Entity Framework: Could Not Load Context

Question

I am setting up entity framework but ran into some trouble. I am using MVC, EF 6.0, .net Framework 4.5.1

In my web config I have this inside of the entityFramework node:

<contexts>
      <context type="MyApp.Data.UserContext">
        <databaseInitializer type="MyApp.Data.UserContextInit" />
      </context>
    </contexts>

However, when I try to run my app I get the following error:

Could not load type 'MyApp.Data.UserContext' from assembly 'EntityFramework'.

Here is full entityFramework node from web config:

<entityFramework>
    <contexts>
      <context type="MyApp.Data.UserContext">
        <databaseInitializer type="MyApp.Data.UserContextInit" />
      </context>
    </contexts>
    <defaultConnectionFactory type="System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.LocalDbConnectionFactory, EntityFramework">
      <parameters>
        <parameter value="mssqllocaldb" />
      </parameters>
    </defaultConnectionFactory>
    <providers>
      <provider invariantName="System.Data.SqlClient" type="System.Data.Entity.SqlServer.SqlProviderServices, EntityFramework.SqlServer" />
    </providers>
  </entityFramework>

And here is the entire stacktrace:

[TypeLoadException: Could not load type 'MyApp.Data.UserContext' from assembly 'EntityFramework'.]
   System.RuntimeTypeHandle.GetTypeByName(String name, Boolean throwOnError, Boolean ignoreCase, Boolean reflectionOnly, StackCrawlMarkHandle stackMark, IntPtr pPrivHostBinder, Boolean loadTypeFromPartialName, ObjectHandleOnStack type) +0
   System.RuntimeTypeHandle.GetTypeByName(String name, Boolean throwOnError, Boolean ignoreCase, Boolean reflectionOnly, StackCrawlMark& stackMark, IntPtr pPrivHostBinder, Boolean loadTypeFromPartialName) +70
   System.RuntimeType.GetType(String typeName, Boolean throwOnError, Boolean ignoreCase, Boolean reflectionOnly, StackCrawlMark& stackMark) +40
   System.Type.GetType(String typeName, Boolean throwOnError) +34
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.InitializerConfig.TryGetInitializer(Type requiredContextType, String contextTypeName, String initializerTypeName, Boolean isDisabled, Func`1 initializerArgs, Func`3 exceptionMessage) +39

[InvalidOperationException: Failed to set database initializer of type 'MyApp.Data.UserContextInit' for DbContext type 'MyApp.Data.UserContext, EntityFramework' specified in the application configuration. See inner exception for details.]
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.InitializerConfig.TryGetInitializer(Type requiredContextType, String contextTypeName, String initializerTypeName, Boolean isDisabled, Func`1 initializerArgs, Func`3 exceptionMessage) +232
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.<>c__DisplayClass6.<TryGetInitializerFromEntityFrameworkSection>b__1(ContextElement e) +199
   System.Linq.WhereSelectEnumerableIterator`2.MoveNext() +164
   System.Linq.Enumerable.FirstOrDefault(IEnumerable`1 source, Func`2 predicate) +94
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.InitializerConfig.TryGetInitializerFromEntityFrameworkSection(Type contextType) +250
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.InitializerConfig.TryGetInitializer(Type contextType) +18
   System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.DependencyResolution.AppConfigDependencyResolver.GetServiceFactory(Type type, String name) +439
   System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.DependencyResolution.<>c__DisplayClass1.<GetService>b__0(Tuple`2 t) +42
   System.Collections.Concurrent.ConcurrentDictionary`2.GetOrAdd(TKey key, Func`2 valueFactory) +72
   System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.DependencyResolution.AppConfigDependencyResolver.GetService(Type type, Object key) +140
   System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.DependencyResolution.<>c__DisplayClass3.<GetService>b__0(IDbDependencyResolver r) +19
   System.Linq.WhereSelectArrayIterator`2.MoveNext() +58
   System.Linq.Enumerable.FirstOrDefault(IEnumerable`1 source, Func`2 predicate) +94
   System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.DependencyResolution.ResolverChain.GetService(Type type, Object key) +160
   System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.DependencyResolution.CompositeResolver`2.GetService(Type type, Object key) +39
   System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.DependencyResolution.DbDependencyResolverExtensions.GetService(IDbDependencyResolver resolver, Type type) +56
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.InternalContext.PerformDatabaseInitialization() +125
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalContext.<InitializeDatabase>b__4(InternalContext c) +7
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.RetryAction`1.PerformAction(TInput input) +110
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalContext.InitializeDatabaseAction(Action`1 action) +198
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalContext.InitializeDatabase() +73
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.InternalContext.Initialize() +30
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.InternalContext.GetEntitySetAndBaseTypeForType(Type entityType) +16
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.Linq.InternalSet`1.Initialize() +53
   System.Data.Entity.Internal.Linq.InternalSet`1.GetEnumerator() +15
   System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.DbQuery`1.System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable<TResult>.GetEnumerator() +53
   System.Collections.Generic.List`1..ctor(IEnumerable`1 collection) +375
   System.Linq.Enumerable.ToList(IEnumerable`1 source) +58
   MyApp.WebMS.Controllers.HomeController.Index() in C:\Users\Ben Donnelly\Documents\Visual Studio 2017\Projects\TechTest\MyApp\MyApp.WebMS\Controllers\HomeController.cs:18
   lambda_method(Closure , ControllerBase , Object[] ) +61
   System.Web.Mvc.ActionMethodDispatcher.Execute(ControllerBase controller, Object[] parameters) +14
   System.Web.Mvc.ReflectedActionDescriptor.Execute(ControllerContext controllerContext, IDictionary`2 parameters) +157
   System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeActionMethod(ControllerContext controllerContext, ActionDescriptor actionDescriptor, IDictionary`2 parameters) +27
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.AsyncControllerActionInvoker.<BeginInvokeSynchronousActionMethod>b__39(IAsyncResult asyncResult, ActionInvocation innerInvokeState) +22
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncResult`2.CallEndDelegate(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +29
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncResultBase`1.End() +49
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.AsyncControllerActionInvoker.EndInvokeActionMethod(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +32
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.AsyncInvocationWithFilters.<InvokeActionMethodFilterAsynchronouslyRecursive>b__3d() +50
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.<>c__DisplayClass46.<InvokeActionMethodFilterAsynchronouslyRecursive>b__3f() +228
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.<>c__DisplayClass33.<BeginInvokeActionMethodWithFilters>b__32(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +10
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncResult`1.CallEndDelegate(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +10
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncResultBase`1.End() +49
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.AsyncControllerActionInvoker.EndInvokeActionMethodWithFilters(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +34
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.<>c__DisplayClass2b.<BeginInvokeAction>b__1c() +26
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.<>c__DisplayClass21.<BeginInvokeAction>b__1e(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +100
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncResult`1.CallEndDelegate(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +10
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncResultBase`1.End() +49
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.AsyncControllerActionInvoker.EndInvokeAction(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +27
   System.Web.Mvc.Controller.<BeginExecuteCore>b__1d(IAsyncResult asyncResult, ExecuteCoreState innerState) +13
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncVoid`1.CallEndDelegate(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +29
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncResultBase`1.End() +49
   System.Web.Mvc.Controller.EndExecuteCore(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +36
   System.Web.Mvc.Controller.<BeginExecute>b__15(IAsyncResult asyncResult, Controller controller) +12
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncVoid`1.CallEndDelegate(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +22
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncResultBase`1.End() +49
   System.Web.Mvc.Controller.EndExecute(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +26
   System.Web.Mvc.Controller.System.Web.Mvc.Async.IAsyncController.EndExecute(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +10
   System.Web.Mvc.MvcHandler.<BeginProcessRequest>b__5(IAsyncResult asyncResult, ProcessRequestState innerState) +21
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncVoid`1.CallEndDelegate(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +29
   System.Web.Mvc.Async.WrappedAsyncResultBase`1.End() +49
   System.Web.Mvc.MvcHandler.EndProcessRequest(IAsyncResult asyncResult) +28
   System.Web.Mvc.MvcHandler.System.Web.IHttpAsyncHandler.EndProcessRequest(IAsyncResult result) +9
   System.Web.CallHandlerExecutionStep.System.Web.HttpApplication.IExecutionStep.Execute() +9748665
   System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStepImpl(IExecutionStep step) +48
   System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStep(IExecutionStep step, Boolean& completedSynchronously) +159

I've been following the microsoft docs to set this up, one thing I noticed is they put the assembly after specifying the full path for the context, in the contexts node I first show. Here is the docs link; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/mvc/overview/getting-started/getting-started-with-ef-using-mvc/creating-an-entity-framework-data-model-for-an-asp-net-mvc-application#main

Answer 1

The error pretty much states the problem, the code is looking for the type you specified in the wrong assembly. To fix this you need to qualify your type with the assembly it can be found in. For example:

<databaseInitializer type="MyApp.Data.UserContextInit, MyAssemblyName" />