Custom App.config section causing configuration load error

Question

I am using a custom configuration section in my app.config file to automatically email certain administrators when an error in the application occurs based on Jan Remunda's post here: How to create custom config section in app.config?

App.config:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
  <startup> 
        <supportedRuntime version="v4.0" sku=".NETFramework,Version=v4.5" />
  </startup>

  <configSections>
    <section name="ErrorEmailer" type="EmailTester.ErrorEmailer" />
  </configSections>

  <ErrorEmailer>
    <SmtpServer address="mail.smtphost.com" />
    <FromAddress address="[email protected]" />
    <ErrorRecipients>
      <ErrorRecipient address="[email protected]" />
      <ErrorRecipient address="[email protected]" />
    </ErrorRecipients>
  </ErrorEmailer>
</configuration>

And I have added these configuration elements:

public class ErrorRecipient : ConfigurationElement
{
    [ConfigurationProperty("address", IsRequired = true)]
    public string Address
    {
        get
        {
            return this["address"] as string;
        }
    }
}

public class SmtpServer : ConfigurationElement
{
    [ConfigurationProperty("address", IsRequired = true)]
    public string Address
    {
        get
        {
            return this["address"] as string;
        }
    }
}

public class FromAddress : ConfigurationElement
{
    [ConfigurationProperty("address", IsRequired = true)]
    public string Address
    {
        get
        {
            return this["address"] as string;
        }
    }
}

This Configuration Element Collection:

public class ErrorRecipients : ConfigurationElementCollection
{
    public ErrorRecipient this[int index]
    {
        get
        {
            return base.BaseGet(index) as ErrorRecipient;
        }
        set
        {
            if (base.BaseGet(index) != null)
            {
                base.BaseRemoveAt(index);
            }
            this.BaseAdd(index, value);
        }
    }

    public new ErrorRecipient this[string responseString]
    {
        get { return (ErrorRecipient)BaseGet(responseString); }
        set
        {
            if (BaseGet(responseString) != null)
            {
                BaseRemoveAt(BaseIndexOf(BaseGet(responseString)));
            }
            BaseAdd(value);
        }
    }

    protected override ConfigurationElement CreateNewElement()
    {
        return new ErrorRecipient();
    }

    protected override object GetElementKey(ConfigurationElement element)
    {
        return ((ErrorRecipient)element).Address;
    }
}

And this Configuration Section:

public class ErrorEmailer : ConfigurationSection
{

    public static ErrorEmailer GetConfig()
    {
        return (ErrorEmailer)System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.GetSection("ErrorEmailer") ?? new ErrorEmailer();
    }

    [ConfigurationProperty("ErrorRecipients")]
    [ConfigurationCollection(typeof(ErrorRecipients), AddItemName = "ErrorRecipient")]
    public ErrorRecipients ErrorRecipients
    {
        get
        {
            object o = this["ErrorRecipients"];
            return o as ErrorRecipients;
        }
    }

    [ConfigurationProperty("SmtpServer")]
    public SmtpServer SmtpServer
    {
        get
        {
            object o = this["SmtpServer"];
            return o as SmtpServer;
        }
    }

    [ConfigurationProperty("FromAddress")]
    public FromAddress FromAddress
    {
        get
        {
            object o = this["FromAddress"];
            return o as FromAddress;
        }
    }
}

But I get a "Configuration system failed to initialize" error when running the program and trying to run this:

var config = ErrorEmailer.GetConfig();
Console.WriteLine(config.SmtpServer.Address);

Answer 1

The configSections element must be the first child of the configuration element. Try this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
  <configSections>
    <section name="ErrorEmailer" type="EmailTester.ErrorEmailer" />
  </configSections>
  <startup> 
        <supportedRuntime version="v4.0" sku=".NETFramework,Version=v4.5" />
  </startup>
  <ErrorEmailer>
    <SmtpServer address="mail.smtphost.com" />
    <FromAddress address="[email protected]" />
    <ErrorRecipients>
      <ErrorRecipient address="[email protected]" />
      <ErrorRecipient address="[email protected]" />
    </ErrorRecipients>
  </ErrorEmailer>
</configuration>

Furthermore, you need to put the namespace and assembly of your custom config section type in your section element. Take this:

<section name="ErrorEmailer" type="EmailTester.ErrorEmailer" />

and add the assembly like this:

<section name="ErrorEmailer"
         type="EmailTester.ErrorEmailer, My.Containing.Assembly.Goes.Here" />

If you don't qualify the namespace path of your config type with the assembly it is contained in, .NET assumes you mean the System.Configuration assembly.