Creating Azure storage table on asp.net MVC

Question

I'm following this blog post to create an azure storage table: http://blogs.msdn.com/jnak/archive/2008/10/28/walkthrough-simple-table-storage.aspx

It works fine on an asp.net webform web_role.

I've re-created the same project using asp.net mvc as the web role, and it's always failing on application start. this line:

StorageAccountInfo account = StorageAccountInfo.GetDefaultTableStorageAccountFromConfiguration();

seem to always fail getting the account shared key. If I move the line from global asax application start to default.aspx, it works perfectly fine.

Is there any difference in initializing a storage table in azure asp.net mvc compared to webform?

Why can't I get the azure appsettings on application start?

This is the error call stack from event viewer

Exception information: 
    Exception type: HttpException 
    Exception message: No account key specified! 

Request information: 
    Request URL: http://127.0.0.1:5100/do.__rd_runtime_init__?shutdownEvent=1B671B93FD-4153-4834-9D5D-595EFC6C19EE1D 
    Request path: /do.__rd_runtime_init__ 
    User host address: 127.0.0.1 
    User:  
    Is authenticated: False 
    Authentication Type:  
    Thread account name: *****

Thread information: 
    Thread ID: 6 
    Thread account name: *****
    Is impersonating: False 
    Stack trace:    at System.Web.HttpApplicationFactory.EnsureAppStartCalledForIntegratedMode(HttpContext context, HttpApplication app)
   at System.Web.HttpApplication.RegisterEventSubscriptionsWithIIS(IntPtr appContext, HttpContext context, MethodInfo[] handlers)
   at System.Web.HttpApplication.InitSpecial(HttpApplicationState state, MethodInfo[] handlers, IntPtr appContext, HttpContext context)
   at System.Web.HttpApplicationFactory.GetSpecialApplicationInstance(IntPtr appContext, HttpContext context)
   at System.Web.HttpApplicationFactory.GetPipelineApplicationInstance(IntPtr appContext, HttpContext context)
   at System.Web.Hosting.PipelineRuntime.InitializeApplication(IntPtr appContext)

Thanks

Answer 1

Check out the "remarks" at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.servicehosting.serviceruntime.rolemanager.aspx:

The Windows Azure fabric runs IIS 7.0 in integrated mode. In integrated mode, the Application_Start event does not support access to the request context or to the members of the RoleManager class provided by the Windows Azure SDK runtime API. If you are writing an ASP.NET application that accesses the request context or calls methods of the RoleManager class from the Application_Start event, you should modify it to initialize in the Application_BeginRequest event instead.

For an example that shows how to use the Application_BeginRequest event, see the PersonalWebSite Sample that ships with the Windows Azure SDK.