Assembly Reference Catch-22 - asp.net

Question

I'm trying to integrate MangoChat into an existing .Net project. Mango requires the use of Newtonsoft.Json version 3.5.0.0, however my current version of this assembly is 6.x.
Logically, I thought to uninstall the current version but it has so many dependencies that it tears apart the project. I can't install version 3.5.0.0 beside 6.x because I can't add a second assembly to the .bin folder with the same name.
How could I solve this issue?

Answer 1

If version 6.x is compatible with version 3.5.0.0, you can add a binding redirect to new version. You should add it to your configuration file:
<configuration>
<runtime>
<assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
<dependentAssembly>
<assemblyIdentity name="Newtonsoft.Json" publicKeyToken="[enter token here]" culture="neutral" />
<bindingRedirect oldVersion="3.5.0.0-6.X" newVersion="6.X"/>
</dependentAssembly>
</assemblyBinding>
</runtime>
</configuration>
Replace 6.X with your actual version.
Another option is to add assembly to different folder and use AssemblyResolve event on AppDomain to find it. You can use such code:
//Load assembly from alternative location
Assembly newtonsoftAssembly = Assembly.LoadFrom(#"C:\PathToYourAssembly.dll");
//Handle AssemblyResolve event
AppDomain.CurrentDomain.AssemblyResolve += (sender, args) =>
{
//Check if your assembly was requested
if (args.Name.Contains("Newtonsoft.Json"))
{
return newtonsoftAssembly;
}
return null;
};
You should run this code once, e.g. during application startup.