c# - Using Entity Framework app.config how to switch between environments Dev, Stage and Production -

i have windows application accessing dev database using datamodel.edmx , works fine. access stage environment database have added stagedatamodel.edmx. there 2 connection strings in app.config: , how switch between databases in app.config based on environment?

thanks in advance!

normally should other way around - create 1 ef edmx model , 2 (or more) configuration files every environment.

at work, have 3 environments:

• release = production
• stage = before go live (copy of production, final tests)
• debug = new development, dev team tests

for 3 environments, have 3 databases, (almost) similiar each other. create our model dev database. every project communicates database has 3 connection strings different credentials.

in order achieve this, need to:

1) create different build platforms using visual studio configuration manager (in example, there 3 build configurations - dev/stage/release):

2) extract connection string configuration app.settings file. instead of specifying connection in app.settings file, use configsource parameter (the app.config looks this):

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>   <configuration>     <connectionstrings configsource="app.connectionstrings.config" />   </configuration> 

3) create different files every build configuration, named after each build configuration (the wording must exact!) , containing different servers or databases

• app.connectionstrings.debug.config
• app.connectionstrings.stage.config
• app.connectionstrings.release.config

foer example debug can this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> <connectionstrings>     <add name="named.connectionstring"              connectionstring="metadata=res://*/abstraction.dbdatacontext.csdl|res://*/abstraction.dbdatacontext.ssdl|res://*/abstraction.dbdatacontext.msl;provider=system.data.sqlclient;provider connection string=&quot;data source=sql.server.address;initial catalog=people;integrated security=false;user id=dbuser;password=dbpassword;multipleactiveresultsets=true;app=entityframework&quot;"             providername="system.data.entityclient" /> </connectionstrings> 

4) open project settings in visual studio, go build events , in post-build event command line tell visual studio take on every build file named after selected build platform , copy specified (in app.config) name output directory:

copy $(projectdir)\app.connectionstrings.$(configurationname).config $(targetdir)app.connectionstrings.config 

now when build , start application, configuration depends on build configuration, can debug application connected live environment (when chosen build configuration release).

more info on how use external configuration files , connection strings, can found in this msdn article.

a entity framework quick start.