Web.Release.Config <clear/> not working.

Question

User323983933 posted

VS2019

ASP.NET MVC project

In my web.config I have numerous connection strings as we all work locally so every developer has their local SQL Connection strings.

In Web.Config.Release, I have the updated production server values, preceeded by a <clear/>.

So Web config looks like...

  <connectionStrings>
    <!-- BRYAN -->
    <add name="ORM-BRYAN" ...  />

    <!-- Jim -->
    <add name="ORM-JIM" ... />

    <!-- DEV -->
    <add name="ORM-DEV" ... />
    
      <!-- Prod -->
     <add name="ORM-PROD" ... />

      <!-- Currently used -->
     <add name="ORM" ... />

  </connectionStrings>

So us developers just modify the web.config locally to access our local machines, and we never check in that file.

Now the Web.Release.Config looks like this:

	<connectionStrings>
		<clear />
		<add name="ORM"
			...
			xdt:Transform="Replace"
			xdt:Locator="Match(name)"
		   />
	</connectionStrings>

From what I can tell, the <clear/> should have wiped out ALL the Dev connection strings, and then the new one should have been added.  Yet all the unused ones still appear after a release build/publish.

What am I missing here?  I DO NOT want all my developer's connectionstrings getting deployed on the webserver.  Neither do I want to manually edit the publish every single time.

Answer 1

User475983607 posted

From what I can tell, the <clear/> should have wiped out ALL the Dev connection strings, and then the new one should have been added.  Yet all the unused ones still appear after a release build/publish.

According to the web.config transform documentation the syntax to remove nodes is...

<configuration xmlns:xdt="...">
  <connectionStrings>
    <add xdt:Transform="RemoveAll" />
  </connectionStrings>
</configuration>

The <clear /> element is used when you want to clear inherited nodes in a standard web.config.

Answer 2

User323983933 posted

Thanks, that was perfect.

Of course my Match transform had to change to...

	<connectionStrings>
		<add xdt:Transform="RemoveAll" />
		<add name="ORM"
			connectionString="..."
			providerName="System.Data.SqlClient"
			xdt:Transform="Insert"
			xdt:Locator="Match(name)"
		   />
	</connectionStrings>

And not that it's a problem but all the comment lines I had stayed in the transformed web.config.

Answer 3

User475983607 posted

And not that it's a problem but all the comment lines I had stayed in the transformed web.config.

Write a transform to remove comments.  I believe the XPath command is //connectionStrings/comment().  You might have to play with the path.

<add xdt:Transform="RemoveAll" xdt:Locator="XPath(//connectionStrings/comment())" />