Int32.ParseInt throws FormatException after web post - asp.net-mvc

Question

Update
I've found the problem, the exception came from a 2nd field on the same form which indeed should have prompted it (because it was empty)... I was looking at an error which I thought came from trying to parse one string, when in fact it was from trying to parse another string... Sorry for wasting your time.
Original Question
I'm completely dumbfounded by this problem. I am basically running int.Parse("32") and it throws a FormatException. Here's the code in question:
private double BindGeo(string value)
{
Regex r = new Regex(#"\D*(?<deg>\d+)\D*(?<min>\d+)\D*(?<sec>\d+(\.\d*))");
Regex d = new Regex(#"(?<dir>[NSEW])");
var numbers = r.Match(value);
string degStr = numbers.Groups["deg"].ToString();
string minStr = numbers.Groups["min"].ToString();
string secStr = numbers.Groups["sec"].ToString();
Debug.Assert(degStr == "32");
var deg = int.Parse(degStr);
var min = int.Parse(minStr);
var sec = double.Parse(secStr);
var direction = d.Match(value).Groups["dir"].ToString();
var result = deg + (min / 60.0) + (sec / 3600.0);
if (direction == "S" || direction == "W") result = -result;
return result;
}
My input string is "32 19 17.25 N"
The above code runs on a .NET 4 web hosting service (aspspider) on an ASP.NET MVC 3 web application (with Razor as its view engine).
Note the assersion of degStr == "32" is valid! Also when I take the above code and run it in a console application it works just fine. I've scoured the web for an answer, nothing...
Any ideas?
UPDATE (stack trace)
[FormatException: Input string was not in a correct format.]
System.Number.StringToNumber(String str, NumberStyles options, NumberBuffer& number, NumberFormatInfo info, Boolean parseDecimal) +9586043
System.Number.ParseInt32(String s, NumberStyles style, NumberFormatInfo info) +119
System.Int32.Parse(String s) +23
ParkIt.GeoModelBinder.BindGeo(String value) in C:\MyProjects\ParkIt\ParkIt\GeoBinder.cs:42
Line 42 is var deg = int.Parse(degStr); and note that the exception is in System.Int32.Parse (not in System.Double as was suggested).

Answer 1

You are wrongly thinking that it is the following line that is throwing the exception:
int.Parse("32")
This line is unlikely to ever throw an exception.
In fact it is the following line:
var sec = double.Parse(secStr);
In this case secStr = "17.25";.
The reason for that is that your hosting provider uses a different culture in which the . is not a decimal separator.
You have the possibility to specify the culture in your web.config file:
<globalization culture="en-US" uiCulture="en-US" />
If you don't do that, then auto is used. This means that the culture could be set based on the client browser preferences (which are sent with each request using the Accept-Language HTTP header).
Another possibility is to specify the culture when parsing:
var sec = double.Parse(secStr, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);
This way you know for sure that . is the decimal separator for the invariant culture.

Answer 2

Testing this (via PowerShell):
PS [64] E:\dev #43> '32 19 17.25 N' -match "\D*(?\d+)\D*(?\d+)\D*(?\d+(\.\d*))"
True
PS [64] E:\dev #44> $Matches
Name Value
---- -----
sec 17.25
deg 32
min 19
1 .25
0 32 19 17.25
So the regex is working with all three named captures getting a value, all of which will parse OK (ie. it isn't something like \d matching something like U+0660: ARABIC-INDIC DIGIT ZERO that Int32.Parse doesn't handle).
But you do not check that the regex actually makes a match.
Therefore I suspect that the value passed to the function is not the input you expect. Put a breakpoint (or logging) at the start of the function and get the actual value of value.
I think what is happening is:
Value isn't what you think it is.
The regex fails to match.
The captures are empty
Int32.Parse("") is throwing (just confirmed: it throws a FormatException "Input string was not in a correct format.")
Adendum: Just noted you comment on the assertion.
If things seem contradictory go back to basics: at least one of your assumptions is wrong eg. there could be an off by one in the exception's line number (an edit to the file before going to that line number: very easy to do).
Stepping through with a debugger in this case is by far the easiest approach. On every expression check everything.
If you cannot use a debugger then try and remove that restriction, if not how about IntelliTrace? Othewrwise use some kind of logging (if you app doesn't have it, add it as you'll need it in the future for things like this).

Answer 3

try remove non unicode ( if any - non-visible) chars from string :
string s = "søme string";
s = Regex.Replace(s, #"[^\u0000-\u007F]", string.Empty);
edit
also - try to see its hex values to see where it is doing exceptio n :
BitConverter.ToString(buffer);
this will show you the hex values so you can verify...
also paste its value so we can see it.

Answer 4

It turns out that this is a non-question. The problem was that the exception came from a 2nd field on the same form which indeed should have prompted it (because it was empty)... I was looking at an error which I thought came from trying to parse one string, when in fact it was from trying to parse another string...
Sorry for wasting your time.