TFS variables for connection string - asp.net

Question

I have continous integration in tfs project. I want to replace connection string to my production db on release, but all the information on the web is confusing. I created parameters.xml with this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<parameters>
<parameter name="connectionString" description="connectionString" defaultvalue="(localdb)\MSSQLLocalDB;InitialCatalog=BlogsPostsLocalDb;Integrated Security=true;" tags="">
<parameterentry kind="XmlFile" scope="\\web.config$" match="What to write here?" />
</parameter>
</parameters>
In TFS, in my App Deploy task I can see SetParameters File option, so I suspect that I have to use that, but I don't understand how to tell it which parameter in Web.config belongs to the parameter in parameters.xml.
In my Web.config I need to replace static path with the one in parameters.xml. My Web.config:
<entityFramework>
<defaultConnectionFactory type="System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.SqlConnectionFactory, EntityFramework">
<parameters>
<parameter value="Data Source=(localdb)\MSSQLLocalDB;InitialCatalog=BlogsPostsLocalDb;Integrated Security=true;" />
</parameters>
</defaultConnectionFactory>
<providers>
<provider invariantName="System.Data.SqlClient" type="System.Data.Entity.SqlServer.SqlProviderServices, EntityFramework.SqlServer" />
</providers>
</entityFramework>
EDIT:
I used a tool to create parameters.xml which now looks like this:
<parameters>
<parameter name="ConnectionString" description="Description for ConnectionString" defaultvalue="__CONNECTIONSTRING__" tags="">
<parameterentry kind="XmlFile" scope="\\web.config$" match="/configuration/appSettings/add[#key='ConnectionString']/#value" />
</parameter>
</parameters>
My web.config:
<appSettings>
<add key="ConnectionString" value="Data Source=(localdb)\MSSQLLocalDB;Initial Catalog=BlogsPostsTestDb;Integrated Security=True" />
</appSettings>
And in my context I do this:
public BlogsPostsContext() : base(WebConfigurationManager.AppSettings["ConnectionString"]) { }
In TFS I set variable for relase
Name | Value
ConnectionString | Data Source=WIN-7ADV5BGRBE3\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=BlogsPostsDb;Integrated Security=True
Unfortunately when I do a release and look inside web.config on my server I can only see <add key="ConnectionString" value="__CONNECTIONSTRING__" />
And the parameters.xml:
<parameters>
<parameter name="ConnectionString" description="Description for ConnectionString" defaultvalue="__CONNECTIONSTRING__" tags="">
<parameterentry kind="XmlFile" scope="\\web.config$" match="/configuration/appSettings/add[#key='ConnectionString']/#value" />
</parameter>
</parameters>
MsBuild Arguments:
/p:DeployOnBuild=true /p:WebPublishMethod=Package /p:PackageAsSingleFile=true /p:SkipInvalidConfigurations=true /p:PackageLocation="$(build.artifactstagingdirectory)\\"

Answer 1

A [project name].SetParameters.xml file is generated when you build a web application project.
This provides a set of parameter values to the MSDeploy.exe command.
You can update the values in this file and pass it to Web Deploy as a
command-line parameter when you deploy your web package.
Since SetParameters.xml file is dynamically generated from your web application project file and any configuration files within your project.
You could also parameterize additional settings by adding a parameters.xml file to your project. Below entry uses an XML Path Language (XPath) query to locate and parameterize the endpoint URL of the ContactService Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service in the web.config file.
<parameters>
<parameter name="ContactService Service Endpoint Address"
description="Specify the endpoint URL for the ContactService WCF
service in the destination environment"
defaultValue="http://localhost/ContactManagerService">
<parameterEntry kind="XmlFile" scope="Web.config"
match="/configuration/system.serviceModel/client
/endpoint[#name='BasicHttpBinding_IContactService']
/#address" />
</parameter>
</parameters>
The WPP also adds a corresponding entry to the SetParameters.xml file that gets generated alongside the deployment package.
<parameters>
...
<setParameter
name="ContactService Service Endpoint Address"
value="http://localhost/ContactManagerService" />
...
</parameters>
For how to tell it which parameter in Web.config belongs to the parameter in parameters.xml, you need to use match entry to do this. More detail info please refer this tutorial: Configuring Parameters for Web Package Deployment

Answer 2

I had a similar problem, I am using ASP.Net and IIS application in visual studio i created a configuration for example Test for any cpu then i publish a IIS file called test.pubxml (right click on project click publish), That file will contain the connection string from your web.config file , Then you right-click on the file you have created (test.pubxml) and select add web-transform file add the following iy you want to transform the connection string.
<connectionStrings>
<add name="test" connectionString="Data Source=(localdb)\MSSQLLocalDB;InitialCatalog=BlogsPostsLocalDb;Integrated Security=true;" xdt:Transform="SetAttributes(connectionString)" xdt:Locator="Match(name)" />
</connectionStrings>
Now you have a file that will do the exact same things as parameters.xml file.
In your build defition add the following to ms arguments
/p:DeployOnBuild=true;PublishProfile=test.pubxml;Configuration=Test;
That will build a .zip package,
In your Release Definition
In your deploy step, Add the following to your Web Deploy Parameter File input
Path/Path/test.SetParameters.xml
That Will deploy the website with transformed connection string.
I know its a lot but you can follow this blog its really helpfull Colin

Answer 3

Following articles about parameters.xml mislead me. It turns out that all I had to do to make it work was to follow instructions inside Web.Release.Config.
This is what I added inside Web.config:
<connectionStrings>
<add name="BlogsPostsDb"
providerName="System.Data.SqlClient"
connectionString="Data Source=(localdb)\MSSQLLocalDB;Initial Catalog=BlogsPostsTestDb;Integrated Security=True"/>
</connectionStrings>
And this is what I added inside Web.Release.Config:
<connectionStrings>
<add name="BlogsPostsDb"
connectionString="Data Source=myServerInstance;Initial Catalog=BlogsPostsDb;User ID=*********;Password=******;"
xdt:Transform="SetAttributes" xdt:Locator="Match(name)"/>
</connectionStrings>
Now it makes sense. As long as the names match in both configs, they will be replaced. I also had to tell my context which connection string I want to use:
public BlogsPostsContext() : base("BlogsPostsDb") { }