.NET 2.0 App.Config connection strings includes unwanted SQLExpress default

Question

I\'m using a connectionStrings section within an app.config file in a .NET 2.0 project. The config section contains two connection strings I have defined.

Answer 1

It's defined in machine.config. To get rid of it, use:

<connectionStrings>
    <clear/>
    <add ... >
</connectionStrings>

As a general rule, sections that have <add> and <remove> elements (e.g. appSettings, connectionStrings and the provider configuration sections) also have a <clear> element, which you can use if you don't want to inherit elements from a higher level web.config or machine.config file.