app.config headache

[HaLo2FrEeEk]

Ok, I've got my application all written up, I've spent a good bit of time on it. It utilizes a SOAP web service. I'm trying to build and distribute my application for people to test and everytime they run it they get an "[Application] has stopped working" error.

I determined that it was because the app.config file wasn't present in the same directory as the executable. I REALLY don't want to distribute the app.config file with my executable, I don't want people to make changes to the file and potentially break or alter the way my app works.

Everytime I try to change the app.config's build action to something like "compile", I get this error:

"A namespace does not directly contain members such as fields or methods"

What the crap does that mean? I just want to embed the app.config file into my executable so that I can only have to distribute one file, and to help stop people from messing with the file.

Is this just not possible? If so, are there alternatives?

[Curtis Rutland]

Are you deploying this as a Click-Once or Setup package, or just the executable itself?

App.config files can't be compiled into the executable. They have to be distributed with it. Click once and the Setup projects take care of this for you.

[HaLo2FrEeEk]

I din't thinkI could do click once, since I don't have an IIS server. I learned that I could just add some mimetypes to my .htaccess and it would work. Unfortunately I have to publish it to be installed from a CD ROM, then upload it to my server, I can't have it publish directly to my ftp server. That sucks.

[Curtis Rutland]

Just publish it to a directory (or "share" or "filesystem" or whatever they call it, can't remember at the moment). It will add all the files you need. Then you can copy that to your server.

I would suggest that you look into a setup project, if you have the proper version of VS. That's a bit more work, but much better results.

There's also third party installer package creators, but I don't have any experience with them. Some of them are really good, from what I hear.