.NET Core 2.0 Localization across projects - .net-core

I have 2 projects:
1. WebApi
2. Common
The resource files are in the WebApi, and the WebApi is calling the Common. However, the Common needs to get the string from the resource file. How can I do that?

I was able to resolve it using IStringLocalizerFactory to create the IStringLocalizer. Here is an example of the code that solved my problem:
var assemblyName = Assembly.GetEntryAssembly().GetName().Name;
return _localizerFactory.Create("ExceptionResource", assemblyName);

You make a resource file(s) in your business logic, you're a definitely not going to create a dependency between your business logic-project and your web-project in order to be able to access your Localization resources.
The key issue, as you wrote was:
"(...) resolve it using IStringLocalizerFactory to create the
IStringLocalizer".
A real life example a this could be
You can do it like you have written and which is similar to what is in the documentation
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/fundamentals/localization?view=aspnetcore-3.1#implement-a-strategy-to-select-the-languageculture-for-each-request
Here's an example of Damien Bod from his short manual
https://damienbod.com/2017/11/01/shared-localization-in-asp-net-core-mvc/
u
sing Microsoft.Extensions.Localization;
using System.Reflection;
namespace AspNetCoreMvcSharedLocalization.Resources
{
public class LocService
{
private readonly IStringLocalizer _localizer;
public LocService(IStringLocalizerFactory factory)
{
var type = typeof(SharedResource);
var assemblyName = new AssemblyName(type.GetTypeInfo().Assembly.FullName);
_localizer = factory.Create("SharedResource", assemblyName.Name);
}
public LocalizedString GetLocalizedHtmlString(string key)
{
return _localizer[key];
}
}
}
You don't actually need a dummy class, you could also do it like:
using Microsoft.Extensions.Localization;
namespace ….Business.LocalizationService
{
public interface ILocalizationMiddleware
{
public LocalizedString GetLocalizedString(string keyForResourceTable);
}
}
using Microsoft.Extensions.Localization;
using System.Reflection;
namespace ….Business.LocalizationService
{
public class LocalizationMiddleware : ILocalizationMiddleware
{
private readonly IStringLocalizer localizer;
public LocalizationMiddleware(IStringLocalizerFactory factory)
{
localizer = factory.Create("SharedResource", Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().FullName);
}
public LocalizedString GetLocalizedString(string keyForResourceTable) { return localizer[keyForResourceTable]; }
}
}

Related

DI in Azure Functions

I have some class libraries that I use in my ASP.NET Web API app that handle all my backend stuff e.g. CRUD operations to multiple databases like Azure SQL Database, Cosmos DB, etc.
I don't want to re-invent the wheel and able to use them in a new Azure Functions that I'm creating in Visual Studio 2017. All my repository methods use an interface. So, how will I implement dependency injection in my new Azure function?
I'm not seeing any support for DI but I'm a bit confused. It appears Azure Functions are based on the same SDK as WebJobs and I think last year Microsoft had started supporting DI in WebJobs - I know for sure because I implemented it using Ninject.
Is there way around this so that I can use my existing libraries in my new Azure Functions project?
I see these two techniques in addition to the service locator (anti)pattern. I asked the Azure Functions team for their comments as well.
https://blog.wille-zone.de/post/azure-functions-dependency-injection/
https://blog.wille-zone.de/post/azure-functions-proper-dependency-injection/
There is an open feature request on the GitHub pages for Azure Functions concerning this matter.
However, the way I'm approaching this is using some kind of 'wrapper' entry point, resolve this using the service locator and and start the function from there.
This looks a bit like this (simplified)
var builder = new ContainerBuilder();
//register my types
var container = builder.Build();
using(var scope = container.BeginLifetimeScope())
{
var functionLogic = scope.Resolve<IMyFunctionLogic>();
functionLogic.Execute();
}
This is a bit hacky of course, but it's the best there is until there is at the moment (to my knowledge).
I've seen the willie-zone blog mentioned a lot when it comes to this topic, but you don't need to go that route to use DI with Azure functions.
If you are using Version2 you can make your Azure functions non-static. Then you can add a public constructor for injecting your dependencies. The next step is to add an IWebJobsStartup class. In your startup class you will be able to register your services like you would for any other .Net Core project.
I have a public repo that is using this approach here: https://github.com/jedi91/MovieSearch/tree/master/MovieSearch
Here is a direct link to the startup class: https://github.com/jedi91/MovieSearch/blob/master/MovieSearch/Startup.cs
And here is the function: https://github.com/jedi91/MovieSearch/blob/master/MovieSearch/Functions/Search.cs
Hope this approach helps. If you are wanting to keep your Azure Functions static then the willie-zone approach should work, but I really like this approach and it doesn't require any third party libraries.
One thing to note is the Directory.Build.target file. This file will copy your extensions over in the host file so that DI will work once the function is deployed to Azure. Running the function locally does not require this file.
Azure Functions Depdendency Injection was announced at MSBuild 2019. Here's an example on how to do it:
[assembly: FunctionsStartup(typeof(MyNamespace.Startup))]
namespace MyNamespace
{
public class Startup : FunctionsStartup
{
public override void Configure(IFunctionsHostBuilder builder)
{
builder.Services.AddHttpClient();
builder.Services.AddSingleton((s) => {
return new CosmosClient(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("COSMOSDB_CONNECTIONSTRING"));
});
builder.Services.AddSingleton<ILoggerProvider, MyLoggerProvider>();
}
}
}
GitHub Example
Documentation
As stated above, it was just announced at Build 2019. It can now be setup almost exactly like you would in an ASP .Net Core app.
Microsoft Documentation
Short Blog I Wrote
Actually there is a much nicer and simpler way provided out of the box by Microsoft. It is a bit hard to find though. You simply create a start up class and add all required services here, and then you can use constructor injection like in regular web apps and web apis.
This is all you need to do.
First I create my start up class, I call mine Startup.cs to be consistent with Razor web apps, although this is for Azure Functions, but still it's the Microsoft way.
using System;
using com.paypal;
using dk.commentor.bl.command;
using dk.commentor.logger;
using dk.commentor.sl;
using Microsoft.Azure.WebJobs;
using Microsoft.Azure.WebJobs.Hosting;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using org.openerp;
[assembly:Microsoft.Azure.WebJobs.Hosting.WebJobsStartup(typeof(dk.commentor.starterproject.api.Startup))]
namespace dk.commentor.starterproject.api
{
public class Startup : IWebJobsStartup
{
public void Configure(IWebJobsBuilder builder)
{
builder.Services.AddSingleton<ILogger, CommentorLogger>();
builder.Services.AddSingleton<IPaymentService, PayPalService>();
builder.Services.AddSingleton<IOrderService, OpenERPService>();
builder.Services.AddSingleton<ProcessOrderCommand>();
Console.WriteLine("Host started!");
}
}
}
Next I change the method call in the function from static to non-static, and I add a constructor to the class (which is now also non-static). In this constructor I simply add the services I require as constructor parameters.
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
using Microsoft.Azure.WebJobs;
using Microsoft.Azure.WebJobs.Extensions.Http;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using Newtonsoft.Json;
using dk.commentor.bl.command;
namespace dk.commentor.starterproject.api
{
public class ProcessOrder
{
private ProcessOrderCommand processOrderCommand;
public ProcessOrder(ProcessOrderCommand processOrderCommand) {
this.processOrderCommand = processOrderCommand;
}
[FunctionName("ProcessOrder")]
public async Task<IActionResult> Run([HttpTrigger(AuthorizationLevel.Function, "post", Route = null)] HttpRequest req, ILogger log)
{
log.LogInformation("C# HTTP trigger ProcessOrder called!");
log.LogInformation(System.Environment.StackTrace);
string jsonRequestData = await new StreamReader(req.Body).ReadToEndAsync();
dynamic requestData = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(jsonRequestData);
if(requestData?.orderId != null)
return (ActionResult)new OkObjectResult($"Processing order with id {requestData.orderId}");
else
return new BadRequestObjectResult("Please pass an orderId in the request body");
}
}
}
Hopes this helps.
I would like to add my 2 cents to it. I used the technique that it's used by Host injecting ILogger. If you look at the Startup project I created GenericBindingProvider that implements IBindingProvider. Then for each type I want to be injected I register it as follow:
builder.Services.AddTransient<IWelcomeService, WelcomeService>();
builder.Services.AddSingleton<IBindingProvider, GenericBindingProvider<IWelcomeService>>();
The downside is that you need to register the type you want to be injected into the function twice.
Sample code:
Azure Functions V2 Dependency Injection sample
I have been using SimpleInjector perfectly fine in Azure Functions. Just create a class (let's call it IoCConfig) that has the registrations and make a static instance of that class in function class so that each instance will use the existing instance.
public interface IIoCConfig
{
T GetInstance<T>() where T : class;
}
public class IoCConfig : IIoCConfig
{
internal Container Container;
public IoCConfig(ExecutionContext executionContext, ILogger logger)
{
var configurationRoot = new ConfigurationBuilder()
.SetBasePath(executionContext.FunctionAppDirectory)
.AddJsonFile("local.settings.json", optional: true, reloadOnChange: true)
.AddEnvironmentVariables()
.Build();
Container = new Container();
Configure(configurationRoot, logger);
}
public IoCConfig(IConfigurationRoot configurationRoot, ILogger logger)
{
Container = new Container();
Configure(configurationRoot, logger);
}
private void Configure(IConfigurationRoot configurationRoot, ILogger logger)
{
Container.RegisterInstance(typeof(IConfigurationRoot), configurationRoot);
Container.Register<ISomeType, SomeType>();
}
public T GetInstance<T>() where T : class
{
return Container.GetInstance<T>();
}
}
Then in root:
public static class SomeFunction
{
public static IIoCConfig IoCConfig;
[FunctionName("SomeFunction")]
public static async Task Run(
[ServiceBusTrigger("some-topic", "%SUBSCRIPTION_NAME%", Connection = "AZURE_SERVICEBUS_CONNECTIONSTRING")]
SomeEvent msg,
ILogger log,
ExecutionContext executionContext)
{
Ensure.That(msg).IsNotNull();
if (IoCConfig == null)
{
IoCConfig = new IoCConfig(executionContext, log);
}
var someType = IoCConfig.GetInstance<ISomeType>();
await someType.Handle(msg);
}
}
AzureFunctions.Autofac is very easy to use.
Just add a config file:
public class DIConfig
{
public DIConfig(string functionName)
{
DependencyInjection.Initialize(builder =>
{
builder.RegisterType<Sample>().As<ISample>();
...
}, functionName);
}
}
Add the DependencyInjectionConfig attribute then inject:
[DependencyInjectionConfig(typeof(DIConfig))]
public class MyFunction
{
[FunctionName("MyFunction")]
public static HttpResponseMessage Run([HttpTrigger(AuthorizationLevel.Function, "get", Route = null)]HttpRequestMessage request,
TraceWriter log,
[Inject]ISample sample)
{
https://github.com/introtocomputerscience/azure-function-autofac-dependency-injection
I think this is a better solution:
https://github.com/junalmeida/autofac-azurefunctions
https://www.nuget.org/packages/Autofac.Extensions.DependencyInjection.AzureFunctions
Install the NuGet in your project and then make a Startup.cs and put this in it:
[assembly: FunctionsStartup(typeof(Startup))]
public class Startup
{
public override void Configure(IFunctionsHostBuilder builder)
{
builder
.UseAppSettings() // this is optional, this will bind IConfiguration in the container.
.UseAutofacServiceProviderFactory(ConfigureContainer);
}
private void ConfigureContainer(ContainerBuilder builder)
{
// do DI registration against Autofac like normal! (builder is just the normal ContainerBuilder from Autofac)
}
...
Then in your function code you can do normal constructor injection via DI:
public class Function1 : Disposable
{
public Function1(IService1 service1, ILogger logger)
{
// logger and service1 injected via autofac like normal
// ...
}
[FunctionName(nameof(Function1))]
public async Task Run([QueueTrigger("myqueue-items", Connection = "AzureWebJobsStorage")]string myQueueItem)
{
//...
Support for Dependency injection begins with Azure Functions 2.x which means Dependency Injection in Azure function can now leverage .NET Core Dependency Injection features.
Before you can use dependency injection, you must install the following NuGet packages:
Microsoft.Azure.Functions.Extensions
Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Functions
Having Dependency Injection eases things like DBContext, Http client usage (Httpclienfactory), Iloggerfactory, cache support etc.
Firstly, update the Startup class as shown below
namespace DemoApp
{
public class Startup: FunctionsStartup
{
public override void Configure(IFunctionsHostBuilder builder)
{
builder.Services.AddScoped<IHelloWorld, HelloWorld>();
// Registering Serilog provider
var logger = new LoggerConfiguration()
.WriteTo.Console()
.CreateLogger();
builder.Services.AddLogging(lb => lb.AddSerilog(logger));
//Reading configuration section can be added here etc.
}
}
}
Secondly, Removal of Static keyword in Function class and method level
public class DemoFunction
{
private readonly IHelloWorld _helloWorld;
public DemoFunction(IHelloWorld helloWorld)
{
_helloWorld = helloWorld;
}
[FunctionName("HttpDemoFunction")]
public async Task<IActionResult> Run(
[HttpTrigger(AuthorizationLevel.Anonymous, "get", "post", Route = null)] HttpRequest req,
ILogger log)
{
log.LogInformation("C# HTTP trigger function processed a request.");
}
If we look into above e.g. IHelloWorld is injected using .NET Core DI
**Note:**In-spite of having latest version of Azure function v3 for Dependency Injection to enable few steps are manual as shown above
Sample code on github can be found here

ConfigurationManager.AppSettings.Get(key).ConvertTo error in asp.net core

Below is my code. I try to convert below code from asp.net to asp.net core. But in asp.net core in last line ConvertTo is showing error because Get(key) does not have definition of ConvertTo. Don't know what is the problem.
I am unable to find any solution how can i write below code in asp.net core?
public static T Get<T>(string key)
{
if (!Exists(key))
{
throw new ArgumentException(String.Format("No such key in the AppSettings: '{0}'", key));
}
return ConfigurationManager.AppSettings.Get(key).ConvertTo<T>(new CultureInfo("en-US"));
}
Thanks in advance.
I suggest you carefully reading the documentation first. In .NET Core the way how we work with configuration is changed significantly ( different source using, mapping to POCO objects , etc).
In your case you may simply use ConfigurationBinder’s GetValue<T> extension method instead of implementing own method for value conversion:
IConfiguration.GetValue - extracts the value with the specified key
and converts it to type T.
Configuration in .net Core is now built on top of POCO's or IOptions for the most part. You don't get individual keys but instead you build up settings classes. Previously you had to either build a CustomConfiguration class or you would prefix AppSettings to "group them". Not anymore! If you take the approach of using IOptions it works something like the following.
You have your appSettings.json look like the following :
{
"myConfiguration": {
"myProperty": true
}
}
You then make up a POCO that matches your configuration. Something like this :
public class MyConfiguration
{
public bool MyProperty { get; set; }
}
Then in your startup.cs you need to load your configuration into an options object. It will end up looking pretty similar to the following.
public class Startup
{
public Startup(IHostingEnvironment env)
{
var builder = new ConfigurationBuilder()
.SetBasePath(env.ContentRootPath)
.AddJsonFile("appsettings.json", optional: true, reloadOnChange: true)
.AddJsonFile($"appsettings.{env.EnvironmentName}.json", optional: true)
.AddEnvironmentVariables();
Configuration = builder.Build();
}
public IConfigurationRoot Configuration { get; }
public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
services.Configure<MyConfiguration>(Configuration.GetSection("myConfiguration"));
}
}
Then the DI is all set up to inject an IOptions objects. You would then inject it into a controller like so :
public class ValuesController : Controller
{
private readonly MyConfiguration _myConfiguration;
public ValuesController(IOptions<MyConfiguration> myConfiguration)
{
_myConfiguration = myConfiguration.Value;
}
}
There is other ways to do this that don't use the IOptions object and you only inject in the POCO to your controllers. Some people (including me) prefer this method. You can read more here : http://dotnetcoretutorials.com/2016/12/26/custom-configuration-sections-asp-net-core/
And of course the documentation link for the official docs are here : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/fundamentals/configuration

Resolve named registration dependency in Unity with runtime parameter

I have a following problem. I register my components and initialize them in Unity like this (example is for a Console application):
public class SharePointBootstrapper : UnityBootstrapper
{
...
public object Initialize(Type type, object parameter) =>
Container.Resolve(type,
new DependencyOverride<IClientContext>(Container.Resolve<IClientContext>(parameter.ToString())),
new DependencyOverride<ITenantRepository>(Container.Resolve<ITenantRepository>(parameter.ToString())));
public void RegisterComponents()
{
Container
.RegisterType<IClientContext, SharePointOnlineClientContext>(SharePointClientContext.Online.ToString())
.RegisterType<IClientContext, SharePointOnPremiseClientContext>(SharePointClientContext.OnPremise.ToString())
.RegisterType<ITenantRepository, DocumentDbTenantRepository>(SharePointClientContext.Online.ToString())
.RegisterType<ITenantRepository, JsonTenantRepository>(SharePointClientContext.OnPremise.ToString());
}
}
public enum SharePointClientContext
{
Online,
OnPremise
}
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
...
bootstrap.RegisterComponents();
var bla = bootstrap.Initialize(typeof(ISharePointManager), SharePointClientContext.Online);
}
}
So, I register my components in MVC, WCF, Console etc. once with RegisterComponents() and initialize them with Initialize().
My question is, if I want to initialize specific named registration at runtime, from e.g. user input, can it be done otherwise as the code presented (with InjectionFactory or similar)?
This code works fine, but I'm not happy with its implementation. I have a feeling that it could be written in RegisterComponents() instead of Initialize() so that it accepts a parameter of some type, but I don't know how to do it.
Or, is maybe my whole concept wrong? If so, what would you suggest? I need to resolve named registration from a parameter that is only known at runtime, regardless of the technology (MVC, WCF, Console, ...).
Thanks!
Instead of doing different registrations, I would do different resolves.
Let's say that you need to inject IClientContext, but you want different implementations depending on a runtime parameter.
I wrote a similiar answer here. Instead of injecting IClientContext, you could inject IClientContextFactory, which would be responsible for returning the correct IClientContext. It's called Strategy Pattern.
public interface IClientContextFactory
{
string Context { get; } // Add context to the interface.
}
public class SharePointOnlineClientContext : IClientContextFactory
{
public string Context
{
get
{
return SharePointClientContext.Online.ToString();
}
}
}
// Factory for resolving IClientContext.
public class ClientContextFactory : IClientContextFactory
{
public IEnumerable<IClientContext> _clientContexts;
public Factory(IClientContext[] clientContexts)
{
_clientContexts = clientContexts;
}
public IClientContext GetClientContext(string parameter)
{
IClientContext clientContext = _clientContexts.FirstOrDefault(x => x.Context == parameter);
return clientContext;
}
}
Register them all, just as you did. But instead of injecting IClientContext you inject IClientContextFactor.
There also another solution where you use a Func-factory. Look at option 3, in this answer. One may argue that this is a wrapper for the service locator-pattern, but I'll leave that discussion for another time.
public class ClientContextFactory : IClientContextFactory
{
private readonly Func<string, IClientContext> _createFunc;
public Factory(Func<string, IClientContext> createFunc)
{
_createFunc = createFunc;
}
public IClientContext CreateClientContext(string writesTo)
{
return _createFunc(writesTo);
}
}
And use named registrations:
container.RegisterType<IClientContext, SharePointOnlineClientContext>(SharePointClientContext.Online.ToString());
container.RegisterType<IClientContext, SharePointOnPremiseClientContext>(SharePointClientContext.OnPremise.ToString());
container.RegisterType<IFactory, Factory>(
new ContainerControlledLifetimeManager(), // Or any other lifetimemanager.
new InjectionConstructor(
new Func<string, IClientContext>(
context => container.Resolve<IClientContext>(context));
Usage:
public class MyService
{
public MyService(IClientContextFactory clientContextFactory)
{
_clientContextFactory = clientContextFactory;
}
public void DoStuff();
{
var myContext = SharePointClientContext.Online.ToString();
IClientContextclientContext = _clientContextFactory.CreateClientContext(myContext);
}
}

Signalr & Nancyfx integration

My app flow is as follows (simplified for clarity):
User GETs a page from "/page1"
User performs actions on the page (adds text, clicks, etc..), while Signalr communicates this data to the server, which performs heavy calculations in the background, and the results of those are returned to the page (lets call those "X").
When the user is finished with the page, he clicks a link to "/page2", that is returned by Nancy. This page is built using a Model that is dependent on X.
So, how do I build that Model based on X? How can signalr write to the user session in a way that Nancy can pick up on?
(I'm looking for a "clean" way)
Pending formal integration of Signalr & Nancy, this is what I came with. Basically, I share an IOC container between the two, and use an object (singleton lifetime) that maps users to state.
How to share an IOC container using the built in TinyIOC:
Extend Signalr's DefaultDependencyResolver
public class TinyIoCDependencyResolver : DefaultDependencyResolver
{
private readonly TinyIoCContainer m_Container;
public TinyIoCDependencyResolver(TinyIoCContainer container)
{
m_Container = container;
}
public override object GetService(Type serviceType)
{
return m_Container.CanResolve(serviceType) ? m_Container.Resolve(serviceType) : base.GetService(serviceType);
}
public override IEnumerable<object> GetServices(Type serviceType)
{
var objects = m_Container.CanResolve(serviceType) ? m_Container.ResolveAll(serviceType) : new object[] { };
return objects.Concat(base.GetServices(serviceType));
}
}
Replace Signalr's default DependencyResolver with our new one
public class Bootstrapper : DefaultNancyBootstrapper
{
protected override void ApplicationStartup(TinyIoCContainer container, IPipelines pipelines)
{
CookieBasedSessions.Enable(pipelines);
// Replace UserToStateMap with your class of choice
container.Register<IUserToStateMap, UserToStateMap>();
GlobalHost.DependencyResolver = new TinyIoCDependencyResolver(container);
RouteTable.Routes.MapHubs();
}
}
Add IUserToStateMap as a dependency in your hubs and Nancy modules
public class MyModule : NancyModule
{
public MyModule(IUserToStateMap userToStateMap)
{
Get["/"] = o =>
{
var userId = Session["userId"];
var state = userToStateMap[userId];
return state.Foo;
};
}
}
public class MyHub : Hub
{
private readonly IUserToStateMap m_UserToStateMap;
public MyHub(IUserToStateMap userToStateMap)
{
m_UserToStateMap = userToStateMap;
}
public string MySignalrMethod(string userId)
{
var state = userToStateMap[userId];
return state.Bar;
}
}
What I would really want, is a way to easily share state between the two based on the connection ID or something like that, but in the meantime this solution works for me.
Did you arrive hear looking for a simple example of how to integrate Nancy and SignalR? I know I did.
Try this question instead (I self-answered it).
SignalR plus NancyFX : A simple but well worked example

Testing Methods with Reference to Web.Config in .Net C#

I searched a lot and still couldn't find a solid solution for this. Suppose you have methods in your application. This methods use "System.Web.Configuration.WebConfigurationManager.OpenWebConfiguration" to access some setting in the web.config. If you try to test these methods, your tests will fail because your test project doesn't have web.config.
What is the best way to solve this problem. For projects with simple config file, I usually use a method like this as facade method.
public class Config
{
public static String getKeyValue(String keyName)
{
if (keyName == String.Empty) return String.Empty;
String result = "";
System.Configuration.Configuration rootWebConfig1 =
System.Web.Configuration.WebConfigurationManager.OpenWebConfiguration(null);
if (rootWebConfig1.AppSettings.Settings.Count > 0)
{
System.Configuration.KeyValueConfigurationElement reportEngineKey =
rootWebConfig1.AppSettings.Settings[keyName];
if (reportEngineKey != null)
{
result = reportEngineKey.Value;
}
}
return result;
}
}
Every time I tried to set the path for OpenWebConfiguration( ), I got the error "The relative virtual path is not allowed"
To make that scenario more testable, I usually take the approach of making a "settings manager" of my own, and giving it an interface. So for example:
public interface IConfig
{
string GetSettingValue(string settingName);
}
Then I can have my "real" implementation:
public sealed class Config : IConfig
{
public string GetSettingValue(string settingName)
{
// your code from your getKeyValue() method would go here
}
}
Then my code that uses it would take in an instance of this (this is an example of the Dependency Inversion Principal):
public void DoStuff(IConfig configuration)
{
string someSetting = configuration.GetSettingValue("ThatThingINeed");
// use setting...
}
So now for my production code, I can call DoStuff and pass in an instance of Config.
When I need to test, I can use a mocking tool (Moq, JustMock, RhinoMocks, etc) to create a fake IConfig that returns a known value without hitting the actual .config file, or you can do it without a mocking framework by making your own mocks (and store them in your test project).
public class ConfigMock : IConfig
{
private Dictionary<string, string> settings;
public void SetSettingValue(string settingName, string value)
{
settings[settingName] = value;
}
public string GetSettingValue(string settingName)
{
return settings[settingName];
}
}
and
[Test]
public void SomeExampleTest()
{
var config = new ConfigMock();
config.SetSettingValue("MySetting", "SomeValue");
var underTest = new MyClass();
underTest.DoStuff(config);
}
The easiest way to do this is to use a mocking library such as moq. It takes a bit of time to figure it out, but once you do you can abstract away most of your plumbing to return the values you need for repeatable, consistent testing.

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