OrchardCMS/OrchardCore · error · ArgumentException

File path must be a non-empty string.

Error message

File path must be a non-empty string.

What it means

AddTenantJsonFile registers a tenant-scoped JSON configuration source for the given builder. A null/empty path cannot identify the JSON file, so the extension throws ArgumentException with paramName 'path', mirroring the framework's AddJsonFile validation.

Solutions

1. Pass a valid non-empty file name, typically $"appsettings.{tenantName}.json".
2. Validate/guard the path at the call site before building configuration.
3. If the file may legitimately be absent, still pass a real name and set optional: true.
4. Trace where the empty path originates (ShellSettings.Configuration) and fix the tenant setup.

Example fix

// before
builder.AddTenantJsonFile(tenantSettings.File);
// after
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(tenantSettings.File))
{
    builder.AddTenantJsonFile(tenantSettings.File, optional: true);
}

ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrWhiteSpace(path); // .NET 8+, or: if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(path)) throw new ArgumentException(nameof(path));

bool HasTenantFile(ShellSettings s) => !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(s.File);

try { builder.AddTenantJsonFile(path, optional: true); }
catch (ArgumentException ex) when (ex.ParamName == "path") { /* skip optional tenant config */ }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling configurationBuilder.AddTenantJsonFile(path) or AddTenantJsonFile(provider, path, optional, reloadOnChange) with path == null, path == "" or whitespace-only string.

Common situations: The tenant's appsettings file name comes from ShellSettings or a config value that is unset (e.g. a new tenant not yet configured), a renamed settings property, or passing an unvalidated variable built at runtime.

Understand the failure class

Background: "must not be empty", "cannot be empty" — required-field validation errors across open-source libraries — this error's family across 41 libraries.

Related errors

• A feature is missing a mandatory 'Id' property in the Module
• The 'Default' tenant can't be removed.
• The tenant ' ' can't be removed as it is neither…
• Top level JSON element must be an object. Instead
• Can't use the numeric key

AI-assisted analysis of OrchardCMS/OrchardCore@4306c0717f (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/213a98b8a8241a2a. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/OrchardCore/OrchardCore.Abstractions/Modules/Overrides/Configuration/TenantJsonConfigurationExtensions.cs:73

    /// <summary>
    /// Adds a JSON configuration source to <paramref name="builder"/>.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="builder">The <see cref="IConfigurationBuilder"/> to add to.</param>
    /// <param name="provider">The <see cref="IFileProvider"/> to use to access the file.</param>
    /// <param name="path">Path relative to the base path stored in
    /// <see cref="IConfigurationBuilder.Properties"/> of <paramref name="builder"/>.</param>
    /// <param name="optional">Whether the file is optional.</param>
    /// <param name="reloadOnChange">Whether the configuration should be reloaded if the file changes.</param>
    /// <returns>The <see cref="IConfigurationBuilder"/>.</returns>
    public static IConfigurationBuilder AddTenantJsonFile(this IConfigurationBuilder builder, IFileProvider? provider, string path, bool optional, bool reloadOnChange)
    {
        // ThrowHelper.ThrowIfNull(builder);
        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(builder);

        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(path))
        {
            // throw new ArgumentException(SR.Error_InvalidFilePath, nameof(path));
            throw new ArgumentException("File path must be a non-empty string.", nameof(path));
        }

        return builder.AddTenantJsonFile(s =>
        {
            s.FileProvider = provider;
            s.Path = path;
            s.Optional = optional;
            s.ReloadOnChange = reloadOnChange;
            s.ResolveFileProvider();
        });
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Adds a JSON configuration source to <paramref name="builder"/>.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="builder">The <see cref="IConfigurationBuilder"/> to add to.</param>
    /// <param name="configureSource">Configures the source.</param>
    /// <returns>The <see cref="IConfigurationBuilder"/>.</returns>

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