In the BLL in, say, the Category.cs file, where the code reads:

            List<CategoryDetails> recordset = SiteProvider.Articles.GetCategories();
            categories = GetCategoryListFromCategoryDetailsList(recordset);
            BaseArticle.CacheData(key, categories);

What is the purpose of the SiteProvider.Articles bit. I dont understand the instantition of an instance piece in the SiteProvider.cs file. Can I eliminate the creation of the instance and just directly execute the GetCategories() method? How would I accomplish this?

Thanks

Do you have the book that goes with TBH?

yea, i got the book. Im just confused about this instance instantiation bit. Also..the book mentioned something about getting the ProviderType from the 'thebeerhouse' configsection..i assume that was the web.config file..but i see nothing for providertype.

Remember that the architecture has been designed to allow for multiple providers for any given module. You can indicate the provider you want to use in the custom configuration section of web.config using the providerType property. For the articles module, the default is MB.TheBeerHouse.DAL.SqlClient.SqlArticlesProvider. But you could, for example, add an Oracle-based provider and do something like this:

<articles pageSize="10" providerType="MB.TheBeerHouse.DAL.OracleClient.Ora cleArticlesProvider" />

So, we need the SiteProvider class to tell us which provider is in use. It does that by creating an instance of the providerType that is specified in the config file, or the default type if no providerType is specified.

Make sense?

Lee,
your reply kinda cleared the air. So if I heard correctly, the Default providerType is "MB.THeBeerhouse.DAL.SQLClient.SqlArticlesProvider " ...when I downloaded the code, this was not in the Web.Config. Is it this section? I dont see any providerTypes for forums, polls etc!

   <theBeerHouse defaultConnectionStringName="LocalSqlServer">
      <contactForm mailTo="[email protected]"/>
      <articles pageSize="10" />
      <polls archiveIsPublic="true" votingLockByIP="false" />
      <newsletters fromEmail="[email protected]" fromDisplayName="TheBeerHouse" />
      <forums threadsPageSize="8" hotThreadPosts="10" bronzePosterPosts="10" silverPosterPosts="20" goldPosterPosts="50" />
      <store sandboxMode="true" businessEmail="[email protected]" />
   </theBeerHouse>


So if im strictly using, say SQL, how could I rewrite the ArticlesProvider to create an instance of ArticlesProvider type? I tried this in the Articles Provider class and it didnt work.


               _instance = (ArticlesProvider)Activator.CreateInstance(
                  Type.GetType(MB.TheBeerHouse.DAL.SQLClient.SqlArti clesProvider));

I get the squiggly line and the error: The best overloaded match for 'System.Activator.CreateInstance' has some invalid arguments.

Thanks

ok..so i found the default provider in the ConfigSection.cs file...but i still cant figure out how to code the providertype explicitly, can someone show me how to do this please.

So if im strictly using, say SQL, how could I rewrite the ArticlesProvider to create an instance of ArticlesProvider type? I tried this in the Articles Provider class and it didnt work.


               _instance = (ArticlesProvider)Activator.CreateInstance(
                  Type.GetType(MB.TheBeerHouse.DAL.SQLClient.SqlArti clesProvider));

I get the squiggly line and the error: The best overloaded match for 'System.Activator.CreateInstance' has some invalid arguments.

Do this instead:

_instance = (ArticlesProvider)Activator.CreateInstance(
   Type.GetType("MB.TheBeerHouse.DAL.SQLClient.SqlArt iclesProvider"));

Type.GetType() needs the name of the type as a string.

But if your true goal is to not allow alternate providers, you might want to consider gutting the provider model out the solution altogether...

Lee,
yes..im a trying to take out the provider model completely..just having trouble figuring out how. Can you tell me if the following is correct please?

To take out provider model to use SQL explicitly:
For the DAL, I would have one DAL class..lets call it SqlArticles. This just has all the calls to the stored procedures as would be defined in SqlArticlesProvider.cs.

Do I still need the instance creation bit? or can I eliminate that completely..if so how?

I am storing a list of schools (id, name and pnemonic) in a db and am trying to figure out how to use the DAL and BLL n-tier model given in the book. Can someone take a look at the files in the link below and let me know if im missing something please.

Its very simple and currently only executes one stored procedure to get all the schools, I want to build on this if my method is correct.

http://rapidshare.com/files/143426845/App_Code.zip.html

Thanks.

Yes, you would just have a class that calls the stored procedures, but does not inherit or implement ArticlesProvider. You would get rid of ArticlesProvider altogether, as well as the Articles property of SiteProvider. Then, in places in your code where you call the DAL methods, you would do so directly instead of using the SiteProvider functionality.

For example:

SiteProvider.Articles.GetCategories()

would become:

SqlArticles.GetCategories()

You would also want to get rid of the providerType property for the ArticlesElement in ConfigSection, as it would now have no use.

All this being said, I am not sure why you'd want to bother messing with this at all. Leaving the provider model intact isn't hurting anything, even if you don't intend to use it.