C# - User Settings broken

Question

We had a rare exception occur when reading the standard .Net user settings (this are the ones found in \"project properties\" in VS 2008):

System.Configurati         


        

Answer 1

Here's a solution that does not require you to exit the application with kudos to Jarle (http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/30216/Handling-Corrupt-user-config-Settings?msg=3608682#xx3608682xx). Early on, before Settings ever gets called, use this

    public static bool CheckSettings()
    {
        var isReset = false;

        try
        {
            ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(ConfigurationUserLevel.PerUserRoamingAndLocal);
        }
        catch (ConfigurationErrorsException ex)
        {
            string filename = string.Empty;
            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(ex.Filename))
            {
                filename = ex.Filename;
            }
            else
            {
                var innerEx = ex.InnerException as ConfigurationErrorsException;
                if (innerEx != null && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(innerEx.Filename))
                {
                    filename = innerEx.Filename;
                }                   
            }

            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(filename))
            {
                if (System.IO.File.Exists(filename))
                {
                    var fileInfo = new System.IO.FileInfo(filename);
                    var watcher
                         = new System.IO.FileSystemWatcher(fileInfo.Directory.FullName, fileInfo.Name);
                    System.IO.File.Delete(filename);
                    isReset = true;
                    if (System.IO.File.Exists(filename))
                    {
                        watcher.WaitForChanged(System.IO.WatcherChangeTypes.Deleted);
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        return isReset;
    }

Essentially, rather than relying on Sittings to throw the error, read the file with the ConfigurationManager, that way the system's version never gets into a bad state.