The pre-application start initialization method... Run WebActivatorEx.ActivationManager - Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation

Question

I keep getting this error, usually after changing the web.config on a running ASP.NET MVC azure web service app. It will run fine the first time but after it recompiles after changing the web.config this is usually appearing. I think it happens sometimes by just starting and stopping the web app. The only way I can make it go away is by publishing the app again from visual studio to azure.

Method not found: 'Microsoft.Practices.Unity.IUnityContainer MyProject.Core.ContainerManager.GetConfiguredContainer()'.    

The pre-application start initialization method Run on type WebActivatorEx.ActivationManager threw an exception with the following error message: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation

Source File: D:\MyProject-master\src\MyProject.Web\App_Start\UnityMvcActivator.cs    Line: 73 

StackTrace

MissingMethodException: Method not found:   
'Microsoft.Practices.Unity.IUnityContainer 
MyProject.Core.ContainerManager.GetConfiguredContainer()'.]
MyProject.Web.App_Start.UnityWebActivator.Start() in D:\MyProject-master\src\MyProject.Web\App_Start\UnityMvcActivator.cs:73

[TargetInvocationException: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation.]
   System.RuntimeMethodHandle.InvokeMethod(Object target, Object[] arguments, Signature sig, Boolean constructor) +0
   System.Reflection.RuntimeMethodInfo.UnsafeInvokeInternal(Object obj, Object[] parameters, Object[] arguments) +87
System.Reflection.RuntimeMethodInfo.Invoke(Object obj, BindingFlags invokeAttr, Binder binder, Object[] parameters, CultureInfo culture) +101
   WebActivatorEx.BaseActivationMethodAttribute.InvokeMethod() +73
   WebActivatorEx.ActivationManager.RunActivationMethods(Boolean designerMode) +350
   WebActivatorEx.ActivationManager.Run() +78

[InvalidOperationException: The pre-application start initialization method Run on type WebActivatorEx.ActivationManager threw an exception with the following error message: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation..]

 System.Web.Compilation.BuildManager.InvokePreStartInitMethodsCore(ICollection`1 methods, Func`1 setHostingEnvironmentCultures) +615
System.Web.Compilation.BuildManager.InvokePreStartInitMethods(ICollection`1 methods) +141


   System.Web.Compilation.BuildManager.CallPreStartInitMethods(String preStartInitListPath, Boolean& isRefAssemblyLoaded) +102
   System.Web.Compilation.BuildManager.ExecutePreAppStart() +157
   System.Web.Hosting.HostingEnvironment.Initialize(ApplicationManager appManager, IApplicationHost appHost, IConfigMapPathFactory configMapPathFactory, HostingEnvironmentParameters hostingParameters, PolicyLevel policyLevel, Exception appDomainCreationException) +549

[HttpException (0x80004005): The pre-application start initialization method Run on type WebActivatorEx.ActivationManager threw an exception with the following error message: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation..]
 System.Web.HttpRuntime.FirstRequestInit(HttpContext context) +10075124
 System.Web.HttpRuntime.EnsureFirstRequestInit(HttpContext context) +95


 System.Web.HttpRuntime.ProcessRequestNotificationPrivate(IIS7WorkerRequest wr, HttpContext context) +254

This question seems very close to my issue but I haven't gotten this solution to work, there are two projects in my solution that use the RegisterTypes method:

interface and cannot be constructed on Unity config

These questions were related but not exactly this issue:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21078380/webactivatorex-dll-unity-bootstrap-is-firing-on-a-different-project

ActivationManager Exception during build process?

Unity Bootstrapper from NuGet is throwing error on App_Start

EDIT: If I merge the application into single assemblies during deployment the issue doesn't seem to happen anymore.

Answer 1

Install-Package Microsoft.AspNet.WebHelpers