Encoding the Connection String - Example of usage

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Now using the AppSettings as above, to set the connection information to connect to the MS SQL 2000 Server you will use the following code:

Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, _
ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
Dim strOrder As String
Dim dynSql As New SqlClient.SqlConnection
strOrder = System.Text.ASCIIEncoding.ASCII.GetString _
(Convert.FromBase64String(ConfigurationSettings. _
AppSettings("orders")))
dynSql.ConnectionString = strOrder
dynSql.Open()
Response.Write("Open <br>")
Response.Write(dynSql.ConnectionString & "<br>")
Response.Write(ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings. _
GetKey(0).ToString)
Response.Write("<br>")
dynSql.Close()
Response.Write("Closed<br>")
End Sub

The result shows that the above code successfully established the connection to the database server as shown below. The highlighted responses are seen in this resulting display.

Summary

Base64 encoding is not encryption, it is just reformatting the string in a slightly unreadable fashion. The characters you find in the encoded string are a giveaway that it is Base64, and that it can be unscrambled with some coding. However, it is somewhat better than clear text. It does take up more space than the text it replaces. If you need a copy of this project do send me an email.

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