Example Text Site-Map Provider
Illustrates a complete text-based site-map provider.
Example
Description
The following code example demonstrates how to write a class that implements the abstract SiteMapProvider class.
Code
Imports System
Imports System.Collections
Imports System.Collections.Specialized
Imports System.Configuration.Provider
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Security.Permissions
Imports System.Web
Namespace Samples.AspNet.VB
<AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.Demand, Level:=AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)> _
Public Class SimpleTextSiteMapProvider
Inherits SiteMapProvider
Private parentSiteMapProvider As SiteMapProvider = Nothing
Private simpleTextProviderName As String = Nothing
Private sourceFilename As String = Nothing
Private aRootNode As SiteMapNode = Nothing
Private siteMapNodes As ArrayList = Nothing
Private childParentRelationship As ArrayList = Nothing
' A default constructor. The Name property is initialized in the
' Initialize method.
Public Sub New()
End Sub 'New
' Implement the CurrentNode property.
Public Overrides ReadOnly Property CurrentNode() As SiteMapNode
Get
Dim currentUrl As String = FindCurrentUrl()
' Find the SiteMapNode that represents the current page.
Dim aCurrentNode As SiteMapNode = FindSiteMapNode(currentUrl)
Return aCurrentNode
End Get
End Property
' Implement the RootNode property.
Public Overrides ReadOnly Property RootNode() As SiteMapNode
Get
Return aRootNode
End Get
End Property
' Implement the ParentProvider property.
Public Overrides Property ParentProvider() As SiteMapProvider
Get
Return parentSiteMapProvider
End Get
Set(ByVal value As SiteMapProvider)
parentSiteMapProvider = Value
End Set
End Property
' Implement the RootProvider property.
Public Overrides ReadOnly Property RootProvider() As SiteMapProvider
Get
' If the current instance belongs to a provider hierarchy, it
' cannot be the RootProvider. Rely on the ParentProvider.
If Not (Me.ParentProvider Is Nothing) Then
Return ParentProvider.RootProvider
' If the current instance does not have a ParentProvider, it is
' not a child in a hierarchy, and can be the RootProvider.
Else
Return Me
End If
End Get
End Property
' Implement the FindSiteMapNode method.
Public Overrides Function FindSiteMapNode(ByVal rawUrl As String) As SiteMapNode
' Does the root node match the URL?
If RootNode.Url = rawUrl Then
Return RootNode
Else
Dim candidate As SiteMapNode = Nothing
' Retrieve the SiteMapNode that matches the URL.
SyncLock Me
candidate = GetNode(siteMapNodes, rawUrl)
End SyncLock
Return candidate
End If
End Function 'FindSiteMapNode
' Implement the GetChildNodes method.
Public Overrides Function GetChildNodes(ByVal node As SiteMapNode) As SiteMapNodeCollection
Dim children As New SiteMapNodeCollection()
' Iterate through the ArrayList and find all nodes that have the specified node as a parent.
SyncLock Me
Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To childParentRelationship.Count - 1
Dim de As DictionaryEntry = CType(childParentRelationship(i), DictionaryEntry)
Dim nodeUrl As String = CType(de.Key, String)
Dim parent As SiteMapNode = GetNode(childParentRelationship, nodeUrl)
If Not (parent Is Nothing) AndAlso node.Url = parent.Url Then
' The SiteMapNode with the Url that corresponds to nodeUrl
' is a child of the specified node. Get the SiteMapNode for
' the nodeUrl.
Dim child As SiteMapNode = FindSiteMapNode(nodeUrl)
If Not (child Is Nothing) Then
children.Add(CType(child, SiteMapNode))
Else
Throw New Exception("ArrayLists not in sync.")
End If
End If
Next i
End SyncLock
Return children
End Function 'GetChildNodes
Protected Overrides Function GetRootNodeCore() As SiteMapNode
Return RootNode
End Function ' GetRootNodeCore()
' Implement the GetParentNode method.
Public Overrides Function GetParentNode(ByVal node As SiteMapNode) As SiteMapNode
' Check the childParentRelationship table and find the parent of the current node.
' If there is no parent, the current node is the RootNode.
Dim parent As SiteMapNode = Nothing
SyncLock Me
' Get the Value of the node in childParentRelationship
parent = GetNode(childParentRelationship, node.Url)
End SyncLock
Return parent
End Function 'GetParentNode
' Implement the ProviderBase.Initialize method.
' Initialize is used to initialize the state that the Provider holds, but
' not actually build the site map.
Public Overrides Sub Initialize(ByVal name As String, ByVal attributes As NameValueCollection)
SyncLock Me
MyBase.Initialize(name, attributes)
simpleTextProviderName = name
sourceFilename = attributes("siteMapFile")
siteMapNodes = New ArrayList()
childParentRelationship = New ArrayList()
' Build the site map in memory.
LoadSiteMapFromStore()
End SyncLock
End Sub 'Initialize
' Private helper methods
Private Function GetNode(ByVal list As ArrayList, ByVal url As String) As SiteMapNode
Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To list.Count - 1
Dim item As DictionaryEntry = CType(list(i), DictionaryEntry)
If CStr(item.Key) = url Then
Return CType(item.Value, SiteMapNode)
End If
Next i
Return Nothing
End Function 'GetNode
' Get the URL of the currently displayed page.
Private Function FindCurrentUrl() As String
Try
' The current HttpContext.
Dim currentContext As HttpContext = HttpContext.Current
If Not (currentContext Is Nothing) Then
Return currentContext.Request.RawUrl
Else
Throw New Exception("HttpContext.Current is Invalid")
End If
Catch e As Exception
Throw New NotSupportedException("This provider requires a valid context.", e)
End Try
End Function 'FindCurrentUrl
Protected Overridable Sub LoadSiteMapFromStore()
Dim pathToOpen As String
SyncLock Me
' If a root node exists, LoadSiteMapFromStore has already
' been called, and the method can return.
If Not (aRootNode Is Nothing) Then
Return
Else
pathToOpen = HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath("~" & "\\" & sourceFilename)
If File.Exists(pathToOpen) Then
' Open the file to read from.
Dim sr As StreamReader = File.OpenText(pathToOpen)
Try
' Clear the state of the collections and aRootNode
aRootNode = Nothing
siteMapNodes.Clear()
childParentRelationship.Clear()
' Parse the file and build the site map
Dim s As String = ""
Dim nodeValues As String() = Nothing
Dim temp As SiteMapNode = Nothing
Do
s = sr.ReadLine()
If Not s Is Nothing Then
' Build the various SiteMapNode objects and add
' them to the ArrayList collections. The format used
' is: URL,TITLE,DESCRIPTION,PARENTURL
nodeValues = s.Split(","c)
temp = New SiteMapNode(Me, _
HttpRuntime.AppDomainAppVirtualPath & "/" & nodeValues(0), _
HttpRuntime.AppDomainAppVirtualPath & "/" & nodeValues(0), _
nodeValues(1), _
nodeValues(2))
' Is this a root node yet?
If aRootNode Is Nothing AndAlso _
(nodeValues(3) Is Nothing OrElse _
nodeValues(3) = String.Empty) Then
aRootNode = temp
' If not the root node, add the node to the various collections.
Else
siteMapNodes.Add(New DictionaryEntry(temp.Url, temp))
' The parent node has already been added to the collection.
Dim parentNode As SiteMapNode = _
FindSiteMapNode(HttpRuntime.AppDomainAppVirtualPath & "/" & nodeValues(3))
If Not (parentNode Is Nothing) Then
childParentRelationship.Add(New DictionaryEntry(temp.Url, parentNode))
Else
Throw New Exception("Parent node not found for current node.")
End If
End If
End If
Loop Until s Is Nothing
Finally
sr.Close()
End Try
Else
Throw New Exception("File not found")
End If
End If
End SyncLock
Return
End Sub 'LoadSiteMapFromStore
End Class 'SimpleTextSiteMapProvider
End Namespace
using System;
using System.Configuration.Provider;
using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Specialized;
using System.IO;
using System.Security.Permissions;
using System.Web;
namespace Samples.AspNet.CS
{
[AspNetHostingPermission(SecurityAction.Demand, Level = AspNetHostingPermissionLevel.Minimal)]
public class SimpleTextSiteMapProvider : SiteMapProvider
{
private SiteMapProvider parentSiteMapProvider = null;
private string simpleTextProviderName = null;
private string sourceFilename = null;
private SiteMapNode rootNode = null;
private ArrayList siteMapNodes = null;
private ArrayList childParentRelationship = null;
// A default constructor. The Name property is initialized in the
// Initialize method.
public SimpleTextSiteMapProvider()
{
}
// Implement the CurrentNode property.
public override SiteMapNode CurrentNode
{
get
{
string currentUrl = FindCurrentUrl();
// Find the SiteMapNode that represents the current page.
SiteMapNode currentNode = FindSiteMapNode(currentUrl);
return currentNode;
}
}
// Implement the RootNode property.
public override SiteMapNode RootNode
{
get
{
return rootNode;
}
}
// Implement the ParentProvider property.
public override SiteMapProvider ParentProvider
{
get
{
return parentSiteMapProvider;
}
set
{
parentSiteMapProvider = value;
}
}
// Implement the RootProvider property.
public override SiteMapProvider RootProvider
{
get
{
// If the current instance belongs to a provider hierarchy, it
// cannot be the RootProvider. Rely on the ParentProvider.
if (this.ParentProvider != null)
{
return ParentProvider.RootProvider;
}
// If the current instance does not have a ParentProvider, it is
// not a child in a hierarchy, and can be the RootProvider.
else
{
return this;
}
}
}
// Implement the FindSiteMapNode method.
public override SiteMapNode FindSiteMapNode(string rawUrl)
{
// Does the root node match the URL?
if (RootNode.Url == rawUrl)
{
return RootNode;
}
else
{
SiteMapNode candidate = null;
// Retrieve the SiteMapNode that matches the URL.
lock (this)
{
candidate = GetNode(siteMapNodes, rawUrl);
}
return candidate;
}
}
// Implement the GetChildNodes method.
public override SiteMapNodeCollection GetChildNodes(SiteMapNode node)
{
SiteMapNodeCollection children = new SiteMapNodeCollection();
// Iterate through the ArrayList and find all nodes that have the specified node as a parent.
lock (this)
{
for (int i = 0; i < childParentRelationship.Count; i++)
{
string nodeUrl = ((DictionaryEntry)childParentRelationship[i]).Key as string;
SiteMapNode parent = GetNode(childParentRelationship, nodeUrl);
if (parent != null && node.Url == parent.Url)
{
// The SiteMapNode with the Url that corresponds to nodeUrl
// is a child of the specified node. Get the SiteMapNode for
// the nodeUrl.
SiteMapNode child = FindSiteMapNode(nodeUrl);
if (child != null)
{
children.Add(child as SiteMapNode);
}
else
{
throw new Exception("ArrayLists not in sync.");
}
}
}
}
return children;
}
protected override SiteMapNode GetRootNodeCore()
{
return RootNode;
}
// Implement the GetParentNode method.
public override SiteMapNode GetParentNode(SiteMapNode node)
{
// Check the childParentRelationship table and find the parent of the current node.
// If there is no parent, the current node is the RootNode.
SiteMapNode parent = null;
lock (this)
{
// Get the Value of the node in childParentRelationship
parent = GetNode(childParentRelationship, node.Url);
}
return parent;
}
// Implement the ProviderBase.Initialize property.
// Initialize is used to initialize the state that the Provider holds, but
// not actually build the site map.
public override void Initialize(string name, NameValueCollection attributes)
{
lock (this)
{
base.Initialize(name, attributes);
simpleTextProviderName = name;
sourceFilename = attributes["siteMapFile"];
siteMapNodes = new ArrayList();
childParentRelationship = new ArrayList();
// Build the site map in memory.
LoadSiteMapFromStore();
}
}
// Private helper methods
private SiteMapNode GetNode(ArrayList list, string url)
{
for (int i = 0; i < list.Count; i++)
{
DictionaryEntry item = (DictionaryEntry)list[i];
if ((string)item.Key == url)
return item.Value as SiteMapNode;
}
return null;
}
// Get the URL of the currently displayed page.
private string FindCurrentUrl()
{
try
{
// The current HttpContext.
HttpContext currentContext = HttpContext.Current;
if (currentContext != null)
{
return currentContext.Request.RawUrl;
}
else
{
throw new Exception("HttpContext.Current is Invalid");
}
}
catch (Exception e)
{
throw new NotSupportedException("This provider requires a valid context.",e);
}
}
protected virtual void LoadSiteMapFromStore()
{
string pathToOpen;
lock (this)
{
// If a root node exists, LoadSiteMapFromStore has already
// been called, and the method can return.
if (rootNode != null)
{
return;
}
else
{
pathToOpen = HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath("~" + "\\" + sourceFilename);
if (File.Exists(pathToOpen))
{
// Open the file to read from.
using (StreamReader sr = File.OpenText(pathToOpen))
{
// Clear the state of the collections and rootNode
rootNode = null;
siteMapNodes.Clear();
childParentRelationship.Clear();
// Parse the file and build the site map
string s = "";
string[] nodeValues = null;
SiteMapNode temp = null;
while ((s = sr.ReadLine()) != null)
{
// Build the various SiteMapNode objects and add
// them to the ArrayList collections. The format used
// is: URL,TITLE,DESCRIPTION,PARENTURL
nodeValues = s.Split(',');
temp = new SiteMapNode(this,
HttpRuntime.AppDomainAppVirtualPath + "/" + nodeValues[0],
HttpRuntime.AppDomainAppVirtualPath + "/" + nodeValues[0],
nodeValues[1],
nodeValues[2]);
// Is this a root node yet?
if (null == rootNode &&
(null == nodeValues[3] || nodeValues[3] == String.Empty))
{
rootNode = temp;
}
// If not the root node, add the node to the various collections.
else
{
siteMapNodes.Add(new DictionaryEntry(temp.Url, temp));
// The parent node has already been added to the collection.
SiteMapNode parentNode =
FindSiteMapNode(HttpRuntime.AppDomainAppVirtualPath + "/" + nodeValues[3]);
if (parentNode != null)
{
childParentRelationship.Add(new DictionaryEntry(temp.Url, parentNode));
}
else
{
throw new Exception("Parent node not found for current node.");
}
}
}
}
}
else
{
throw new Exception("File not found");
}
}
}
return;
}
}
}
Comments
The code example uses a comma-delimited file called SiteMap.txt that follows a specific structure to load site-map information. The first line of the file represents the root node of the site map, and subsequent lines are child nodes. Each child node identifies its parent node by URL.
default.aspx,Home,MyCompany Home Page,
sale.aspx,Now On Sale,Check Out These Great Deals!,default.aspx
catalog.aspx,Online Catalog,Browse Our Many Great Items!,default.aspx
The SimpleTextSiteMapProvider provides example implementations of all of the properties and methods for the SiteMapProvider class.
Finally, the SimpleTextSiteMapProvider is configured to be the default provider in the Web.config file, as shown in the following code example.
<configuration>
<system.web>
<siteMap defaultProvider="SimpleTextSiteMapProvider">
<providers>
<add
name="SimpleTextSiteMapProvider"
type="<type name>"
siteMapFile = "<path>/siteMap.txt" />
</providers>
</siteMap>
</system.web>
</configuration>
To customize this example, replace <type name> with the fully qualified name of the class that implements your site-map data provider. For example, in the C# code above, you would replace <type name> with Samples.AspNet.CS.SimpleTextSiteMapProvider. If you compile your site-map data provider code and place it in the Bin directory, the <type name> string must also include the name of your compiled file without the file name extension. For example, if you compiled the C# code above into a file called Samples.AspNet.dll, you would replace <type name> with Samples.AspNet.CS.SimpleTextSiteMapProvider.Samples.AspNet. Lastly, replace <path> with the relative path to your site-map file.
Note
When you inherit from the SiteMapProvider class, as opposed to inheriting from the StaticSiteMapProvider class, you must override the following members: GetRootNodeCore, FindSiteMapNode, GetChildNodes, and GetParentNode.
See Also
Concepts
ASP.NET Site Navigation Overview
Securing ASP.NET Site Navigation