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Hide Json file containing GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS when building executable file in Visualstudio [SOLVED]

currently I am developing a tool that interacts with a Firebase Firestore database. When I want to make the C# Forms Application an executable file I get the .exe but also the json file which contains the Google App Credentials. However, I want to forward the tool so that you can't see the json file or read the contents of the file, so you only need the .exe file. Is there a way to achieve this? For example, define the app credentials in a C# script so that it compiles to the .exe file? If so how?
My current implementation looks like this:
string path = AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory + #"cloudfire.json";
Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS", path);
The cloudfire.json file is directly contained in the namespace "LUX".
I also tried making the cloudfire.json file a resource, since i read this post but then the problem is, that i can't set the path of the .json, if i try it like that:
var assembly = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly();
string resourceName = assembly.GetManifestResourceNames()
.Single(str => str.EndsWith("cloudfire.json"));
Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS", resourceName);
I get the error: System.InvalidOperationException: "Sequence contains no matching element"
Is there maybe a way to set the "GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS" to the embedded cloudfire.json ressource file?
EDIT:
I solved the problem by adding the "cloudfire.json" file to Resources.resx and changed the modifier to public. Like mentioned here.
Since you can only set the GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS by using this code:
Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS", "path to file");
I solved it by creating a temporary file:
byte[] resourceBytes = Properties.Resources.cloudfire;
// Write the resource to a temporary file
string tempPath = Path.GetTempFileName();
File.WriteAllBytes(tempPath, resourceBytes);
// Set the GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS environment variable
Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS", tempPath);

Add you file as embedded resource with name. And try to read by following code:
var resources = new ResourceManager("<namespace>", Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly());
var obj = resources.GetObject(<embedded_resource_key>);
or
var str = resources.GetString(<embedded_resource_key>)

How to Set the Configuration File to current dll.config

When I start my exe , the configuration file is set to mypp.exe.config.
After certian point , I want it to point to mydll.config.
I am trying with:
var configPath = AppDomain.CurrentDomain.SetupInformation.ConfigurationFile;
var Location = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location;
AppDomain.CurrentDomain.SetupInformation.ConfigurationFile = config.FilePath;
But when I set a break point to see, the Configuration file is still set to myapp.exe.config.
What's missing?

Use AppDomain.SetData:
AppDomain.CurrentDomain.SetData("APP_CONFIG_FILE", config.FilePath);
I can't find any documentation for that, but it worked for me.

Read config files in a WPF project

I have a WPF application. This application should read a web.config file (from a asp.net webforms project) and a myCompany.config file.
How can I do this? Is there a easy way to handle this?
Any help would be appreciated.
thanks!

Sounds like you need to use configurationmanager
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa719887%28v=vs.71%29.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.configuration.configurationmanager.aspx

So if I understood correctly, you want to read config files which are stored in a specific path?
Here is the trick:
Configuration _userConfig;
String configFilePath = "Your path here";
//Getting the user configuration object:
//Mapping the appropriate path:
ExeConfigurationFileMap configFileMap = new ExeConfigurationFileMap();
configFileMap.ExeConfigFilename = configFilePath;
_userConfig = ConfigurationManager.OpenMappedExeConfiguration(configFileMap, ConfigurationUserLevel.None);
And there you go, _userConfig will contain the details in the path you specified :)

How can I properly reference this config file so I'm not hard coding the path?

Im trying to reference this config file that is in the same folder as the class that contains this code. I'd like to do some type of relative reference to it, so I can use it from other places. When I try using just the file name without the path, the application doesn't find the file. I debugged and the folder it seems to be looking in IIS folder which makes sense as Im using it in an IIS hosted wcf service. Anyways, how I can properly reference this config file without hard coding the path? So it looks in the project location. Thanks for any help. Have a great weekend!
public void Init()
{
var fileMap = new ExeConfigurationFileMap { ExeConfigFilename = #"C:\workspace\new\UnityDemo-v1.0.0.1\src\Core\unity.config" };
Configuration configuration = ConfigurationManager.OpenMappedExeConfiguration(fileMap, ConfigurationUserLevel.None);
var unitySection = (UnityConfigurationSection)configuration.GetSection("unity");
_container = new UnityContainer().LoadConfiguration(unitySection);
}
Cheers,
~ck

Using config files with services hosted in IIS is tricky, because the application directory is the one IIS runs in and that will be heavily protected against placing any files there. There may be other ways but for me it works to name the file web.config and copy it to the directory the .svc file resides in and then you can read the settings directly without having to reference the config file. I do not know of any way to do this copying from within the program itself. The installer will be able to do it though.
See: this question

Use Application.StartupPath to get the path the application started in then simply combine with the filename to get the full path:
var filePath = Path.Combine(Application.StartupPath, "unity.config");
var fileMap = new ExeConfigurationFileMap { ExeConfigFilename = filePath };
This will work only in winforms.
Another option is to use Environment.CurrentDirectory - by default it will be set to the process startup directory. Note that this property is mutable:
var filePath = Path.Combine(Environment.CurrentDirectory, "unity.config");
var fileMap = new ExeConfigurationFileMap { ExeConfigFilename = filePath };

Another option that worked for me in .NET is using Server.MapPath. This returns the full path of the given relative virtual path in the web application.
var filePath = Server.MapPath("/unity.config")
This physical file path can then be used to create the file map as above.

How to read user settings in app.config from a diff app?

I have a WinForms .exe with an App.config that has a bunch of User Scoped Settings that are set at runtime and saved.
I want to be able to use the WinForms app to change and save the settings and then click on button to do some work based on the those settings.
I also want to read the user settings in the same .config file from a sep. console app so I can schedule to work to be done as a scheduled task.
What is the best way to be able to do this?
Update:
I tried the reccommendation of using ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration as described in some of the answers like so.
Configuration config = ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration("F:\\Dir\\App.exe");
but when I try to retrieve a User Setting like so.
string result = config.AppSettings.Settings["DB"].ToString();
I get a Null reference error.
From code in the exe however the following correctly returns the DB name.
Properties.Settings.Default.DB
Where am I going wrong?
Update 2:
So based on some of the answers below I now can use the following to retrieve the raw XML of the section of the user.config file I am interested in from sep. ConsoleApp.
System.Configuration.ExeConfigurationFileMap fileMap = new ExeConfigurationFileMap();
fileMap.ExeConfigFilename = #"D:\PathHere\user.config";
Configuration config = ConfigurationManager.OpenMappedExeConfiguration(fileMap,ConfigurationUserLevel.None);
System.Configuration.DefaultSection configSection = (System.Configuration.DefaultSection)config.GetSection("userSettings");
string result = configSection.SectionInformation.GetRawXml();
Console.WriteLine(result);
But I am still unable to just pull the value for the specific element I am interested in.

this should do it :
var clientSettingsSection = (System.Configuration.ClientSettingsSection)(ConfigurationManager.GetSection("userSettings/YourApplicationName.Properties.Settings"));
var setting = clientSettingsSection.Settings.Get("yourParamName_DB_");
string yourParamName_DB = ((setting.Value.ValueXml).LastChild).InnerText.ToString();

You can use the ConfigurationManager class to open the configuration file of another executable.
Configuration conf = ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(exeFilePath);
// edit configuration settings
conf.Save();

See ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration

If you are setting these values per user basis you may need to use the ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(ConfigurationUserLevel) method instead of the current method you are using now.

ExeConfigurationFileMap fileMap = new ExeConfigurationFileMap();
fileMap.ExeConfigFilename = Environment.CurrentDirectory + "\\MyApp.exe.config";
//i have config in the same directory as my another app
System.Configuration.Configuration config = ConfigurationManager.OpenMappedExeConfiguration(fileMap, ConfigurationUserLevel.None);
var settingsSection = (System.Configuration.ClientSettingsSection)config.GetSection("userSettings/MyApp.Properties.Settings");
var setting = settingsSection.Settings.Get("MySetting");
var param = ((setting.Value.ValueXml).LastChild).InnerText.ToString();

If you know the path to the config file try:
System.Configuration.Configuration config = System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration("configPath");
string myValue = config.AppSettings.Settings[ "myValue" ].Value;