SqlDataSource.ConnectionString Property (System.Web.UI.WebControls)

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ConnectionString Property

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Microsoft Visual Studio 2008/.NET Framework 3.5

Other versions are also available for the following:

.NET Framework Class Library

SqlDataSource..::.ConnectionString Property

Gets or sets the ADO.NET provider–specific connection string that the SqlDataSource control uses to connect to an underlying database.

Namespace: System.Web.UI.WebControls
Assembly: System.Web (in System.Web.dll)

Syntax

Visual Basic (Declaration)

Public Overridable Property ConnectionString As String

Visual Basic (Usage)

Dim instance As SqlDataSource
Dim value As String

value = instance.ConnectionString

instance.ConnectionString = value

public virtual string ConnectionString { get; set; }

Visual C++

public:
virtual property String^ ConnectionString {
    String^ get ();
    void set (String^ value);
}

JScript

public function get ConnectionString () : String
public function set ConnectionString (value : String)

ASP.NET

<asp:SqlDataSource ConnectionString="String" />

Property Value

Type: System..::.String
A .NET Framework data provider–specific string that the SqlDataSource uses to connect to the SQL database that it represents. The default is an empty string ("").

Remarks

The SqlDataSource control can be used with a variety of ADO.NET providers and the syntax of the connection string that is used to connect to an underlying data source is specific to the provider.

When you configure a SqlDataSource control, you set the ProviderName property to the type of database (the default is System.Data.SqlClient), and you set the ConnectionString property to a connection string that includes information that is required in order to connect to the database. The contents of a connection string differ depending on what type of database the data source control is accessing. For example, the SqlDataSource control requires a server name, database (catalog) name, and information about how to authenticate the user when connecting to a SQL Server. For information about the contents of connection strings, see the ConnectionString property for the SqlConnection class, ConnectionString property for the OracleConnection class, ConnectionString property for the OleDbConnection class, or the ConnectionString property for the OdbcConnection class.

If you change the ConnectionString property, the DataSourceChanged event is raised, causing any controls that are bound to the SqlDataSource control to rebind.

Security Note:
For information about storing a connection string, see How To: Secure Connection Strings when Using Data Source Controls.

Topic	Location
How to: Connect to an ODBC Database Using the SqlDataSource Control	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Connect to an ODBC Database Using the SqlDataSource Control	Building ASP .NET Web Applications
How to: Connect to an ODBC Database Using the SqlDataSource Control	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Connect to an ODBC Database Using the SqlDataSource Control	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio
How to: Connect to an ODBC Database Using the SqlDataSource Control (Visual Studio)	Building ASP .NET Web Applications in Visual Studio

Examples

This section contains two code examples. The first code example demonstrates how to set the ConnectionString property to connect to a Microsoft SQL Server database and display the results of the SelectCommand property in a GridView control. The second code example demonstrates a more complex scenario, where a SqlDataSource control is used to display and update data in a password-protected Microsoft Access database.

The following code example demonstrates how to set the ConnectionString property to connect to a SQL Server database and display the results of the SelectCommand property in a GridView control.

Visual Basic

<%@ Page Language="VB" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">

<html  >
  <head runat="server">
    <title>ASP.NET Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">

      <asp:SqlDataSource
          id="SqlDataSource1"
          runat="server"
          DataSourceMode="DataReader"
          ConnectionString="<%$ ConnectionStrings:MyNorthwind%>"
          SelectCommand="SELECT FirstName, LastName, Title FROM Employees">
      </asp:SqlDataSource>

      <asp:GridView
          id="GridView1"
          runat="server"
          DataSourceID="SqlDataSource1">
      </asp:GridView>

    </form>
  </body>
</html>

<%@ Page Language="C#" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">

<html  >
  <head runat="server">
    <title>ASP.NET Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">

      <asp:SqlDataSource
          id="SqlDataSource1"
          runat="server"
          DataSourceMode="DataReader"
          ConnectionString="<%$ ConnectionStrings:MyNorthwind%>"
          SelectCommand="SELECT FirstName, LastName, Title FROM Employees">
      </asp:SqlDataSource>

      <asp:GridView
          id="GridView1"
          runat="server"
          DataSourceID="SqlDataSource1">
      </asp:GridView>

    </form>
  </body>
</html>

The following code example demonstrates a more complex scenario than the preceding code example, where a SqlDataSource control is used to display and update data in a password-protected Access database. Because the SqlDataSource is used with Access, the ProviderName property is set to the System.Data.OleDb provider, and the ConnectionString property is set to an appropriate connection string for a UNC-shared Access database. A GridView control displays orders with shipment dates. You can update an order by checking the appropriate check box, and then clicking the Update button.

Visual Basic

<%@Page  Language="VB" %>
<%@Import Namespace="System.Data" %>
<%@Import Namespace="System.Data.Common" %>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<script runat="server">
Private Sub UpdateRecords(source As Object, e As EventArgs)

  ' This method is an example of batch updating using a
  ' data source control. The method iterates through the rows
  ' of the GridView, extracts each CheckBox from the row and, if
  ' the CheckBox is checked, updates data by calling the Update
  ' method of the data source control, adding required parameters
  ' to the UpdateParameters collection.

  Dim cb As CheckBox
  Dim row As GridViewRow

  For Each row In GridView1.Rows

    cb = CType(row.Cells(0).Controls(1), CheckBox)
    If cb.Checked Then

      Dim oid As String
      oid = CType(row.Cells(1).Text, String)

      Dim param1 As New Parameter("date", TypeCode.DateTime, DateTime.Now.ToString())
      MyAccessDataSource.UpdateParameters.Add(param1)

      Dim param2 As New Parameter("orderid", TypeCode.String, oid)
      MyAccessDataSource.UpdateParameters.Add(param2)

      MyAccessDataSource.Update()
      MyAccessDataSource.UpdateParameters.Clear()
    End If
  Next
End Sub ' UpdateRecords
</script>
<html  >
  <head runat="server">
    <title>ASP.NET Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">

<!-- Security Note: The SqlDataSource uses a QueryStringParameter,
     Security Note: which does not perform validation of input from the client.
     Security Note: To validate the value of the QueryStringParameter, handle the Selecting event. -->

      <asp:SqlDataSource
        id="MyAccessDataSource"
        runat="server"
        ProviderName="<%$ ConnectionStrings:MyPasswordProtectedAccess.providerName%>"
        ConnectionString="<%$ ConnectionStrings:MyPasswordProtectedAccess%>"
        SelectCommand="SELECT OrderID, OrderDate, RequiredDate, ShippedDate FROM Orders WHERE EmployeeID=?"
        UpdateCommand="UPDATE Orders SET ShippedDate=? WHERE OrderID = ?">
        <SelectParameters>
          <asp:QueryStringParameter Name="empId" QueryStringField="empId" />
        </SelectParameters>
      </asp:SqlDataSource>

      <asp:GridView
        id ="GridView1"
        runat="server"
        DataSourceID="MyAccessDataSource"
        AllowPaging="True"
        PageSize="10"
        AutoGenerateColumns="False">
          <columns>
            <asp:TemplateField HeaderText="">
              <ItemTemplate>
                <asp:CheckBox runat="server" />
              </ItemTemplate>
            </asp:TemplateField>
            <asp:BoundField HeaderText="Order" DataField="OrderID" />
            <asp:BoundField HeaderText="Order Date" DataField="OrderDate" />
            <asp:BoundField HeaderText="Required Date" DataField="RequiredDate" />
            <asp:BoundField HeaderText="Shipped Date" DataField="ShippedDate" />
          </columns>
      </asp:GridView>

      <asp:Button
        id="Button1"
        runat="server"
        Text="Update the Selected Records As Shipped"
        OnClick="UpdateRecords" />

      <asp:Label id="Label1" runat="server" />

    </form>
  </body>
</html>

<%@Page  Language="C#" %>
<%@Import Namespace="System.Data" %>
<%@Import Namespace="System.Data.Common" %>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">

<script runat="server">
private void UpdateRecords(Object source, EventArgs e)
{
  // This method is an example of batch updating using a
  // data source control. The method iterates through the rows
  // of the GridView, extracts each CheckBox from the row and, if
  // the CheckBox is checked, updates data by calling the Update
  // method of the data source control, adding required parameters
  // to the UpdateParameters collection.
  CheckBox cb;
  foreach(GridViewRow row in this.GridView1.Rows) {
    cb = (CheckBox) row.Cells[0].Controls[1];
    if(cb.Checked) {
      string oid = (string) row.Cells[1].Text;
      MyAccessDataSource.UpdateParameters.Add(new Parameter("date",TypeCode.DateTime,DateTime.Now.ToString()));
      MyAccessDataSource.UpdateParameters.Add(new Parameter("orderid",TypeCode.String,oid));
      MyAccessDataSource.Update();
      MyAccessDataSource.UpdateParameters.Clear();
    }
  }
}
</script>

<html  >
  <head runat="server">
    <title>ASP.NET Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">

<!-- Security Note: The SqlDataSource uses a QueryStringParameter,
     Security Note: which does not perform validation of input from the client.
     Security Note: To validate the value of the QueryStringParameter, handle the Selecting event. -->

      <asp:SqlDataSource
        id="MyAccessDataSource"
        runat="server"
        ProviderName="<%$ ConnectionStrings:MyPasswordProtectedAccess.providerName%>"
        ConnectionString="<%$ ConnectionStrings:MyPasswordProtectedAccess%>"
        SelectCommand="SELECT OrderID, OrderDate, RequiredDate, ShippedDate FROM Orders WHERE EmployeeID=?"
        UpdateCommand="UPDATE Orders SET ShippedDate=? WHERE OrderID = ?">
        <SelectParameters>
          <asp:QueryStringParameter Name="empId" QueryStringField="empId" />
        </SelectParameters>
      </asp:SqlDataSource>

      <asp:GridView
        id ="GridView1"
        runat="server"
        DataSourceID="MyAccessDataSource"
        AllowPaging="True"
        PageSize="10"
        AutoGenerateColumns="False">
          <columns>
            <asp:TemplateField HeaderText="">
              <ItemTemplate>
                <asp:CheckBox runat="server" />
              </ItemTemplate>
            </asp:TemplateField>
            <asp:BoundField HeaderText="Order" DataField="OrderID" />
            <asp:BoundField HeaderText="Order Date" DataField="OrderDate" />
            <asp:BoundField HeaderText="Required Date" DataField="RequiredDate" />
            <asp:BoundField HeaderText="Shipped Date" DataField="ShippedDate" />
          </columns>
      </asp:GridView>

      <asp:Button
        id="Button1"
        runat="server"
        Text="Update the Selected Records As Shipped"
        OnClick="UpdateRecords" />

      <asp:Label id="Label1" runat="server" />

    </form>
  </body>
</html>

Platforms

Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98

The .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework do not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

Version Information

.NET Framework

Supported in: 3.5, 3.0, 2.0

Reference

SqlDataSource Class

SqlDataSource Members

System.Web.UI.WebControls Namespace

ProviderName

Other Resources

ASP.NET Data Access Overview

Data Source Web Server Controls

SqlDataSource Web Server Control Overview

ASP.NET Page Life Cycle Overview