The configuration section 'system.web.webPages.razor' cannot be read because it is missing a section declaration

Question

I am stuck.. Razor is no longer working in VS2013 and I am getting this message in the browser: I believe it to be in the message missing a section declaration but I have no idea what to do.. help please!!

HTTP Error 500.19 - Internal Server Error The requested page cannot be accessed because the related configuration data for the page is invalid.

Module        IIS Web Core
Notification  Unknown
Handler       Not yet determined
Error Code    0x80070032
Config Error  The configuration section 'system.web.webPages.razor' cannot be read because it is missing a section declaration`

All the .cshtml files are showing errors for all key words.
Also getting the warnings out of the web.config:

Could not find schema information of the element... ^{(for about 15 elements)}

I'm running the following versions:

• MVC 5.1.1
• ASP.NET Razor 3.1.1

Here's the entire web.config:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!--
  For more information on how to configure your ASP.NET application, please visit
  http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=169433
  -->
<configuration>
  <configSections>
    <!-- For more information on Entity Framework configuration, visit http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=237468 -->
    <section name="entityFramework" type="System.Data.Entity.Internal.ConfigFile.EntityFrameworkSection, EntityFramework, Version=6.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" requirePermission="false" />
    <sectionGroup name="dotNetOpenAuth" type="DotNetOpenAuth.Configuration.DotNetOpenAuthSection, DotNetOpenAuth.Core">
      <section name="messaging" type="DotNetOpenAuth.Configuration.MessagingElement, DotNetOpenAuth.Core" requirePermission="false" allowLocation="true" />
      <section name="reporting" type="DotNetOpenAuth.Configuration.ReportingElement, DotNetOpenAuth.Core" requirePermission="false" allowLocation="true" />
      <section name="oauth" type="DotNetOpenAuth.Configuration.OAuthElement, DotNetOpenAuth.OAuth" requirePermission="false" allowLocation="true" />
      <section name="openid" type="DotNetOpenAuth.Configuration.OpenIdElement, DotNetOpenAuth.OpenId" requirePermission="false" allowLocation="true" />
    </sectionGroup>
    <!-- For more information on Entity Framework configuration, visit http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=237468 -->
  </configSections>
  <connectionStrings>
    <add name="DefaultConnection" connectionString="Data Source=(LocalDb)\v11.0;Initial Catalog=eManager.Web2;Integrated Security=SSPI;AttachDBFilename=|DataDirectory|\eManager.Web2.mdf" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />
  </connectionStrings>
    <system.web.webPages.razor>
        <pages pageBaseType="System.Web.Mvc.WebViewPage">
            <namespaces>
                <add namespace="MyCustomHelpers" />
            </namespaces>
        </pages>
    </system.web.webPages.razor>
  <appSettings>
    <add key="webpages:Version" value="3.0.0.0" />
    <add key="webpages:Enabled" value="false" />
    <add key="PreserveLoginUrl" value="true" />
    <add key="ClientValidationEnabled" value="true" />
    <add key="UnobtrusiveJavaScriptEnabled" value="true" />
  </appSettings>
  <system.web>
    <compilation debug="true" targetFramework="4.5" />
    <httpRuntime targetFramework="4.5" />
    <authentication mode="Forms">
      <forms loginUrl="~/Account/Login" timeout="2880" />
    </authentication>
    <pages>
      <namespaces>
        <add namespace="System.Web.Helpers" />
        <add namespace="System.Web.Mvc" />
        <add namespace="System.Web.Mvc.Ajax" />
        <add namespace="System.Web.Mvc.Html" />
        <add namespace="System.Web.Optimization" />
        <add namespace="System.Web.Routing" />
        <add namespace="System.Web.WebPages" />
      </namespaces>
    </pages>
  </system.web>
  <system.webServer>
    <validation validateIntegratedModeConfiguration="false" />

  <handlers>
      <remove name="ExtensionlessUrlHandler-Integrated-4.0" />
      <remove name="OPTIONSVerbHandler" />
      <remove name="TRACEVerbHandler" />
      <add name="ExtensionlessUrlHandler-Integrated-4.0" path="*." verb="*" type="System.Web.Handlers.TransferRequestHandler" preCondition="integratedMode,runtimeVersionv4.0" />
    </handlers></system.webServer>
  <runtime>
    <assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
            <dependentAssembly>
                <assemblyIdentity name="Antlr3.Runtime" publicKeyToken="EB42632606E9261F" culture="neutral" />
                <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-3.5.0.2" newVersion="3.5.0.2" />
            </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="DotNetOpenAuth.Core" publicKeyToken="2780ccd10d57b246" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.3.0.0" newVersion="4.3.0.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="DotNetOpenAuth.AspNet" publicKeyToken="2780ccd10d57b246" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.3.0.0" newVersion="4.3.0.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="WebGrease" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-1.6.5135.21930" newVersion="1.6.5135.21930" />
      </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.Helpers" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-3.0.0.0" newVersion="3.0.0.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.WebPages" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-3.0.0.0" newVersion="3.0.0.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.WebPages.Razor" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" culture="neutral" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-3.0.0.0" newVersion="3.0.0.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.Razor" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" culture="neutral" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-3.0.0.0" newVersion="3.0.0.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="Newtonsoft.Json" publicKeyToken="30ad4fe6b2a6aeed" culture="neutral" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-6.0.0.0" newVersion="6.0.0.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="WebMatrix.Data" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" culture="neutral" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-2.0.0.0" newVersion="2.0.0.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.Http" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" culture="neutral" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-5.1.0.0" newVersion="5.1.0.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="System.Net.Http.Formatting" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" culture="neutral" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-5.1.0.0" newVersion="5.1.0.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="Antlr3.Runtime" publicKeyToken="eb42632606e9261f" culture="neutral" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-3.5.0.2" newVersion="3.5.0.2" />
      </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.Mvc" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="1.0.0.0-5.1.0.0" newVersion="5.1.0.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
    </assemblyBinding>
    <!-- This prevents the Windows Event Log from frequently logging that HMAC1 is being used (when the other party needs it). -->
    <legacyHMACWarning enabled="0" />
    <!-- When targeting ASP.NET MVC 3, this assemblyBinding makes MVC 1 and 2 references relink
             to MVC 3 so libraries such as DotNetOpenAuth that compile against MVC 1 will work with it.
        <assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
            <dependentAssembly>
                <assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.Mvc" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"/>
                <bindingRedirect oldVersion="1.0.0.0-3.0.0.0" newVersion="3.0.0.0"/>
            </dependentAssembly>
        </assemblyBinding>
         -->
  </runtime>
  <entityFramework>
    <defaultConnectionFactory type="System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.LocalDbConnectionFactory, EntityFramework">
      <parameters>
        <parameter value="v11.0" />
      </parameters>
    </defaultConnectionFactory>
    <providers>
      <provider invariantName="System.Data.SqlClient" type="System.Data.Entity.SqlServer.SqlProviderServices, EntityFramework.SqlServer" />
    </providers>
  </entityFramework>
  <system.net>
    <defaultProxy enabled="true" />
    <settings>
      <!-- This setting causes .NET to check certificate revocation lists (CRL) 
                 before trusting HTTPS certificates.  But this setting tends to not 
                 be allowed in shared hosting environments. -->
      <!--<servicePointManager checkCertificateRevocationList="true"/>-->
    </settings>
  </system.net>
  <dotNetOpenAuth>
    <messaging>
      <untrustedWebRequest>
        <whitelistHosts>
          <!-- Uncomment to enable communication with localhost (should generally not activate in production!) -->
          <!--<add name="localhost"/>-->
        </whitelistHosts>
      </untrustedWebRequest>
    </messaging>
    <!-- Allow DotNetOpenAuth to publish usage statistics to library authors to improve the library. -->
    <reporting enabled="true" />
    <!-- This is an optional configuration section where aspects of dotnetopenauth can be customized. -->
    <!-- For a complete set of configuration options see http://www.dotnetopenauth.net/developers/code-snippets/configuration-options/ -->
    <openid>
      <relyingParty>
        <security requireSsl="false">
          <!-- Uncomment the trustedProviders tag if your relying party should only accept positive assertions from a closed set of OpenID Providers. -->
          <!--<trustedProviders rejectAssertionsFromUntrustedProviders="true">
                        <add endpoint="https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/ud"/>
                    </trustedProviders>-->
        </security>
        <behaviors>
          <!-- The following OPTIONAL behavior allows RPs to use SREG only, but be compatible
                         with OPs that use Attribute Exchange (in various formats). -->
          <add type="DotNetOpenAuth.OpenId.RelyingParty.Behaviors.AXFetchAsSregTransform, DotNetOpenAuth.OpenId.RelyingParty" />
        </behaviors>
      </relyingParty>
    </openid>
  </dotNetOpenAuth>
  <uri>
    <!-- The uri section is necessary to turn on .NET 3.5 support for IDN (international domain names),
             which is necessary for OpenID urls with unicode characters in the domain/host name.
             It is also required to put the Uri class into RFC 3986 escaping mode, which OpenID and OAuth require. -->
    <idn enabled="All" />
    <iriParsing enabled="true" />
  </uri>
</configuration>

Answer 1

The error meessage is giving most of the answer, the <system.web.webPages.razor> section has no config declaration defined in <configSections> element

The system.web.webPages.razor section is usually declared in the /views/web.config, rather than the root web.config, where there is a declaration for this section already defined.

I would suggest either moving the section back to the /views/web.config, or if you aren't using the /views/web.config file, add a <sectionGroup> declaration to the web.config above

Something like this:

<sectionGroup name="system.web.webPages.razor" type="System.Web.WebPages.Razor.Configuration.RazorWebSectionGroup, System.Web.WebPages.Razor, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31BF3856AD364E35">
    <section name="host" type="System.Web.WebPages.Razor.Configuration.HostSection, System.Web.WebPages.Razor, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31BF3856AD364E35" requirePermission="false" />
    <section name="pages" type="System.Web.WebPages.Razor.Configuration.RazorPagesSection, System.Web.WebPages.Razor, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31BF3856AD364E35" requirePermission="false" />
</sectionGroup>