blablaAssemblyName" ..>

then you load your config with

var config = RegisterCompaniesConfig.GetConfig();
foreach(var item in config.Companies)
{
   do something ..
}