How to add namespaces in web.config file?

Question

I am using VS 2008 and C# but when I added namespace in web.config file, that namespace is not imported or included in code behind or aspx
I have also read this question but not get the required answer.

web.config code

<configuration>
 <system.web>
    <pages>
      <namespaces>
        <add namespace="System.Data" />
        <add namespace="System.Text"/>
      </namespaces>
    </pages>  
  </system.web>
</configuration>

Solution 1

The purpose of the namespace section is to get around having to do the import in the .aspx page. Code behind in C# still requires you to have the using statements at the top of your .cs file.

There is no way to get around this.

Solution 2

You need to put them in the correct <system.web> section. e.g.:

<configuration>
  <system.web>
    <pages>
      <namespaces>
        <add namespace="System.Data" />
        <add namespace="System.Text"/>
      </namespaces>
    </pages>  
  </system.web>
</configuration>

and put them in the correct web.config

i.e. the second web.config file is the Views folder and is specific to views. These settings do not go in the root web.config.

The purpose of these settings is to make the libraries available to the ASPX pages (e.g. for Intellisense) and it is not used for the code-behind. You still need to have using statements in your actual code as that is just plain c# programming.

Comments

[Gone Coding]

Are you actually expecting them to appear in the text of your ASPX files? If so that is not their purpose. With the config settings you no longer need to have includes for those DLLs in your ASPX files (just in the code behind).

[jams]

@Chris Lively: Then what is the purpose adding namespace it in web.config file?

[Oded]

@jams - If you need to add the namespaces to every page, this will import them automatically. No need for extra imports.

[jams]

@Oded:That is the problem it is not importing on code behind.

[Oded]

@jams - You might be re-importing existing adds. Did you try adding a <clear /> element before the adds?

[jams]

@Oded:I did exactly but no success. Have you tried it on your system?

[NotMe]

@Oded: it doesn't work in c# code behind files. You have to include the imports line.

[Oded]

@ChrisLively - It's not supposed to. It is a substitution for @ import directives (which only apply to the .aspx page, not the code behind). See the documentation.

[NotMe]

@Oded - Yeah, I understand that. The OP doesn't. He wants it to work for code behind.

[Gone Coding]

Surely you meant using statements and not the imports directive for a cs file :)

[NotMe]

@TrueBlueAussie: Well... yes that would be the correct term.. ;)