C# - Opening Settings.settings gets error about invalid xml in app.config (when configSource added)

Following numerous examples, I added the following to my app.config file:

Everything seems to work when I run the application but when I try to open the Settings.settings file, I get 开发者_C百科the error:

"An error occurred while reading the app.config file. The file might be corrupted or contain invalid XML."

The Settings.settings file opens but I get a similar error message if I try to save it.

App.config file:

<configSections>
    <sectionGroup name="userSettings" type="System.Configuration.UserSettingsGroup, System, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" >
        <section name="test.Properties.Settings" type="System.Configuration.ClientSettingsSection, System, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" allowExeDefinition="MachineToLocalUser" requirePermission="false" />
    </sectionGroup>
</configSections>

<userSettings>
    <test.Properties.Settings>
        <setting name="server" serializeAs="String">
            <value />
        </setting>
        <setting name="database" serializeAs="String">
            <value />
        </setting>
        <setting name="g_language" serializeAs="String">
            <value>en-US</value>
        </setting>
        <setting name="timeSchedule1" serializeAs="String">
            <value />
        </setting>
        <setting name="timeSchedule2" serializeAs="String">
            <value />
        </setting>
        <setting name="helpLocation" serializeAs="String">
            <value />
        </setting>
        <setting name="SQLAuthType" serializeAs="String">
            <value>0</value>
        </setting>
        <setting name="SQLLogin" serializeAs="String">
            <value />
        </setting>
        <setting name="SQLPsw" serializeAs="String">
            <value />
        </setting>
        <setting name="defaultTimeZone" serializeAs="String">
            <value />
        </setting>
    </test.Properties.Settings>
</userSettings>

<connectionStrings configSource = "testConnect.config"/>

I was just handed a project that was generating the same error when you attempt to open the Settings.settings file:

"An error occurred while reading the app.config file. The file might be corrupted or contain invalid XML."

After ensuring that the XML document was syntactically correct (using http://validator.w3.org), I remove XML elements until the error disappeared.

In my case, the app.config file contained two connectionStrings elements:

GENERATES ERROR

• configuration
  • connectionStrings
    • add
  • connectionStrings
    • add

NO ERROR GENERATED

• configuration
  • connectionStrings
    • add
    • add

So it appears that this error can be generated when the app.Config file contains elements that are syntactically correct, but logically incorrect.

I have the same problem. As you, I have connection strings in a separate file:

<connectionStrings configSource = "testConnect.config"/>

I have not been able find a work around, other than removing the element while working with settings.

I encountered the same error while manually renaming a solution, it's projects and namespaces. The error was caused by duplicate <section> elements in the <sectionGroup name="applicationSettings"> node of the App.config file. I'm not sure what action caused the duplicate elements to be created but the solution was to remove the duplicate element.

I'm using configSource in the connectionStrings element as well. I think the issue I had was that I was referring to the included config file with a path relative to the build target directory (e.g. bin\debug\ConnectionStrings.config). I've got my ConnectionStrings.config linked item set to copy to the output directory on build. However, the VS IDE wants to resolve it before build from app.settings instead of bin\debug\program.exe.settings, so I'm stuck either having a copy of this extra config file in every project (which removes the benefit), or using a fully qualified path. If I'm to use the latter approach, I'd need to express the path in terms of some kind of environment variable so that the config file would work on a development machine and the deployment machine. That might be doable, but it looks like .NET won't actually expand the environment variables.

If it helps, you can try validating app.config against the schema as described at https://stackoverflow.com/a/311835/611672. In my case, the xml passes validation but I still get the error message.

Also, if anyone is having trouble adding a Code First Migration with this setup (getting an error that it can't find connectionStrings.config), this is probably the same root cause.

I had been messing around with both my Settings.settings file and my app.config file. I did not find any duplicate nodes, but I had moved the order of some parent nodes representing settings around in my app.config. I just didn't like their order and thought I could change it on the fly in app.config. I was wrong.

I did not discover that this was the problem was until I finally deleted app.config, changed a setting in Settings.settings and saved/cleaned solution/rebuild solution. Then I was able to compare my newly generated app.config with previous one that was erroring out.

It sounds like your app config file is not properly configured, could you post you app config?

I also just had this problem. It seems it can be caused by multiple "oddities" within your app.config file.

The way I solved it:

1. Make a backup copy of your settings file and .cs, also of your app.config (just in case)
2. Remove the configSections elements referring to settings, e.g. userSettings from app.config
3. Remove the applicationSettings or userSettings sections from app.config
4. Save your app.config
5. Open the settings editor and make any small change, save

If you still get the error, start removing sections one by one until you find the duplicate / offending section.

<configuration>
  <connectionStrings>
    <add name=""
  </connectionStrings>
</configuration>

In my case I had lot of connection strings and one of the string in <add name> was empty. I also had the same error as Pressacco mentioned. Thanks!

I cane across this way too late but even I had the same issue and though everything looked correct in the app.config, I was getting this error. After adding some property settings to the app.config file, I was trying to edit/open the Settings.settings file and that's when I got this error. What I did was, I reverted all changes made to the app.config and added all required values directly to the settings file,that resolved the issue. Directly adding values to app.config was creating the problem.

1. On another VS solution, create a new project with the same name and namespaces as the one you have been working on.
2. Under Properties >> Settings for the new project, create all the settings as you have in the one you are working on.
3. Go into the new project folder i.e. C:\Users\YourUser\Documents\Visual Studio 2022\Projects\ReportsApplication1\ReportsApplication1 and copy the app.config file
4. Paste this file and replace the one in your current project
5. (Done)

I noticed this had been happening to me quite often and was due to switching out Oracle.DataAccess.dll for Oracle.ManagedDataAccess.dll. This creates a config section as shown:

<section name="oracle.manageddataaccess.client" 
    type="OracleInternal.Common.ODPMSectionHandler, Oracle.ManagedDataAccess, Version=4.122.19.1, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89b483f429c47342"/>

But I already have a sectionGroup defined in configSections so the two cannot coexist. I resolved by adding a group to the oracle.manageddataaccess.client and then grouped then applied in my config as needed.

<sectionGroup name="oracleClient">
    <section name="oracle.manageddataaccess.client"
        type="OracleInternal.Common.ODPMSectionHandler, Oracle.ManagedDataAccess, Version=4.122.19.1, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89b483f429c47342"/>
</sectionGroup>

Simple solution for a issue that took way too long to find!