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I am relatively new to C#, however I do have some basic knowledge of code from courses in high school and university. However, there is one thing I have not been able to figure out over the years. I am currently making a Form Application for a database system that stores information in a List using Visual Studios 2010.

On my main form; when the save button is pressed, the information is then serialized into an XML file. When the information is loaded, the information is then deserialized and put into the List for use in the code. All this is working correctly.

This process of saving and loading is done based on a string which contains the file path. This string is the location of a folder on my desktop (I put it there for easy access), and I am able to change the string in the code to basically move where the information is stored.

However, I have a separate "Admin" form which is able to change this file path string. When the user clicks the button to change the file path, I get the input from a text box, check its formatting, move the current file to the new location and update the location for the save method so changes can be saved before the program is closed. From there, the program reacts the same way as if I had changed the string from inside the code.

The problem occurs when I close the program. I do not know how to tell the program when it runs again that the location has been changed from the default and look for the file in the new location. The program reacts just like the file was missing (like it should) when it looks in the default location.

So basically, how do I tell the program that the save location was changed from when it was last run so it knows to load the info from a new location?

I have tried looking for an answer since high school (about 2 years ago) and have not found a solution. As a result I usually just keep the save location as the default (which I set it to) and don't try to change it. But this time, its important that the save location can be customized. My experience with Visual Studios is limited, as everything I know is from messing around with the program and looking up stuff when needed.

If needed, I can post snippets of my code. Thank you in advance!

Josh H
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  • You should look at the options provided by the NET Framework to load/store configurations info for your application. It is a broad topic, you could [start from here](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13043530/what-is-app-config-in-c-net-how-to-use-it) – Steve Feb 04 '15 at 18:42
  • I took a look at the link, and it really helped! – Josh H Feb 04 '15 at 19:11

2 Answers2

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I recommend using a config file where the .exe is, and write the location there, then read it in on program startup.

In particular .net provides this class which can manage your config file for you (assuming you have an app.config in your solution, otherwise create one)

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.configuration.configurationmanager.appsettings(v=vs.110).aspx

Matt Clark
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It seems like what you really want is to save some user-defined settings for recall at run-time. Here is a MSDN link describing some basic conventions for storing / retrieving these settings.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb397750(v=vs.110).aspx

A *.config file would suffice (depending on the scale of the application).

Otherwise, you may want to go down the route of storing these settings in a database (if the scale is rather large, or if user-authentication is required for the application).

Here is another previous question dealing with this same subject (regarding App.config files): What is App.config in C#.NET? How to use it?

Community
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Michael Di Felice
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  • Thanks, this helped me find where to start and a 2 year hunt has ended after a few minutes! – Josh H Feb 04 '15 at 19:12