The 'configuration section cannot contain a CDATA or text element' error when using App.config and a cs file

Question

I'm receiving a The configuration section cannot contain a CDATA or text element error message in the following line of code. The error is occurring when Config.HeaderBaseLocation is being used in this array.

var header = stream[Config.HeaderBaseLocation].Split(Seperators);

I believe this is occurring because there is an invalid character in my code, but I cannot seem to find it. I should also note that this is the first occurrence of any of the Config variables being used in my code.

Below is the code I am using...

App.config

  <appSettings>

    <!-- 
          CROZZLE.TXT
    -->

    <!-- HEADER ASSIGNMENT CONSTRAINT VALUES -->
    <add key="WordCountMin" value="10"/>
    <add key="WordCountMax" value="1000"/>
    <add key="RowCountMin" value="4"/>
    <add key="RowCountMax" value="400"/>
    <add key="ColumnCountMin" value="8"/>
    <add key="ColumnCountMax" value="800"/>
    <!-- EXPECTED LENGTH VALUES FOR A ROW -->
    <add key="HeaderExpectedLength" value="6"/>
    <add key="WordDataExpectedLength" value="4"/>
    <!-- EXPECTED VALUE LOCATIONS IN FILE -->
    <add key="HeaderBaseLocation" value="0"/>
    <add key="WordListBaseLocation" value="1"/>
    <!-- EXPECTED HEADER VALUE LOCATIONS -->
    <add key="HeaderDifficultyLocation" value="0"/>
    <add key="HeaderWordCountLocation" value="1"/>
    <add key="HeaderRowCountLocation" value="2"/>
    <add key="HeaderColumnCountLocation" value="3"/>
    <add key="HeaderHorizontalWordCountLocation" value="4"/>
    <add key="HeaderVerticalWordCountLocation" value="5"/>
    <!-- EXPECTED WORDDATA VALUE LOCATIONS -->
    <add key="WordDataDirectionLocation" value="0"/>
    <add key="WordDataRowLocation" value="1"/>
    <add key="WordDataColumnLocation" value="2"/>
    <add key="WordDataWordLocation" value="3"/>
    <!-- PADDING AMOUNT FOR THE GRID -->
    <add key="CrozzlePadding" value="2"/>

    <!-- 
          CONFIGURATION.TXT 
    -->

    <!-- INTERSECTING AND NONINTERSECTING VALUE INDEXES -->
    <add key="LetterValueIndex" value="0"/>
    <add key="LetterScoreIndex" value="1"/>
    <add key="ExpectedConfigurationGroupAndPointValuesCount" value="2"/>
    <add key="ExpectedConfigurationIntersectAndNonIntersectValuesCount" value="3"/>
    <!-- EXPECTED VALUE LOCATIONS IN THE CONGIGURATION FILE -->
    <add key="GroupsPerCrozzleIndex" value="0"/>
    <add key="PointsPerWordIndex" value="1"/>
    <add key="IntersectingLetterIndexMin" value="2"/>
    <add key="IntersectingLetterIndexMax" value="27"/>
    <add key="NonIntersectingLetterIndexMin" value="28"/>
    <add key="NonIntersectingLetterIndexMax" value="53"/>
    <!-- ERROR CHECKING VALIDATORS -->
    <add key="LettersInAlphabetCount" value="26"/>
    /<!-- EXPECTED CONFIGURATION VALUE LOCATIONS AND TITLES TO LOOK FOR IN THE FILS (EXPECTED POINTDATA VALUES TO CULL) -->
    <add key="ExpectedConfigurationFileValues" value="GROUPSPERCROZZLELIMIT ; POINTSPERWORD ; INTERSECTING ; NONINTERSECTING" />
    <add key="GroupsPerCrozzleNameIndex" value="0"/>
    <add key="PointsPerWordNameIndex" value="1"/>
    <add key="IntersectingLetterNameIndex" value="2"/>
    <add key="NonIntersectingLetterNameIndex" value="3"/>

  </appSettings>

Config.cs

public static class Config {
    //CROZZLE : PADDING AMOUNT FOR THE GRID.
    internal static uint CrozzlePadding = uint.Parse(AppSettings["CrozzlePadding"]);

    // CROZZLE.TXT : HEADER ASSIGNMENT CONSTRAINT VALUES
    internal static int WordCountMin => int.Parse(AppSettings["WordCountMin"]);
    internal static int WordCountMax => int.Parse(AppSettings["WordCountMax"]);
    internal static int RowCountMin => int.Parse(AppSettings["RowCountMin"]);
    internal static int RowCountMax => int.Parse(AppSettings["RowCountMax"]);
    internal static int ColumnCountMin => int.Parse(AppSettings["ColumnCountMin"]);
    internal static int ColumnCountMax => int.Parse(AppSettings["ColumnCountMax"]);
    // CROZZLE.TXT : EXPECTED LENGTH VALUES FOR A ROW
    internal static int HeaderExpectedLength => int.Parse(AppSettings["HeaderExpectedLength"]);
    internal static int WordDataExpectedLength => int.Parse(AppSettings["WordDataExpectedLength"]);
    // CROZZLE.TXT : EXPECTED VALUE LOCATIONS IN FILE
    internal static int HeaderBaseLocation => int.Parse(AppSettings["HeaderBaseLocation"]);
    internal static int WordListBaseLocation => int.Parse(AppSettings["WordListBaseLocation"]);
    // CROZZLE.TXT : EXPECTED HEADER VALUE LOCATIONS
    internal static int HeaderDifficultyLocation => int.Parse(AppSettings["HeaderDifficultyLocation"]);
    internal static int HeaderWordCountLocation => int.Parse(AppSettings["HeaderWordCountLocation"]);
    internal static int HeaderRowCountLocation => int.Parse(AppSettings["HeaderRowCountLocation"]);
    internal static int HeaderColumnCountLocation => int.Parse(AppSettings["HeaderColumnCountLocation"]);
    internal static int HeaderHorizontalWordCountLocation => int.Parse(AppSettings["HeaderHorizontalWordCountLocation"]);
    internal static int HeaderVerticalWordCountLocation => int.Parse(AppSettings["HeaderVerticalWordCountLocation"]);
    // CROZZLE.TXT : EXPECTED WORDDATA VALUE LOCATIONS
    internal static int WordDataDirectionLocation => int.Parse(AppSettings["WordDataDirectionLocation"]);
    internal static int WordDataRowLocation => int.Parse(AppSettings["WordDataRowLocation"]);
    internal static int WordDataColumnLocation => int.Parse(AppSettings["WordDataColumnLocation"]);
    internal static int WordDataWordLocation => int.Parse(AppSettings["WordDataWordLocation"]);

    // CONFIGURATION.TXT : INTERSECTING AND NONINTERSECTING VALUE INDEXES
    internal static int LetterValueIndex => int.Parse(AppSettings["LetterValueIndex"]);
    internal static int LetterScoreIndex => int.Parse(AppSettings["LetterScoreIndex"]);
    internal static int ExpectedConfigurationGroupAndPointValuesCount => int.Parse(AppSettings["ExpectedConfigurationGroupAndPointValuesCount"]);
    internal static int ExpectedConfigurationIntersectAndNonIntersectValuesCount => int.Parse(AppSettings["ExpectedConfigurationIntersectAndNonIntersectValuesCount"]);
    // CONFIGURATION.TXT : EXPECTED VALUE LOCATIONS IN THE FILE
    internal static int GroupsPerCrozzleIndex => int.Parse(AppSettings["GroupsPerCrozzleIndex"]);
    internal static int PointsPerWordIndex => int.Parse(AppSettings["PointsPerWordIndex"]);
    internal static Range<int> IntersectingLetterIndex => new Range<int>(int.Parse(AppSettings["IntersectingLetterIndexMin"]), int.Parse(AppSettings["IntersectingLetterIndexMax"]));
    internal static Range<int> NonIntersectingLetterIndex => new Range<int>(int.Parse(AppSettings["NonIntersectingLetterIndexMin"]), int.Parse(AppSettings["NonIntersectingLetterIndexMax"]));
    // CONFIGURATION.TXT : ERROR CHECKING VALIDATORS
    internal static int LettersInAlphabetCount => int.Parse(AppSettings["LettersInAlphabetCount"]);
    // CONFIGURATION.TXT : EXPECTED CONFIGURATION VALUE LOCATIONS AND TITLES TO LOOK FOR IN THE FILS (EXPECTED POINTDATA VALUES TO CULL)
    internal static string[] ExpectedConfigurationFileValues => Array.ConvertAll(AppSettings["GroupsPerCrozzleNameIndex"].Split(';'), p => p.Trim());
    internal static int GroupsPerCrozzleNameIndex => int.Parse(AppSettings["GroupsPerCrozzleNameIndex"]);
    internal static int PointsPerWordNameIndex => int.Parse(AppSettings["PointsPerWordNameIndex"]);
    internal static int IntersectingLetterNameIndex => int.Parse(AppSettings["IntersectingLetterNameIndex"]);
    internal static int NonIntersectingLetterNameIndex => int.Parse(AppSettings["NonIntersectingLetterNameIndex"]);
}

Answer 1

You have a stray / next to one of your comments.