VB.NET Using custom configuration settings

Once again I am surprised at the lack of *working* examples of vb.net code. In this particular case, that may or may not be a completely fair statement because the examples I found (and there were quite a few) could very well have worked, they were just incomplete. Here is a complete example of using an app.config file to define a collection of reports. This will create a parent object with specific configuration information in it, and a collection of child elements which also have custom properties. While no two situations are alike, this should provide you with something that you can modify to suit your own needs. As it turns out, the most complete example I did find was on the msdn site. This is the example that I followed: ConfigurationElementCollection Class

In your app.config...

 <configsections>
  <section name="ServerReports" type="assemblyName.RSPrintSetup, assemblyName" allowdefinition="Everywhere" allowExeDefinition="MachineToApplication" restartOnExternalChanges="true" />
       </configsections>

 <serverreports name="PrivateLoanLetters" lockallelementsexcept="Reports" servername="http://rijb-sql2/ReportServer/?" tempfolder="C:\Plexus\Private Loans Letters\Private Loans Letters\Temp\">
  <reports>
   <clear>
   <add name="WebApprovals" reporttype=".pdf" runtime="4:00:00" />
   <add name="WebDenialsS" reporttype=".pdf" runtime="2:00:00" />
   <add name="WebDenialsC" reporttype=".pdf" runtime="2:00:00" />
   <add name="WebCertifications" reporttype=".pdf" runtime="4:00:00" />
  </reports>
 </serverreports>

And the VB.NET Classes...

Imports System
Imports System.Configuration
Imports System.Collections
Imports System.Collections.Generic
Imports System.Collections.Specialized
Imports System.Reflection
Imports System.Text


Public Class RSReport
 Inherits ConfigurationElement

 ' Test flag.
 Private Shared _displayIt As Boolean = False


 Public Sub New()

 End Sub 'New

  _
Public Property Name() As String
  Get
   Return CStr(Me("name"))
  End Get
  Set(ByVal value As String)
   Me("name") = value
  End Set
 End Property

  _
   Public Property RunTime() As String
  Get
   Return CStr(Me("RunTime"))
  End Get
  Set(ByVal value As String)
   Me("RunTime") = value
  End Set
 End Property

  _
Public Property ReportType() As String
  Get
   Return CStr(Me("ReportType"))
  End Get
  Set(ByVal value As String)
   Me("ReportType") = value
  End Set
 End Property


 Protected Overrides Sub DeserializeElement(ByVal reader As System.Xml.XmlReader, ByVal serializeCollectionKey As Boolean)
  MyBase.DeserializeElement(reader, serializeCollectionKey)

  ' Enter your custom processing code here.
  If _displayIt Then
   Console.WriteLine( _
   "UrlConfigElement.DeserializeElement({0, {1) called", _
   IIf(reader Is Nothing, "null", _
   reader.ToString()), _
   serializeCollectionKey.ToString())
  End If

 End Sub 'DeserializeElement

 Protected Overrides Function SerializeElement(ByVal writer _
 As System.Xml.XmlWriter, _
 ByVal serializeCollectionKey As Boolean) As Boolean

  Dim ret As Boolean = MyBase.SerializeElement(writer, serializeCollectionKey)

  ' Enter your custom processing code here.
  If _displayIt Then
   Console.WriteLine( _
   "UrlConfigElement.SerializeElement({0, {1) called = {2", _
   IIf(writer Is Nothing, "null", _
   writer.ToString()), _
   serializeCollectionKey.ToString(), _
   ret.ToString())
  End If

  Return ret

 End Function 'SerializeElement


 Protected Overrides Function IsModified() As Boolean
  Dim ret As Boolean = MyBase.IsModified()

  ' Enter your custom processing code here.
  Console.WriteLine("UrlConfigElement.IsModified() called.")

  Return ret

 End Function 'IsModified

End Class

 _
Public Class ReportsCollection
 Inherits ConfigurationElementCollection

 Public Sub New()
  Dim url As RSReport = CType(CreateNewElement(), RSReport)

  ' Testing: Manually add the element to the collection.
  'Add(url)

 End Sub 'New

 Public Overrides ReadOnly Property CollectionType() _
 As ConfigurationElementCollectionType
  Get
   Return ConfigurationElementCollectionType.AddRemoveClearMap
  End Get
 End Property

 Protected Overloads Overrides Function CreateNewElement() As ConfigurationElement
  Return New RSReport()

 End Function 'CreateNewElement


 Protected Overloads Overrides Function CreateNewElement(ByVal elementName As String) As ConfigurationElement
  Return New RSReport(elementName)

 End Function 'CreateNewElement

 Protected Overrides Function GetElementKey( _
 ByVal element As ConfigurationElement) As [Object]
  Return CType(element, RSReport).Name

 End Function 'GetElementKey

 Public Shadows Property AddElementName() As String
  Get
   Return MyBase.AddElementName
  End Get
  Set(ByVal value As String)
   MyBase.AddElementName = value
  End Set
 End Property

 Public Shadows Property ClearElementName() As String
  Get
   Return MyBase.ClearElementName
  End Get
  Set(ByVal value As String)
   MyBase.AddElementName = value
  End Set
 End Property

 Public Shadows ReadOnly Property RemoveElementName() As String
  Get
   Return MyBase.RemoveElementName
  End Get
 End Property

 Public Shadows ReadOnly Property Count() As Integer

  Get
   Return MyBase.Count
  End Get
 End Property

 Default Public Shadows Property Item( _
 ByVal index As Integer) As RSReport
  Get
   Return CType(BaseGet(index), RSReport)
  End Get
  Set(ByVal value As RSReport)
   If Not (BaseGet(index) Is Nothing) Then
    BaseRemoveAt(index)
   End If
   BaseAdd(index, value)
  End Set
 End Property

 Default Public Shadows ReadOnly Property Item( _
 ByVal Name As String) As RSReport
  Get
   Return CType(BaseGet(Name), RSReport)
  End Get
 End Property

 Public Function IndexOf( _
 ByVal rpt As RSReport) As Integer
  Return BaseIndexOf(rpt)

 End Function 'IndexOf

 Public Sub Add(ByVal rpt As RSReport)
  BaseAdd(rpt)
  ' Add custom code here.
 End Sub 'Add

 Protected Overrides Sub BaseAdd( _
 ByVal element As ConfigurationElement)
  BaseAdd(element, False)
  ' Add custom code here.
 End Sub 'BaseAdd

 Public Overloads Sub Remove( _
 ByVal url As RSReport)
  If BaseIndexOf(url) >= 0 Then
   BaseRemove(url.Name)
  End If

 End Sub 'Remove

 Public Sub RemoveAt(ByVal index As Integer)
  BaseRemoveAt(index)

 End Sub 'RemoveAt

 Public Overloads Sub Remove(ByVal name As String)
  BaseRemove(name)

 End Sub 'Remove

 Public Sub Clear()
  BaseClear()

 End Sub 'Clear ' Add custom code here.
End Class

Public Class RSPrintSetup
 Inherits ConfigurationSection

 Public Sub New()
  Me.OutputOptions = New List(Of String)
 End Sub

  _
  Public Property Name() As String

  Get
   Return CStr(Me("name"))
  End Get
  Set(ByVal value As String)
   Me("name") = value
  End Set
 End Property

  _
   Public Property TempFolder() As String

  Get
   Return CStr(Me("TempFolder"))
  End Get
  Set(ByVal value As String)
   Me("TempFolder") = value
  End Set
 End Property

 ' Declare a collection element represented
 ' in the configuration file by the sub-section
 '   
 ' Note: the "IsDefaultCollection = false"
 ' instructs the .NET Framework to build a nested
 ' section like  ....
  _
  Public ReadOnly Property Reports() _
  As ReportsCollection
  Get
   Dim urlsCollection _
    As ReportsCollection = _
    CType(Me("Reports"), ReportsCollection)
   Return urlsCollection
  End Get
 End Property

 Protected Overrides Sub DeserializeSection( _
  ByVal reader As System.Xml.XmlReader)

  MyBase.DeserializeSection(reader)
  ' Enter custom processing code here.
 End Sub 'DeserializeSection

 Protected Overrides Function SerializeSection( _
  ByVal parentElement As ConfigurationElement, _
  ByVal name As String, _
  ByVal saveMode As ConfigurationSaveMode) As String

  Dim s As String = _
   MyBase.SerializeSection(parentElement, _
   name, saveMode)
  ' Enter custom processing code here.
  Return s
 End Function 'SerializeSection

End Class