> I am trying to think through what I should use as a logical
> replacement for ini files since they have been obsolete for a while
> now.
> I use them to maintain data such as high scores and small lists of
> files for my apps, I don't use the registry since my PC is a
> substitute for the electric train set I never had and so I tend to
> play about with the hardware and re-install the OS (W2K Pro) quite
> frequently. In any event it seems to me that using the registry
> contradicts the philosophy behind .net of machine/OS independence,
> only Windows has a registry.
> I have looked at the Resource Reader/Writer as one possibility,
> although so far I haven't been able to insert or extract individual
> items, perhaps that's not what it is intended for?
> The other option would be to use an XML file and to incorporate
> read/write capability in my apps.
> Does anybody have any thought/recommendations on this?
> Is there anything else I could use?
> Currently I still use INI files via the API but having moved to C# and
> .net I want to bring my thinking up to date.

> Many thanks.
> --
> Jeff Gaines Damerham Hampshire UK

> Hope this helps, and p.s this comes with the disclaimer that I am not a
> guru, and probably is not the best way to do it :)

> > I am trying to think through what I should use as a logical
> > replacement for ini files since they have been obsolete for a while
> > now.
> > I use them to maintain data such as high scores and small lists of
> > files for my apps, I don't use the registry since my PC is a
> > substitute for the electric train set I never had and so I tend to
> > play about with the hardware and re-install the OS (W2K Pro) quite
> > frequently. In any event it seems to me that using the registry
> > contradicts the philosophy behind .net of machine/OS independence,
> > only Windows has a registry.
> > I have looked at the Resource Reader/Writer as one possibility,
> > although so far I haven't been able to insert or extract individual
> > items, perhaps that's not what it is intended for?
> > The other option would be to use an XML file and to incorporate
> > read/write capability in my apps.
> > Does anybody have any thought/recommendations on this?
> > Is there anything else I could use?
> > Currently I still use INI files via the API but having moved to C# and
> > .net I want to bring my thinking up to date.

> > Many thanks.
> > --
> > Jeff Gaines Damerham Hampshire UK

>I also stopped to use INI files. What's more - I've found app.config file
>not quite convenient.
>Instead, I have a public class called CMyOptions with public variables to
>hold any needed configuration parameters (a lot of data of type string, a
>lot of ints, doubles etc.)

>Instead of writing and reading an INi file I use XMLSerialization to read
>and write one public static variable of type CMyOptions. this variable is
>then used in the code to read and store the configuration.

>because XMLSerialization and deserialization is really simple ( both take 4
>lines of code, read docs for further info ) you don't have to play with any
>XML reading/parsing.

>for example (serialization):

>   XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(CMyOptions));
>   TextWriter tw = new StreamWriter("options.myini");
>   serializer.Serialize(tw, myOptionsInstance);
>   tw.Close();

>deserialization:

>   XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(CMyOptions));
>   TextReader tr = new StreamReader("options.myini");
>   CMyOptions myOptionsInstance = (CMyOptions)serializer.Deserialize(tr);
>   tr.Close();

>Viola. This is great, because XMLSerialization stores objects as xml. so you
>can edit your configuration manually.

>Regards, Wiktor Zychla

> >> I am trying to think through what I should use as a logical
> >> replacement for ini files since they have been obsolete for a while
> >> now.

> >I also stopped to use INI files. What's more - I've found app.config file
> >not quite convenient.
> >Instead, I have a public class called CMyOptions with public variables to
> >hold any needed configuration parameters (a lot of data of type string, a
> >lot of ints, doubles etc.)

> >Instead of writing and reading an INi file I use XMLSerialization to read
> >and write one public static variable of type CMyOptions. this variable is
> >then used in the code to read and store the configuration.

> >because XMLSerialization and deserialization is really simple ( both take
4
> >lines of code, read docs for further info ) you don't have to play with
any
> >XML reading/parsing.

> >for example (serialization):

> >   XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(CMyOptions));
> >   TextWriter tw = new StreamWriter("options.myini");
> >   serializer.Serialize(tw, myOptionsInstance);
> >   tw.Close();

> >deserialization:

> >   XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(CMyOptions));
> >   TextReader tr = new StreamReader("options.myini");
> >   CMyOptions myOptionsInstance = (CMyOptions)serializer.Deserialize(tr);
> >   tr.Close();

> >Viola. This is great, because XMLSerialization stores objects as xml. so
you
> >can edit your configuration manually.

> >Regards, Wiktor Zychla

> Wiktor / Martin

> Many thanks for your replies.

> I have tried a small test app and it works fine, look like it had
> better be XML in future!

> I am not sure I would want to convert a 25MB database to XML though,
> it seems to me that one small slip in the XML document and your
> database has gone west!

> --
> Jeff Gaines Damerham Hampshire UK