Skip to content

Latest commit

 

History

History
171 lines (141 loc) · 5.41 KB

settings.md

File metadata and controls

171 lines (141 loc) · 5.41 KB

Configuration Settings

Configuration in Plot Manager is handled through JSON settings files that define environment-specific parameters, plot definitions, and operational settings. The framework uses a layered configuration approach where project-specific settings override default configurations.

Settings File Structure

Default Configuration Files

  • project-default.json: Contains base settings and common plot definitions
  • project-local.json: Local development environment overrides
  • Environment-specific files: Custom configurations for different deployment targets

Configuration Merging

When executing plots, the framework merges configurations in this order:

  1. Load default settings from project-default.json
  2. Load environment-specific settings (e.g., project-local.json)
  3. Project settings override default settings where conflicts exist
  4. Environment variables with PLOTMANAGER_ prefix override any setting

Configuration Sections

Plots Section

Defines automation scenarios as sequences of steps:

{
  "Plots": {
    "fullinstall": [
      "stop", 
      "restorepckgs", 
      "prbuild", 
      "dropdb", 
      "snservices", 
      "createsite", 
      "start"
    ],
    "backup": [
      "stop",
      "backupdb", 
      "start"
    ]
  }
}

Step Syntax: Steps can include section targeting using colon notation:

  • "index": Execute step with default section
  • "index:TestSite": Execute step using "TestSite" configuration section

Source Section

Defines resource locations and shared paths independent of specific environments:

{
  "Source": {
    "PackagesPath": "..\\Packages",
    "DbBackupFilePath": "..\\Databases\\project-latest.bak",
    "DatabasesPath": "..\\Databases\\",
    "VsTemplatesRepo": "https://github.com/SenseNet/sn-vs-projecttemplates",
    "TemplatesBranch": "master",
    "SnWebFolderFilePath": "..\\Archives\\project-Web.zip"
  }
}

Project Section

The default configuration section for most steps, typically containing local development settings:

{
  "Project": {
    "DataSource": "MySenseNetContentRepositoryDatasource",
    "InitialCatalog": "sensenetdb",
    "WebAppName": "sensenetapp",
    "AppPoolName": "sensenetapp",
    "Hosts": ["sensenet.local"],
    "DotNetVersion": "v4.0",
    "WebFolderPath": "..\\WebApplication",
    "AsmFolderPath": "..\\WebApplication\\bin",
    "WebConfigFilePath": "..\\WebApplication\\web.config"
  }
}

Common Configuration Properties

Database Settings

  • DataSource: SQL Server instance name or connection string
  • InitialCatalog: Database name
  • UserName: SQL Server authentication username (optional)
  • UserPsw: SQL Server authentication password (optional)

Application Settings

  • WebAppName: IIS site name
  • AppPoolName: IIS application pool name
  • DotNetVersion: .NET Framework version (e.g., "v4.0")
  • Hosts: Array of hostnames for local development

File System Paths

  • WebFolderPath: Web application root directory
  • AsmFolderPath: Binary assemblies directory (typically bin/)
  • ToolsFolderPath: Utilities and tools directory
  • SolutionFilePath: Visual Studio solution file path

SenseNet-Specific Settings

  • SnAdminFilePath: Path to snadmin.exe utility
  • IndexerPath: Path to index populator executable
  • RepoFsFolderPath: Repository content import directory
  • DeployFolderPath: Deployment manifest directory

Environment-Specific Sections

Create custom sections for different deployment targets:

{
  "Production": {
    "DataSource": "prod-sql-server",
    "InitialCatalog": "ProductionDB",
    "WebAppName": "ProductionSite",
    "MachineName": "PROD-SERVER-01"
  },
  "Staging": {
    "DataSource": "staging-sql-server", 
    "InitialCatalog": "StagingDB",
    "WebAppName": "StagingSite"
  }
}

Tools Section

Defines paths to external utilities used by various steps:

{
  "Tools": {
    "VisualStudio": "C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Visual Studio\\2019\\Professional\\Common7\\IDE\\CommonExtensions\\Microsoft\\TeamFoundation\\Team Explorer\\tf.exe",
    "UnZipperFilePath": "C:\\Program Files\\7-Zip\\7z.exe",
    "NuGetFilePath": "..\\Tools\\nuget\\nuget.exe"
  }
}

Environment Variable Overrides

Any configuration setting can be overridden using environment variables with the PLOTMANAGER_ prefix:

# Override database settings
$env:PLOTMANAGER_DataSource = "new-sql-server"
$env:PLOTMANAGER_InitialCatalog = "NewDatabase"

# Override application settings  
$env:PLOTMANAGER_WebAppName = "TestApplication"

Best Practices

Security

  • Store sensitive data like passwords in environment variables rather than configuration files
  • Use SQL Server integrated authentication when possible
  • Protect configuration files with appropriate file system permissions

Organization

  • Keep environment-specific settings separate from shared configurations
  • Use descriptive section names without special characters or spaces
  • Document custom configuration properties and their purpose

Maintenance

  • Regularly validate configuration paths and ensure tools are accessible
  • Test configurations across all target environments
  • Version control configuration files but exclude sensitive data