configSource doesn't work in system.serviceModel *or* its subsections

Question

I'm trying to split an app.config file into multiple files to make it easier to manage the differences needed for different environments. With some sections it was easy...

<system.diagnostics>
    various stuff
</system.diagnostics>

became

<system.diagnostics configSource="ConfigFiles\system.diagnostics.dev" />

with the "various stuff" moved to the system.diagnostics.dev file.

But for the system.serviceModel section this doesn't seem to work.

Now I've read suggestions that it doesn't work for system.serviceModel itself, but it works for the sections underneath it: bindings, client, diagnostics, etc. But the same thing happens to me when I try to use configSource with one of them. When I put in

<system.serviceModel>
  <bindings configSource="ConfigFiles\whateverFile.dev" />

I get:

The 'configSource' attribute is not declared.

Has anyone else seen this? Do you know a solution? (Perhaps I have an out-of-date schema or something?)

Solution 1

VS.NET's editor moans about the config, but it works.

I have config like this...

<system.serviceModel>
  <behaviors configSource="config\system.servicemodel.behaviors.config" />
  <bindings configSource="config\system.servicemodel.bindings.config" />
  <client configSource="config\system.servicemodel.client.config" />
</system.serviceModel>

... which works fine.

Solution 2

It will NOT work on <system.serviceModel> since that's a configuration SectionGroup - not a configuration Section.

It WILL work just fine at runtime on anything below <system.serviceModel> - we do this all the time. Martin's answer shows it nicely - his sample will work.

Solution 3

One thing to be aware of when moving your config sections to separate files: make sure your separated config file does NOT contain a configSource attribute. For example, if you split your your bindings section out like so,

<system.serviceModel>
    <bindings configSource="yourConfigFile.config" />
</system.serviceModel>

make sure that your actual bindings file doesn't contain the "configSource" attribute:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<bindings>
    <!-- binding configuration stuff -->
</bindings>

I know that might seem obvious, but if you enter the configSource attribute, then cut and paste into a new file, it's easy to forget to take the attribute out.

Hope this helps.

Comments

[andriy]

If it WILL work on anything below <system.serviceModel>, then why DOESN'T IT work on anything below <system.serviceModel>? I've read in a dozen places that it "will" work. But it doesn't. Hence the question.

[marc_s]

No, I'm saying there's something odd happening here, since "it works on my machine" :-) What version of .NET are you using?

[andriy]

Yep, you're right. I see now that it complains when editing the config, but when you run the app, it actually works.

[marc_s]

Ah, I see - it does work after all. Hate to say: I said so :-)

[Adam Pope]

I've just been playing with this and discovered that configSource works on the <client> element but not an individual <endpoint> element.

[granadaCoder]

extensions and services also works : <behaviors configSource="WCFBehaviors.config"> </behaviors> <extensions configSource="WCFExtensions.config"> </extensions> <bindings configSource="WCFBindings.config"> </bindings> <client configSource="WCFClient.config"> </client> <services configSource="WCFServices.config"> </services>

[Andrea Scarcella]

Late to the party and aware of it, but I had to set 'Copy to output directory' to 'Copy always' for each config file to get the accepted solution to work. Hope it helps.

[realbart]

Does anybody know how to suppress the warnings "The 'configsource' attribute is not allowed.