how to fix TypeInitializationException based on Nlog assuming a wrong path

Question

I'm using nLog 4.0.1 in a Console Application in Visual Studio Express 2013.
Running the app in VS itself works; it works after compiling the .exe in a relative directory like bin\Debug or bin\Release, too.
However, it does not work if I compile it into another dir (\\192.168.3.55\vol3\programs\test).

This is my app.config:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
  <configSections>
    <section name="nlog" type="NLog.Config.ConfigSectionHandler, NLog" />
  </configSections>
  <startup>
    <supportedRuntime version="v4.0" sku=".NETFramework,Version=v4.5" />
  </startup>
  <runtime>
    <assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
      <!-- ... -->
    </assemblyBinding>
  </runtime>
  <connectionStrings>
    <!-- ... -->
  </connectionStrings>
  <appSettings>
    <!-- ... -->
  </appSettings>
  <nlog xmlns="http://www.nlog-project.org/schemas/NLog.xsd" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.nlog-project.org/schemas/NLog.xsd NLog.xsd" autoReload="true" throwExceptions="false" internalLogLevel="Off" internalLogFile="c:\temp\nlog-internal.log">
    <variable name="startDatetime" value="${date:format=yyMMdd}" />
    <targets>
      <target name="logfile" xsi:type="File" fileName="\\192.168.3.71\log\test_${startDatetime}.dbg" layout="[${date:format=yyyyMMddHHmmssfff}][${level}] ${message}" />layout="${date:format=yyyyMMddHHmmss} ${message}" />-->
      <target xsi:type="ColoredConsole" name="console" encoding="utf-8" layout="${message}">
      </target>
    </targets>
    <rules>
      <logger name="*" minlevel="Debug" writeTo="logfile" />
      <logger name="*" minlevel="Debug" writeTo="console" />
    </rules>
  </nlog>
</configuration>

This is the part of my code where exception occurs:

Imports NLog

Module Test

    Public logger As Logger = LogManager.GetCurrentClassLogger()
    '...
End Module

This is the part of my .vbproj:

<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|AnyCPU' ">
    <PlatformTarget>AnyCPU</PlatformTarget>
    <DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
    <DefineDebug>false</DefineDebug>
    <DefineTrace>true</DefineTrace>
    <Optimize>true</Optimize>
    <OutputPath>\\192.168.3.55\vol3\programs\test\</OutputPath>
    <DocumentationFile>test.xml</DocumentationFile>
    <NoWarn>42016,41999,42017,42018,42019,42032,42036,42020,42021,42022</NoWarn>
    <Prefer32Bit>false</Prefer32Bit>
  </PropertyGroup>

This is the Stacktrace (sorry, it's in German):

Unbehandelte Ausnahme: System.TypeInitializationException: Der Typeninitialisierer für "test.Test" hat eine Ausnahme verursacht. ---> System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException: Beim Erstellen des Konfigurationsabschnittshandlers für "nlog" ist ein Fehler aufgetreten.: Der Typeninitialisierer für "NLog.Config.Configuration
ItemFactory" hat eine Ausnahme verursacht. (\\192.168.3.55\vol3\programs\test\test.exe.Config line 36) ---> System.TypeInitializationException: Der Typeninitialisierer für "NLog.Config.ConfigurationItemFactory" hat eine Ausnahme verursacht. ---> System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException: Ein Teil des Pfades "\\192.168.3.55\vol3\vol3\programs\test" konnte nicht gefunden werden.
   bei System.IO.__Error.WinIOError(Int32 errorCode, String maybeFullPath)
   bei System.IO.FileSystemEnumerableIterator`1.CommonInit()
   bei System.IO.FileSystemEnumerableIterator`1..ctor(String path, String originalUserPath, String searchPattern, SearchOption searchOption, SearchResultHandler`1 resultHandler, Boolean checkHost)
   bei System.IO.Directory.InternalGetFileDirectoryNames(String path, String userPathOriginal, String searchPattern, Boolean includeFiles, Boolean includeDirs, SearchOption searchOption, Boolean checkHost)
   bei System.IO.Directory.InternalGetFiles(String path, String searchPattern, SearchOption searchOption)
   bei NLog.Config.ConfigurationItemFactory.BuildDefaultFactory()
   bei NLog.Config.ConfigurationItemFactory..cctor()
   --- Ende der internen Ausnahmestapelüberwachung ---
   bei NLog.Config.ConfigurationItemFactory.get_Default()
   bei NLog.Config.XmlLoggingConfiguration..ctor(XmlElement element, String fileName)
   bei NLog.Config.ConfigSectionHandler.Create(XmlNode section, IAppDomain appDomain)
   bei System.Configuration.RuntimeConfigurationRecord.RuntimeConfigurationFactory.CreateSectionImpl(RuntimeConfigurationRecord configRecord, FactoryRecord factoryRecord, SectionRecord sectionRecord, Object parentConfig, ConfigXml
Reader reader)
   bei System.Configuration.RuntimeConfigurationRecord.RuntimeConfigurationFactory.CreateSectionWithRestrictedPermissions(RuntimeConfigurationRecord configRecord, FactoryRecord factoryRecord, SectionRecord sectionRecord, Object pa
rentConfig, ConfigXmlReader reader)
   bei System.Configuration.RuntimeConfigurationRecord.CreateSection(Boolean inputIsTrusted, FactoryRecord factoryRecord, SectionRecord sectionRecord, Object parentConfig, ConfigXmlReader reader)
   bei System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.CallCreateSection(Boolean inputIsTrusted, FactoryRecord factoryRecord, SectionRecord sectionRecord, Object parentConfig, ConfigXmlReader reader, String filename, Int32 line)
   --- Ende der internen Ausnahmestapelüberwachung ---
   bei System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.EvaluateOne(String[] keys, SectionInput input, Boolean isTruste
d, FactoryRecord factoryRecord, SectionRecord sectionRecord, Object parentResult)
   bei System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.Evaluate(FactoryRecord factoryRecord, SectionRecord sectionReco
rd, Object parentResult, Boolean getLkg, Boolean getRuntimeObject, Object& result, Object& resultRuntimeObject)
   bei System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.GetSectionRecursive(String configKey, Boolean getLkg, Boolean checkPermission, Boolean getRuntimeObject, Boolean requestIsHere, Object& result, Object& resultRuntimeObject)
   bei System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.GetSectionRecursive(String configKey, Boolean getLkg, Boolean checkPermission, Boolean getRuntimeObject, Boolean requestIsHere, Object& result, Object& resultRuntimeObject)
   bei System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.GetSectionRecursive(String configKey, Boolean getLkg, Boolean checkPermission, Boolean getRuntimeObject, Boolean requestIsHere, Object& result, Object& resultRuntimeObject)
   bei System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.GetSection(String configKey)
   bei System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.GetSection(String sectionName)
   bei NLog.LogFactory.get_Configuration()
   bei NLog.LogFactory.GetLogger(LoggerCacheKey cacheKey)
   bei NLog.LogManager.GetCurrentClassLogger()

Means, part of the path \\192.168.3.55\vol3\vol3\programs\test could not be found, which really does not exist. But I don't know how it happened, that "vol3" is taken twice. I use \\192.168.3.55\vol3\programs\test\ in my settings, but, after releasing in exactly this directory, nLog turns the path into \\192.168.3.55\vol3\vol3\programs\test and fails.
How can I tell nLog to use the correct path?

Answer 1

This is a confirmed bug in 4.0.1 (not 4.0.0). This will be solved in 4.1.0.

Answer 2

We ran into the same problem. Downgrading NLog from 4.0.1 to 3.2.1 did the trick.