User scope vs Application scope in app.config

Question

What is the difference between the User scope and Application scope in app.config?

Amalamalbena

Answer 1

User-scope settings are used to store values specific to each individual user, whereas application-scope settings are used for all users.

Take a look at this article.

Deettadeeyn

Answer 2

User Scoped Settings will only affect the current user and are relatively safe to set. They are stored in a user specific location so there is no real issue with writing to them.

Application Scoped Settings on the other hand are read-only and cannot be changed

Narbada

Answer 3

Application-scoped vs. User-scoped Settings:

Application-scoped settings:

• Apply to all users of the application.
• Typically stored in the App.config or Web.config file.
• Typically used for settings that affect the overall application behavior, such as server URLs, connection strings, feature flags, application paths and default values.
• Cannot be modified by users at runtime.
• Must be explicitly saved using My.Settings.Save() if changes are made programmatically.

User-scoped settings:

• Apply to individual users of the application.
• Stored in a user.config file, located in each user's application data folder.
• Typically used for settings that personalize the user experience, such as preferences (e.g. Preferred language), layout choices, window size, last-used document paths and toolbar configuration.
• Can be modified by users at runtime.
• Changes are automatically saved to the user.config file.

Tabard