Best practices for local data storage

[CollinJoseph0258]

What are the best practices for storing data locally for Revit addins? (for example: user preferences or authentication information)

In particular, is there any recommended location or format?

[jeremy_tammik · Accepted solution]

It depends completely on your requirements and personal preferences.

Personally, I favour text over binary, and JSON over XML.

Here are two explorations comparing storage of a very small amount of add-in settings data in JSON and XML respectively:

https://thebuildingcoder.typepad.com/blog/2016/09/hololens-escape-path-waypoint-json-exporter.html

Subsidiary external Settings command:

• Display modal Windows form
• Implement form validation using ErrorProvider class, Validating and Validated events
• Store add-in option settings in XML using the .NET System.Configuration.ApplicationSettingsBase class
• Store add-in option settings in JSON using custom solution and JavaScriptSerializer class

[joshua.lumley · Accepted solution]

With visual studio the easiest thing is to use Properties -> Settings.settings from the solution explorer.  

[CollinJoseph0258]

Thank you for your replies, they are very helpful!