SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit · error · InvalidDataException

Settings file is empty or null: {path}

Error message

Settings file is empty or null: {path}

What it means

Thrown by SeConvSettings.Load when the file exists and opens but `JsonSerializer.Deserialize<SeConvSettings>` returns null. With System.Text.Json this happens for an empty file, a file containing only whitespace/comments that JsonCommentHandling.Skip reduces to nothing, or content that deserializes to a null reference (e.g. the literal token `null`). InvalidDataException signals a structurally-empty input distinct from a missing file.

Source

Thrown at src/seconv/Core/SeConvSettings.cs:51

    private static readonly JsonSerializerOptions JsonOptions = new()
    {
        PropertyNamingPolicy = JsonNamingPolicy.CamelCase,
        PropertyNameCaseInsensitive = true,
        ReadCommentHandling = JsonCommentHandling.Skip,
        AllowTrailingCommas = true,
    };

    public static SeConvSettings Load(string path)
    {
        if (!File.Exists(path))
        {
            throw new FileNotFoundException($"Settings file not found: {path}", path);
        }

        using var stream = File.OpenRead(path);
        return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<SeConvSettings>(stream, JsonOptions)
            ?? throw new InvalidDataException($"Settings file is empty or null: {path}");
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Serializes a complete settings file populated with the current libse defaults —
    /// every key seconv understands, with its correct (camelCase) name and default value.
    /// Backs <c>seconv dump-settings</c>, which users redirect to a file as a starting point
    /// (issue #11037): it teaches the schema, so no one has to guess that the key is
    /// <c>removeIfAllUppercase</c> and not the GUI's <c>IsRemoveTextUppercaseLineOn</c>.
    /// <para>Built by mirroring <see cref="Configuration.Settings"/> (the same source
    /// <see cref="ApplyBaseSections"/> writes back into) and a fresh <see cref="ImageExportStyle"/>,
    /// so the output round-trips through <see cref="Load"/> with zero unknown keys — the dump
    /// can never drift from what the loader accepts.</para>
    /// </summary>
    public static string DumpDefaults()
    {
        var s = Configuration.Settings;
        var g = s.General;
        var hi = s.RemoveTextForHearingImpaired;

View on GitHub (pinned to 17a9f07487)

Solutions

1. Regenerate the file: `seconv dump-settings > settings.json`.
2. Open the file and confirm it contains a JSON object with keys.
3. If editing by hand, start from the dump output so the schema is correct.
4. Check the file is not zero bytes: `ls -l settings.json` / `dir settings.json`.

Example fix

# before: settings.json is 0 bytes
seconv in.srt out.srt --settings=settings.json
# after
seconv dump-settings > settings.json
seconv in.srt out.srt --settings=settings.json

var info = new FileInfo(path);
if (!info.Exists || info.Length == 0)
    throw new ArgumentException("Settings file is missing or empty: " + path);

static bool SettingsFileHasContent(string? p)
{
    if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(p) || !File.Exists(p)) return false;
    return new FileInfo(p).Length > 0;
}

try { var s = SeConvSettings.Load(path); }
catch (InvalidDataException ex) when (ex.Message.Contains("empty or null"))
{
    // regenerate via dump-settings and retry
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `SeConvSettings.Load(path)` on a zero-byte file, a file of only whitespace, or a file whose top-level JSON value is `null`.

Common situations: An interrupted `dump-settings` redirect (e.g. disk full, Ctrl-C); a manually created empty placeholder; a settings file overwritten by a failed pipeline; a `null` literal left from editing.

Related errors

• Settings file not found: {path}
• BinaryOCR database is empty: {dbPath}
• Profile '{profileName}' not found in settings. Available: {a
• Unknown time format '{timeFormat}'
• Unknown type of event #{i + 1}: '{type}'

AI-assisted analysis of SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit@17a9f07487 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/cbf1390dcc76955f. Report an issue: GitHub.