Question

I am trying to use the debug and release versions of the webconfig but it never works. I am trying to do this for a 3rd party library that I am using called combres.

http://combres.codeplex.com/

So I first put all the needed web.config code in the web.config. Now I have 2 different .xml files(thats where you put your javascript and css paths).

So production will have a different .xml path and so will debug.

So I moved this one line to the release and debug of the web.config and changed the path of the xml file.

    // release webconfig
    <combres definitionUrl="~/App_Data/Combres.xml" />

   // debug webconfig
   <combres definitionUrl="~/App_Data/CombresDevelopment.xml" />

I get this

System.UnauthorizedAccessException was unhandled by user code
  Message=Access to the path 'E: test.com' is denied.
  Source=mscorlib
  StackTrace:
       at System.IO.__Error.WinIOError(Int32 errorCode, String maybeFullPath)
       at System.IO.FileStream.Init(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, Int32 rights, Boolean useRights, FileShare share, Int32 bufferSize, FileOptions options, SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES secAttrs, String msgPath, Boolean bFromProxy, Boolean useLongPath)
       at System.IO.FileStream..ctor(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, FileShare share, Int32 bufferSize)
       at System.Xml.XmlDownloadManager.GetStream(Uri uri, ICredentials credentials, IWebProxy proxy, RequestCachePolicy cachePolicy)
       at System.Xml.XmlUrlResolver.GetEntity(Uri absoluteUri, String role, Type ofObjectToReturn)
       at System.Xml.XmlReaderSettings.CreateReader(String inputUri, XmlParserContext inputContext)
       at System.Xml.XmlReader.Create(String inputUri, XmlReaderSettings settings, XmlParserContext inputContext)
       at System.Xml.Linq.XDocument.Load(String uri, LoadOptions options)
       at System.Xml.Linq.XDocument.Load(String uri)
       at Combres.ConfigReader.ReadCombresUrl(String filePath)
       at Combres.Configuration.GetCombresUrl()
       at Combres.WebExtensions.AddCombresRoute(RouteCollection routes, String name)
       at MyApp.MvcApplication.RegisterRoutes(RouteCollection routes) in E:\Global.asax.cs:line 19
       at MyApp3.MvcApplication.Application_Start() in E:\Global.asax.cs:line 46
  InnerException: 

line 19 -> routes.AddCombresRoute("Combres");

line 46 -> RegisterRoutes(RouteTable.Routes);

So I don’t understand why I get this error. I thought the webconfig jsut get merged dynamically so why would it work on the top level on but not the .debug one.

Edit

Here is my files(some information removed for security concerns)

Web.config

    <configSections>
        <section name="combres" type="Combres.ConfigSectionSetting, Combres, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=49212d24adfbe4b4"/>
        <sectionGroup name="elmah">
            <section name="security" requirePermission="false" type="Elmah.SecuritySectionHandler, Elmah"/>
            <section name="errorLog" requirePermission="false" type="Elmah.ErrorLogSectionHandler, Elmah" />
            <section name="errorFilter" requirePermission="false" type="Elmah.ErrorFilterSectionHandler, Elmah"/>
            <section name="errorMail" requirePermission="false" type="Elmah.ErrorMailSectionHandler, Elmah" />
            <section name="errorTweet" requirePermission="false" type="Elmah.ErrorTweetSectionHandler, Elmah"/>
        </sectionGroup>
    </configSections>

    <appSettings>....</appSettings>


    <!--<combres definitionUrl="~/App_Data/Combres.xml" />-->
    <!--<combres definitionUrl="~/App_Data/CombresDevelopment.xml" />-->

    <connectionStrings>....</connectionStrings>



    <elmah>
        <errorLog type="Elmah.SqlErrorLog, Elmah" logPath="~/App_Data" connectionStringName="...." />
        <errorFilter>
            <test>
                <equal binding="HttpStatusCode" value="404" type="Int32" />
            </test>
        </errorFilter>
        <security allowRemoteAccess="0" />
    </elmah>

    <system.web>
    <globalization culture="en" uiCulture="en-US" />
    <httpRuntime requestValidationMode="2.0"/>

    <compilation debug="true" targetFramework="4.0">
      <assemblies>
        <add assembly="System.Web.Abstractions, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31BF3856AD364E35" />
        <add assembly="System.Web.Routing, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31BF3856AD364E35" />
        <add assembly="System.Web.Mvc, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31BF3856AD364E35" />
      </assemblies>
    </compilation>

    <authentication mode="Forms">
    </authentication>

    <pages>
      <namespaces>
        <add namespace="System.Web.Mvc" />
        <add namespace="System.Web.Mvc.Ajax" />
        <add namespace="System.Web.Mvc.Html" />
        <add namespace="System.Web.Routing" />
        <add namespace="CustomHtmlHelpers" />
        <add namespace="Combres.Mvc" />
      </namespaces>
    </pages>

      <httpHandlers>
          <add verb="POST,GET,HEAD" path="elmah.axd" type="Elmah.ErrorLogPageFactory, Elmah" />
      </httpHandlers>

      <httpModules>
          <add name="ScriptModule" type="System.Web.Handlers.ScriptModule, System.Web.Extensions, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31BF3856AD364E35"/>
          <add name="UrlRoutingModule" type="System.Web.Routing.UrlRoutingModule, System.Web.Routing, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31BF3856AD364E35"/>
          <add name="ErrorLog" type="Elmah.ErrorLogModule, Elmah"/>
          <add name="ErrorFilter" type="Elmah.ErrorFilterModule, Elmah"/>
      </httpModules>

  </system.web>

  <system.webServer>
    <validation validateIntegratedModeConfiguration="false"/>
    <modules runAllManagedModulesForAllRequests="true"/>
  </system.webServer>

  <runtime>
    <assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="System.Web.Mvc" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="1.0.0.0" newVersion="2.0.0.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
    </assemblyBinding>
  </runtime>
</configuration>

As you can see right now I have my combres commented out because right now I have to manually switch back and forth.

Here is my web.debug.config

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<!-- For more information on using web.config transformation visit http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=125889 -->

<configuration xmlns:xdt="http://schemas.microsoft.com/XML-Document-Transform">
    <combres definitionUrl="~/App_Data/CombresDevelopment.xml"  xdt:Transform="Inserting"/>
    <!--
    In the example below, the "SetAttributes" transform will change the value of 
    "connectionString" to use "ReleaseSQLServer" only when the "Match" locator 
    finds an atrribute "name" that has a value of "MyDB".

    <connectionStrings>
      <add name="MyDB" 
        connectionString="Data Source=ReleaseSQLServer;Initial Catalog=MyReleaseDB;Integrated Security=True" 
        xdt:Transform="SetAttributes" xdt:Locator="Match(name)"/>
    </connectionStrings>
  -->

  <system.web>        
      <!--
      In the example below, the "Replace" transform will replace the entire 
      <customErrors> section of your web.config file.
      Note that because there is only one customErrors section under the 
      <system.web> node, there is no need to use the "xdt:Locator" attribute.

      <customErrors defaultRedirect="GenericError.htm"
        mode="RemoteOnly" xdt:Transform="Replace">
        <error statusCode="500" redirect="InternalError.htm"/>
      </customErrors>
    -->
  </system.web>
</configuration>

Answer 1

The way i understood it is that it does not merge, but transforms the web.config using a new syntax. There should be some comments in the release and debug configs with regards how to do this.

//In the example below, the "SetAttributes" transform will change the value of 
//"connectionString" to use "ReleaseSQLServer" only when the "Match" locator 
//finds an atrribute "name" that has a value of "MyDB".

<connectionStrings>
  <add name="MyDB" 
    connectionString="Data Source=ReleaseSQLServer;Initial Catalog=MyReleaseDB;Integrated Security=True" 
    xdt:Transform="SetAttributes" xdt:Locator="Match(name)"/>
</connectionStrings>

As it says, this transform will replace the connection string, but im sure you could use it to transform and replace any other part of the web.config.

---

Try in your web.release.config

   <combres definitionUrl="~/App_Data/Combres.xml" xdt:Transform="SetAttributes"/>

And

web.debug.config

   <combres definitionUrl="~/App_Data/CombresDevelopment.xml" xdt:Transform="SetAttributes"/> 

I think your issue is with not using the transforms correctly, you can read this link for more information. Link