Configuration File Schema for the .NET Framework

Configuration Files are standard XML files. The .NET Framework defines a set of elements that implement configuration settings. This section describes the configuration schema for the machine configuration file, application configuration files, and the security configuration file.

You need to be familiar with XML if you want to edit the configuration files directly.

Important
XML tags and attributes are case-sensitive.

In This Section

• <configuration> Element
  Describes the <configuration> element, which is the top-level element for all configuration files.

• <assemblyBinding> Element for <configuration>
  Specifies assembly binding policy at the configuration level.

• <linkedConfiguration> Element
  Specifies a configuration file to include.

• Startup Settings Schema
  Describes the elements that specify which version of the common language runtime to use.

• Runtime Settings Schema
  Describes the elements that configure assembly binding and runtime behavior.

• Network Settings Schema
  Describes the elements that specify how the .NET Framework connects to the Internet.

• Cryptography Settings Schema
  Describes elements that map friendly algorithm names to classes that implement cryptography algorithms.

• Configuration Sections Schema
  Describes the elements used to create and use configuration sections for custom settings.

• Trace and Debug Settings Schema
  Describes the elements that specify trace switches and listeners.

• Compiler and Language Provider Settings Schema
  Describes the elements that specify compiler configuration for available language providers.

• Application Settings Schema
  Describes the elements that enable a Windows Forms or ASP.NET application to store and retrieve application-scoped and user-scoped settings.

• Web Settings Schema
  All elements in the Web settings schema, which includes elements for configuring how ASP.NET works with a host application such as IIS. Used in aspnet.config files.

Related Sections

• Remoting Settings Schema
  Describes the elements that configure client and server applications that implement remoting.

• ASP.NET Configuration Settings
  Describes the elements that control the behavior of ASP.NET Web applications.

• Web Services Settings Schema
  Describes the elements that control the behavior of ASP.NET Web services and their clients.

• Configuring Applications
  Describes how to configure security, assembly binding, and remoting in the .NET Framework.