abp-settings-features

ABP Settings & Features Skill

Trigger

User asks about settings, ISettingProvider, ISettingManager, ISettingDefinitionProvider, setting values, features, IFeatureChecker, IFeatureDefinitionProvider, feature toggles, or feature management in ABP Framework.

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Part 1: Settings System

Core Concepts

ABP's setting system provides a hierarchical, extensible way to manage configuration values with fallback from user → tenant → global → configuration → default.

Defining Settings

Create a class inheriting SettingDefinitionProvider:

using Volo.Abp.Settings;

namespace Acme.BookStore.Settings
{
    public class BookStoreSettingDefinitionProvider : SettingDefinitionProvider
    {
        public override void Define(ISettingDefinitionContext context)
        {
            context.Add(
                new SettingDefinition(
                    "App.UI.LayoutType",
                    defaultValue: "LeftMenu",
                    displayName: L["LayoutType"],
                    isVisibleToClients: true
                ),
                new SettingDefinition(
                    "Smtp.EnableSsl",
                    defaultValue: "false",
                    displayName: L["EnableSsl"],
                    isVisibleToClients: false
                )
            );
        }

        private static LocalizableString L(string name)
        {
            return LocalizableString.Create<BookStoreResource>(name);
        }
    }
}

• ABP auto-discovers this class
• defaultValue is a string — all setting values stored as strings
• isVisibleToClients: true exposes the value to the browser for conditional UI

Changing Setting Definitions of a Dependent Module

public class MyModule : AbpModule
{
    public override void PreConfigureServices(ServiceConfigurationContext context)
    {
        PreConfigure<SettingDefinitionContext>(options =>
        {
            // Modify identity module settings before they're finalized
        });
    }
}

Reading Setting Values

public class MyService : ITransientDependency
{
    private readonly ISettingProvider _settingProvider;

    public MyService(ISettingProvider settingProvider)
    {
        _settingProvider = settingProvider;
    }

    public async Task FooAsync()
    {
        // Get as string (null if not set)
        string userName = await _settingProvider.GetOrNullAsync("Smtp.UserName");

        // Get as bool, fallback to default
        bool enableSsl = await _settingProvider.GetAsync<bool>("Smtp.EnableSsl");

        // Get as bool, fallback to provided default
        bool enableSsl = await _settingProvider.GetAsync<bool>(
            "Smtp.EnableSsl", defaultValue: true);

        // Shortcut: IsTrueAsync
        bool enableSsl = await _settingProvider.IsTrueAsync("Smtp.EnableSsl");

        // Get as int
        int port = await _settingProvider.GetAsync<int>("Smtp.Port");

        // Get as nullable int
        int? port = (await _settingProvider.GetOrNullAsync("Smtp.Port"))?.To<int>();
    }
}

ApplicationService, DomainService, and other base classes already property-inject ISettingProvider. Use SettingProvider property directly.

Reading on Client Side

Settings with isVisibleToClients: true are available via JavaScript:

const layoutType = abp.setting.values['App.UI.LayoutType'];

Setting Value Providers (Fallback Chain)

5 pre-built providers, evaluated bottom → top:

Provider	Name	Source
DefaultValueSettingValueProvider	"D"	Default value in setting definition
ConfigurationSettingValueProvider	"C"	IConfiguration (appsettings.json)
GlobalSettingValueProvider	"G"	System-wide (database)
TenantSettingValueProvider	"T"	Current tenant (database)
UserSettingValueProvider	"U"	Current user (database)

Setting Values in Application Configuration

In appsettings.json:

{
  "Settings": {
    "Smtp.EnableSsl": "true",
    "Smtp.Port": "587"
  }
}

Encrypting Setting Values

public class MySettingDefinitionProvider : SettingDefinitionProvider
{
    public override void Define(ISettingDefinitionContext context)
    {
        context.Add(
            new SettingDefinition(
                "Smtp.Password",
                defaultValue: "",
                isVisibleToClients: false,
                isEncrypted: true  // Encrypted in storage
            )
        );
    }
}

Custom Setting Value Providers

public class CustomSettingValueProvider : SettingValueProvider
{
    public override string Name => "Custom";

    public CustomSettingValueProvider(ISettingStore settingStore)
        : base(settingStore) { }

    public override Task<string> GetOrNullAsync(SettingDefinition setting)
    {
        // Return setting value or null
        // Use SettingStore or another data source
    }
}

// Register
Configure<AbpSettingOptions>(options =>
{
    options.ValueProviders.Add<CustomSettingValueProvider>();
});

ISettingEncryptionService

Custom encryption implementation:

public class MyEncryptionService : ISettingEncryptionService, ITransientDependency
{
    public string Decrypt(string encryptedValue) { /* ... */ }
    public string Encrypt(string plainValue) { /* ... */ }
}

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Part 2: Setting Management Module

ISettingManager

Used to get and set setting values (for building setting management UIs):

public class MyService : ITransientDependency
{
    private readonly ISettingManager _settingManager;

    public MyService(ISettingManager settingManager)
    {
        _settingManager = settingManager;
    }

    public async Task FooAsync()
    {
        Guid user1Id = ...;
        Guid tenant1Id = ...;

        // Current user
        string layout = await _settingManager.GetOrNullForCurrentUserAsync("App.UI.LayoutType");
        await _settingManager.SetForCurrentUserAsync("App.UI.LayoutType", "LeftMenu");

        // Specific user
        await _settingManager.SetForUserAsync(user1Id, "App.UI.LayoutType", "LeftMenu");

        // Current tenant
        await _settingManager.SetForCurrentTenantAsync("App.UI.LayoutType", "LeftMenu");

        // Specific tenant
        await _settingManager.SetForTenantAsync(tenant1Id, "App.UI.LayoutType", "LeftMenu");

        // Global
        await _settingManager.SetGlobalAsync("App.UI.LayoutType", "TopMenu");
        string global = await _settingManager.GetOrNullGlobalAsync("App.UI.LayoutType");
    }
}

Use ISettingProvider for reading only (implements caching). Use ISettingManager for setting management UIs.

Setting Cache

Setting values are cached via distributed cache. Always use ISettingManager to change values — it manages the cache.

Setting Management Providers

5 pre-built providers (reverse order execution):

Provider	Can Get	Can Set
DefaultValueSettingManagementProvider	Yes	No
ConfigurationSettingManagementProvider	Yes	No
GlobalSettingManagementProvider	Yes	Yes
TenantSettingManagementProvider	Yes	Yes
UserSettingManagementProvider	Yes	Yes

Custom Setting Management Provider

public class CustomSettingProvider : SettingManagementProvider, ITransientDependency
{
    public override string Name => "Custom";

    public CustomSettingProvider(ISettingManagementStore store)
        : base(store) { }
}

Configure<SettingManagementOptions>(options =>
{
    options.Providers.Add<CustomSettingProvider>();
});

Setting Management UI

The module provides default UI for:

• Email settings (with "Send test email" button)
• Feature management
• Timezone settings

Extensible — add custom tabs:

MVC:

public class MySettingGroupViewComponent : AbpSettingManagementViewComponent
{
    public IViewComponentResult Invoke()
    {
        return View("~/Views/Shared/Components/MySettingGroup/Default.cshtml");
    }
}

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Part 3: Features System

Core Concepts

Features are tenant-scoped toggles that enable/disable functionality per tenant. Different from settings — features control what a tenant can use.

Defining Features

using Volo.Abp.Features;
using Volo.Abp.Validation.StringValues;

namespace Acme.BookStore.Features
{
    public class BookStoreFeatureDefinitionProvider : FeatureDefinitionProvider
    {
        public override void Define(IFeatureDefinitionContext context)
        {
            var myGroup = context.AddGroup("BookStore");

            // Boolean toggle feature
            myGroup.AddFeature(
                "BookStore.PdfReporting",
                defaultValue: "false",
                displayName: LocalizableString.Create<BookStoreResource>("PdfReporting"),
                valueType: new ToggleStringValueType()
            );

            // Numeric feature with validator
            myGroup.AddFeature(
                "BookStore.MaxProductCount",
                defaultValue: "10",
                displayName: LocalizableString.Create<BookStoreResource>("MaxProductCount"),
                valueType: new FreeTextStringValueType(
                    new NumericValueValidator(0, 1000000)
                )
            );
        }
    }
}

Feature Value Types

Type	UI	Use Case
ToggleStringValueType	Checkbox	on/off, enabled/disabled
FreeTextStringValueType	Textbox	Free text, numbers
SelectionStringValueType	Dropdown	Select from predefined list

Other Feature Properties

myGroup.AddFeature(
    "BookStore.Advanced",
    defaultValue: "false",
    displayName: L["AdvancedFeature"],
    description: L["AdvancedFeatureDescription"],
    valueType: new ToggleStringValueType(),
    isVisibleToClients: true,  // Expose to browser (default: true)
    properties: new Dictionary<string, object>
    {
        { "CustomProperty", "value" }
    }
);

Child Features

var reporting = myGroup.AddFeature(
    "BookStore.Reporting",
    defaultValue: "false",
    displayName: L["Reporting"],
    valueType: new ToggleStringValueType()
);

reporting.AddChild(
    "BookStore.PdfExport",
    defaultValue: "false",
    displayName: L["PdfExport"],
    valueType: new ToggleStringValueType()
);

Child features only available when parent is enabled.

Checking Features

RequiresFeature Attribute

[RequiresFeature("BookStore.PdfReporting")]
public class PdfReportAppService : ApplicationService, IPdfReportAppService
{
    public async Task<PdfReportResultDto> GetPdfReportAsync()
    {
        // Only accessible if feature is enabled
    }
}

IFeatureChecker Service

public class ReportingAppService : ApplicationService
{
    public async Task DoWorkAsync()
    {
        // Check if enabled
        if (await FeatureChecker.IsEnabledAsync("BookStore.PdfReporting"))
        {
            // Feature is enabled
        }

        // Get value
        string maxCount = await FeatureChecker.GetOrNullAsync("BookStore.MaxProductCount");

        // Extension methods
        bool isEnabled = await FeatureChecker.IsTrueAsync("BookStore.PdfReporting");
        int max = (await FeatureChecker.GetAsync<int>("BookStore.MaxProductCount"));
    }
}

ApplicationService base class already has FeatureChecker property injected.

Feature Management Modal

Features are managed via the Feature Management UI (available with Identity module):

• Shown per-tenant
• Toggle features on/off
• Set feature values
• Child features shown nested under parent

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Best Practices

Settings

1. Use ISettingProvider for reading (caching), ISettingManager for writing
2. Set isVisibleToClients: true only for settings needed in browser
3. Use isEncrypted: true for sensitive values (passwords, API keys)
4. Group settings with prefixes: App., Smtp., Emailing.
5. Always provide sensible defaultValue
6. Localize displayName for UI display

Features

1. Use features for tenant-scoped functionality toggles
2. Use ToggleStringValueType for simple on/off features
3. Use FreeTextStringValueType with validators for numeric limits
4. Use child features for dependent functionality
5. Use [RequiresFeature] attribute for automatic feature checking
6. Set isVisibleToClients: false for internal-only features
7. Localize feature displayName and description

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Settings vs Features

Aspect	Settings	Features
Purpose	Configuration values	Functionality toggles
Scope	User, Tenant, Global	Tenant only
Value types	Any string	Toggle, FreeText, Selection
UI	Setting Management page	Feature Management modal
Fallback	5-level chain	Default value only
Encryption	Supported	Not typically needed
Client access	isVisibleToClients	isVisibleToClients

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Related

• Setting Management Module — Full module docs
• Multi-Tenancy — Tenant-scoped settings
• Configuration — appsettings.json integration
• Options Pattern — Configure options