server.mappath

[Bryan]

Ok, I am having trouble accessing an xml file.

I have a control that uses a mainMenu.xml file to get the menu structure for a menu. You have to give the control the data source and then bind the data. Well I have this menu on several pages and right now I have to have the mainMenu.xml file in every folder that has a page that access the xml file.

 

What I want to be able to do is keep 1 xml file in my root directory http://localhost/ and not one in each directory.

 

When I set the datasource property to this xml file, what do I need to put for the path? when I use server.mapPath I get something similar to c:\inetpub\wwwroot\AxisFellowship\sermons\lotr\mainMenu.xml

 

The thing is I don't want to have to change the property on each page that uses the menu so it will work once i upload it to my web server.

 

can I use something like

 

Menu1.DataSource = "./mainMenu.xml"

 

Or is there some other way to do this?

[jspencer]

If you were to put the xml file in the root directory:

http://localhost/mainMenu.xml

 

Then if you had pages in

http://localhost/Folder1/

 

Menu1.DataSource would then = "../mainMenu.xml"

 

Then if you had pages in

http://localhost/Folder1/Folder2/

 

Menu1.DataSource would then = "../../mainMenu.xml"

 

Some interesting combinations of folders get a bit trickier, but if you maintain these virtual paths, then moving your pages around stays nice and easy.

 

Hope this answered your question.

[Bryan]

I don't know why this isn't working. I keeping getting errors.

I have the file in the root directory:

http://www.axisfellowship.org/mainMenu.xml

 

I have the page in

http://www.axisfellowship.org/sermons/lotr/index.aspx

 

my datasource code should be:

Menu1.DataSource = "../../mainMenu.xml"

 

Is this correct?

[PlausiblyDamp]

Couldn't you store the correct path to the file in the web.config - the control could then read this at runtime. When moving from development to production you would just need to update this one file.

[Bryan]

Couldn't you store the correct path to the file in the web.config - the control could then read this at runtime. When moving from development to production you would just need to update this one file.

that sounds like a good idea, but I must admit that I am still learning ASP.net and I don't know how to do that. Could you show me the code I would need to include in the web.config to do this?

 

Thanks

Bryan

[PlausiblyDamp]

given the following web.config

you shouold be able to read it with code similar to

Dim FilePath As String = ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings("PathToFile")

 

not tested this as I don't have VS installed on this machine but it should give you the idea.

[Bryan]

ok, I did that, but now I am getting this error:

 

c:\inetpub\wwwroot\AxisFellowship\default.aspx.vb(26): Value of type 'String' cannot be converted to '1-dimensional array of String'.

 

any ideas?

 

Thanks,

Bryan

[Bryan]

given the following web.config

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
   <appSettings>
       <add key="PathToFile" value="<enter file path here>" />
   </appSettings>
</configuration>

you shouold be able to read it with code similar to

Dim FilePath As String = ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings("PathToFile")

 

not tested this as I don't have VS installed on this machine but it should give you the idea.

ok, so I went a slightly different route. instead of the vb code you mentioned I did this:

Menu1.DataSource = ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings("MainMenuXMLPath")

and it works fine, I don't get the error I mentioned above.

[PlausiblyDamp]

Did you accidently declare your variable as

dim FilePath as String()
'or
Dim FilePath() as string

the top one always catches me out - as it declares an array of strings not a single string.

[Bryan]

Did you accidently declare your variable as

dim FilePath as String()
'or
Dim FilePath() as string

the top one always catches me out - as it declares an array of strings not a single string.

that would be the problem.