BackgroundWorker not passing FileNotFoundException to RunWorkerCompleted

Question

I'm working on a WinForms project and at one point I have to load a XmlDocument in the background. I have a BackgroundWorker do this, but when the XmlDocument can't be found the BackgroundWorker throws a System.IO.FileNotFoundException in DoWork instead of passing it onto RunWorkerCompleted.

private void LoadBgWorker_DoWork(object sender, DoWorkEventArgs e)
        {
            //---download manifest---
            SetStatusText("Downloading manifest...");
            Manifest = new System.Xml.XmlDocument();
            Manifest.Load(Properties.Resources.ManifestUrl); // <-- this is where the code gets stuck, it alerts me that the exception is unhandled
        }

private void LoadBgWorker_RunWorkerCompleted(object sender, RunWorkerCompletedEventArgs e)
        {
            if (e.Error != null)
            {
                Success = false;
                Error = e.Error;
                this.Close();
            }
            else
            {
                //---loading complete, close form---
                Success = true;
                this.Close();
            }
        }

Am I missing something here? Shouldn't the exception automatically trigger RunWorkerCompleted so it can be handled there?

Answer 1

Did you check if you have the System.IO.FileNotFoundException "Break when thrown" ticked in the Exception Settings ?

It might be it, as backgroundworker DoWork catch an exception if thrown.

From Microsoft (full article here) :

Tell the debugger to break when an exception is thrown

The debugger can break execution at the point where an exception is thrown, so you may examine the exception before a handler is invoked.

In the Exception Settings window (Debug > Windows > Exception Settings), expand the node for a category of exceptions, such as Common Language Runtime Exceptions. Then select the check box for a specific exception within that category, such as System.AccessViolationException. You can also select an entire category of exceptions.