When I build a windows application. It does not work because it cannot read my app.config file. I looked in the bin directory and it does not have the appname.exe.config file. If I manually copy over the app.config and rename it the appname.exe.config the application will work..but when I build the project this file is never created automagically. What am I missing? Why is my project not creating it? I have looked through the whole folder structure and there is no other config files.
Everyone here is giving you false information I think. I think #bowlturner had it right. According to Microsoft, you do need to set the app.config's Copy to output directory property to either Copy Always or Copy if newer. From Microsoft's MSDN Site:
When you develop in Visual Studio, place the source configuration file for your app in the project directory and set its Copy To Output Directory property to Copy always or Copy if newer. The name of the configuration file is the name of the app with a .config extension. For example, an app called myApp.exe should have a source configuration file called myApp.exe.config.
Visual Studio automatically copies the source configuration file to the directory where the compiled assembly is placed to create the output configuration file, which is deployed with the app.
The correct settings are:
Build Action = None
Copy to Output Directory = Do not copy
and very important, the project file needs to contain this element:
<ItemGroup>
<None Include="App.config" />
</ItemGroup>
The only thing that worked for me was to delete bin\ and obj\ entirely. Rebuild and the file is created fine.
Look on App.config properties, should be:
BuildAction: None
CopyToOutputDirectory: Do not copy
Custom tool and custom tool namespace should be empty
Also try to Rebuild project. Right click on project -> Rebuild
Assuming you're using Visual Studio click your config file in the Solution Explorer and and in the Properties panel set Copy To Output Directory to something other than Do Not Copy.
Related
My solution has two exe apps inside. Console application (Console.exe) and wpf application (MyUI.exe). Wpf application is a startup project, and console one is a small installation tool. Both have app.config file which contains db info. I have problem with this config file after I build the solution. In bin folder I have my wpf app and config file with the same name, e.g.:
MyUI.exe and MyUI.exe.config.
But there is no config file for console application. Is there any setting I should set to make it right?
When I set build action to content and copy to output... to Copy always then I have "App.config" file in bin directory, but there is no "Console.exe.config".
There is no such thing as a solution output folder - each project has it's own output folder, in which the App.config will be placed (after it's renamed to [exe_name].config).
I have an application that is published through the ClickOne mecanism. The issue I'm having is that it is not publishing my NLog.config file, which is required for my application to run. I've looked through the Application Files screen, but I don't see NLog.config as an option to select. My NLog.config file has a built action of Content and is set to copy to the output directory. If it matters the NLog.config file is in another project that is referenced in the project I'm publishing.
I'm aware that I can use MAGE to essentially scan my publishdirectory and have it update my manifest, but what I'm looking for is a way to do it automatically.
What are my options?
Possible Solution
One solution could be to configure NLog through code rather than XML.
I use this great tool too and I have a click-once program too:
In the Solution explorer, click on your nlog.config. In the properties window, put the Build Action as content.
Be sure that you see "Applications files" of the project's properties window.
Voilà!
In our C# project we use Spring as an Inversion of Control (IoC) container. We noticed, that changes to the Spring configuration xml file do not cause the solution to be rebuild. Therefore the changed configuration is not copied to the output folder and every debug-run uses the old configuration.
How can we force Visual Studio (2008) to copy the config file even though none of the project code has changed?
Further info:
The build action of the config file is set to None. Copy to Output Directory is set to Copy always.
Seems the solution is simpler than I thought. If the build action for the *.xml config file is changed to Embedded Resource, then changing the file also touches the project. Therefore, every debug cycle causes a rebuild of the project, where the config file is included. This causes the file to be copied to the output directory with the adjusted configuration. => Problem solved.
I'm writing a game development IDE that creates and compiles .NET projects (which I've been working on for the past few years) and am in the process of updating it to generate output not only for Windows/Visual Studio, but also for Linux/MonoDevelop (a thrillingly simple process for .NET, but still requiring some tweaks).
As part of this, I have found it necessary to start generating an app.config file as part of this to map dependent DLL names to Linux dependency names with <dllmap> elements. I'm confused about who's responsible for copying the app.config file to the output name app.exe.config. In a Visual Studio project, the Build Action for app.config seems to normally be set to "None" and its settings indicate that it won't be copied anywhere, yet when Visual Studio compiles the project it generates app.exe.config (though I've sometimes found this to be unreliable). When I use MSBuild to build a solution file generated by the IDE (for debugging purposes), MSBuild copies app.config to app.exe.config. But when I compile the project with CSharpCodeProvider.CompileAssemblyFromFile it (naturally) doesn't like the config file being included as source code ("app.config(1,1) : error CS0116: A namespace does not directly contain members such as fields or methods"), and of course it doesn't copy it to the output when I don't include it as an input. Is it my responsibility to simply copy app.config to app.exe.config independently, or is there a more standard way of doing this?
Is it hardwired to take the first *.config file? In my IDE it's conceivable that the app.config file would be renamed or another one added (just as in Visual Studio). It seems odd to me that the IDE has this secret action for config files (I think MonoDevelop behaves similarly in this regard because I couldn't find a special action for config files there either). I don't know how it even picks to what files this secret action applies.
The C# compiler does not care about the config file at all. Build environments (MSBuild and VS) will take care of copying that file themselves.
Order:
first app.config file with None build action, in the project directory
first app.config file with Content build action, in the project directory
first app.config file with None build action, in a subdirectory
first app.config file with Content build action, in a subdirectory
msbuild/xbuild also allow you to override this by setting the $(AppConfig) property.
A slightly more technical answer - your project references Microsoft.CSharp.targets via this key in the csproj file:
<Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
This file would resolve to something like c:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Microsoft.Common.targets, depending on your framework version.
Inside of it you have this section which does the work:
<!--
============================================================
_CopyAppConfigFile
Copy the application config file.
============================================================
-->
<Target
Name="_CopyAppConfigFile"
Condition=" '#(AppConfigWithTargetPath)' != '' "
Inputs="#(AppConfigWithTargetPath)"
Outputs="#(AppConfigWithTargetPath->'$(OutDir)%(TargetPath)')">
<!--
Copy the application's .config file, if any.
Not using SkipUnchangedFiles="true" because the application may want to change
the app.config and not have an incremental build replace it.
-->
<Copy
SourceFiles="#(AppConfigWithTargetPath)"
DestinationFiles="#(AppConfigWithTargetPath->'$(OutDir)%(TargetPath)')"
OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="$(OverwriteReadOnlyFiles)"
Retries="$(CopyRetryCount)"
RetryDelayMilliseconds="$(CopyRetryDelayMilliseconds)"
UseHardlinksIfPossible="$(CreateHardLinksForAdditionalFilesIfPossible)"
>
<Output TaskParameter="DestinationFiles" ItemName="FileWrites"/>
</Copy>
</Target>
The App.Config file seems to be passed as an environment variable (it is expected to be present but who sets it, I don't know):
<ItemGroup>
<AppConfigWithTargetPath Include="$(AppConfig)" Condition="'$(AppConfig)'!=''">
<TargetPath>$(TargetFileName).config</TargetPath>
</AppConfigWithTargetPath>
</ItemGroup>
Edit: For how app.config is selected, see this answer - https://stackoverflow.com/a/40293508/492336.
The handling of app.config is special, it is treated By Name, the build process will select the app.config file following this order:
Choose the value $(AppConfig) set in the main project.
Choose #(None) App.Config in the same folder as the project.
Choose #(Content) App.Config in the same folder as the project.
Choose #(None) App.Config in any subfolder in the project.
Choose #(Content) App.Config in any subfolder in the project.
I think MSBuild is responsible for copying. If you would dig trough stock .target files, then you'd probably find corresponding directives. VS by itself doesn't copy.
Note also that Visual Studio does validate the config file.
The nlog.config is being put into the bin/Debug for my project. In the setup project I have primary output of project a and content files of project a to be included in the Application folder. nlog.config, however is not making to the msi. Any ideas?
Adding the file manually means that you will have to redo the step if you change the file in the source.
Instead, make sure that the build action of your NLog.Config is set to "Content"
Then, add Project Output Group of type "Content Files" in your setup project:
.
I have found a solution to this. Right click on the setup project and choose Add then File. Just select the nlog.config file from the bin directory where it is being placed after a compile and it works perfectly.