Specify more than one directory in Web.Config's Location Path element

Question

In my ASP.NET's Web Config file I have the following location elements defined:

  <location path="">
    <system.web>
      <authorization>
        <deny users="?"/>
      </authorization>
    </system.web>
  </location>

  <location path="dir1">
    <system.web>
      <authorization>
        <allow users="?"/>
      </authorization>
    </system.web>
  </location>

  <location path="dir2">
    <system.web>
      <authorization>
        <allow users="?"/>
      </authorization>
    </system.web>
  </location>

The example above is specifying that all directories will be locked down to anonymous users except the two directories dir1 and dir2.

I'm curious if there is a syntax that I can use that will allow me to define more than one directory within one location element. For example, it would be convenient if we could do something like this...

  <location path="dir1,dir2,etc">
    <system.web>
      <authorization>
        <allow users="?"/>
      </authorization>
    </system.web>
  </location>

Answer 1

You cannot specify multiple elements in the path attribute, but you can make use of the configSource attribute.

For example, the following original web.config file:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<configuration>
  <location path="form1.aspx">
    <system.web>
      <authorization>
        <allow users="*"/>
      </authorization>
    </system.web>
  </location>
  <location path="form2.aspx">
    <system.web>
      <authorization>
        <allow users="*"/>
      </authorization>
    </system.web>
  </location>
  <location path="form3.aspx">
    <system.web>
      <authorization>
        <allow users="*"/>
      </authorization>
    </system.web>
  </location>
  <location path="form4.aspx">
    <system.web>
      <authorization>
        <deny users="*"/>
      </authorization>
    </system.web>
  </location>
  <location path="form5.aspx">
    <system.web>
      <authorization>
        <deny users="*"/>
      </authorization>
    </system.web>
  </location>
  <location path="form6.aspx">
    <system.web>
      <authorization>
        <deny users="*"/>
      </authorization>
    </system.web>
  </location>
</configuration>

Can be replaced by the following equivalent web.config, allow.config, and deny.config files:

web.config

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<configuration>
  <location path="form1.aspx">
    <system.web>
      <authorization configSource="allow.config" />
    </system.web>
  </location>
  <location path="form2.aspx">
    <system.web>
      <authorization configSource="allow.config" />
    </system.web>
  </location>
  <location path="form3.aspx">
    <system.web>
      <authorization configSource="allow.config" />
    </system.web>
  </location>
  <location path="form4.aspx">
    <system.web>
      <authorization configSource="deny.config" />
    </system.web>
  </location>
  <location path="form5.aspx">
    <system.web>
      <authorization configSource="deny.config" />
    </system.web>
  </location>
  <location path="form6.aspx">
    <system.web>
      <authorization configSource="deny.config" />
    </system.web>
  </location>
</configuration>

allow.config

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<authorization>
  <allow users="*"/>
</authorization>

deny.config

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<authorization>
  <deny users="*"/>
</authorization>

The usefulness of this approach increases as the number of allow/deny rules in each section increases.