virtualDirectoryDefaults.md

title	author	description	ms.date	ms.assetid	msc.legacyurl	msc.type
Virtual Directory Defaults for a Site <virtualDirectoryDefaults>	rick-anderson	Overview The <virtualDirectoryDefaults> element of the <site> element specifies the default settings for all virtual directories in the parent si...	09/26/2016	2faecab1-fdc5-4a77-b49b-e0e2512c1b9b	/configreference/system.applicationhost/sites/site/virtualdirectorydefaults	config

Virtual Directory Defaults for a Site <virtualDirectoryDefaults>

Overview

The <virtualDirectoryDefaults> element of the <site> element specifies the default settings for all virtual directories in the parent site. The <virtualDirectoryDefaults> element is useful for defining the common attributes that you want all virtual directories in the parent site to implicitly share when they do not have explicitly-defined attributes.

Note

If the same attribute or child element is configured in both the <virtualDirectoryDefaults> section and in the <virtualDirectory> section for a specific virtual directory, the configuration in the <virtualDirectory> section is used for that virtual directory.

Compatibility

Version	Notes
IIS 10.0	The <virtualDirectoryDefaults> element was not modified in IIS 10.0.
IIS 8.5	The <virtualDirectoryDefaults> element was not modified in IIS 8.5.
IIS 8.0	The <virtualDirectoryDefaults> element was not modified in IIS 8.0.
IIS 7.5	The <virtualDirectoryDefaults> element was not modified in IIS 7.5.
IIS 7.0	The <virtualDirectoryDefaults> element of the <site> element was introduced in IIS 7.0.
IIS 6.0	N/A

Setup

The <virtualDirectoryDefaults> element of the <site> element is included in the default installation of IIS 7.

How To

How to configure the default virtual directory credentials for a site

1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager:

   • If you are using Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2:

     • On the taskbar, click Server Manager, click Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

   • If you are using Windows 8 or Windows 8.1:

     • Hold down the Windows key, press the letter X, and then click Control Panel.
     • Click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

   • If you are using Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2:

     • On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

   • If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7:

     • On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
     • Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

2. In the Connections pane, expand the server name, expand the Sites node, and then click the name of the site.

3. In the site's Home pane, click View Applications in the Actions pane.
   

4. In the site's Application pane, click Set Application Defaults... in the Actions pane.
   

5. In the Application Defaults dialog box, specify your default virtual directory credentials for the site, and then click OK.
   

Configuration

Attributes

Attribute	Description
allowSubDirConfig	Optional Boolean attribute. Specifies whether IIS looks for Web.config files in content directories lower in the directory hierarchy than the current level (true) or does not look for Web.config files in content directories lower than the current level (false). The default value is true.
logonMethod	Optional enum attribute. Specifies the default logon method for all virtual directories in applications in the parent site. The logonMethod attribute can be one of the following possible values. The default is ClearText. Value Description Batch This logon type is intended for batch servers, where processes may be executing on behalf of a user without that user's direct intervention. The numeric value is 1. ClearText This logon type preserves the name and password in the authentication package, which allows the server to make connections to other network servers while impersonating the client. The numeric value is 3. Interactive This logon type is intended for users who will be using the computer interactively. The numeric value is 0. Network This logon type is intended for high performance servers that authenticate plaintext passwords. Credentials are not cached for this logon type. The numeric value is 2. For more information about these values, see LogonUser
.
password	Optional string attribute. Specifies the password associated with the user name. Note: To avoid storing unencrypted password strings in configuration files, always use AppCmd.exe or IIS Manager to enter passwords. If you use these management tools, the password strings will be encrypted automatically before they are written to the XML configuration files. This provides better password security than storing unencrypted passwords.
path	Optional string attribute. Specifies the default virtual path of all virtual directories in applications in the parent site.
physicalPath	Optional string attribute. Specifies the default physical path of all virtual directories in applications in the parent site.
userName	Optional string attribute. Specifies the default user name of an account that can access configuration files and content for all virtual directories in applications in the parent site.

Child Elements

None.

Configuration Sample

The following configuration sample specifies the default logon method for virtual directories in the Default Web Site.

[!code-xmlMain]

Sample Code

The following code samples specify the default logon method for virtual directories in the Default Web Site.

AppCmd.exe

[!code-consoleMain]

Note

You must be sure to set the commit parameter to apphost when you use AppCmd.exe to configure these settings. This commits the configuration settings to the appropriate location section in the ApplicationHost.config file.

C#

[!code-csharpMain]

VB.NET

[!code-vbMain]

JavaScript

[!code-javascriptMain]

VBScript

[!code-vbMain]