MSBuild or StyleCop task to verify key in App.config file?

Question

In several projects’ App.config file, there is a line

<add key="url" value="http://www.example.com/"/>

Upon each build, I want to have a task to verify that the "url" key does not have the text "http://localhost". Is there a way to do this?

Answer 1

I'm assuming you have a team, and some of your team members inadvertently checkin those configs, changing that value to localhost.

If this is the case, why not have transform files for each environment, where your debug configuration can set the key to localhost, and your production/test/stage/qa/whatever configuration can set it to example.com or something else.

You might not have been aware that msbuild can transform your config files. Essentially you have your main config file, and then a config file containing just the things changed, for each environment. Upon doing a build, msbuild will modify the main one with whatever the changes are in the other "transform" files.

App.Config Transformation for projects which are not Web Projects in Visual Studio 2010?

Your transform file would look like:

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<!-- For more information on using web.config transformation visit http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=125889 -->

<configuration xmlns:xdt="http://schemas.microsoft.com/XML-Document-Transform">    
  <appSettings>
    <add key="url" value="http://www.example.com/" xdt:Locator="Match(key)" xdt:Transform="SetAttributes"/>
  </appSettings>
</configuration>

The microsoft link is to http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd465326(VS.100).aspx

They can easily be used on web.configs, as well as app.configs, with a little tweaking to your project file.

Answer 2

An alternative solution would be to integrate unit tests as part of your build, and have the test verify the key in your web.config.

Go to your builds:

Right click on your build and click on edit build definition:

Choose process:

Now we can set fail on build here: