LINQ to XML calling .Value returns null object

[Avequenna]

In a program that changes settings in a .csproj file, the following linq to xml statement always returns "object not set to an instance of an object":\[code\]static void Main(string[] args) { string rootDir = @"e:\path\to\proj\file\foo.csproj"; var xDoc = XDocument.Load(rootDir); var ns = xDoc.Root.Name.Namespace; var hasConditions = xDoc.Root.Elements(ns + "PropertyGroup") .Where(x => x.Attribute("Condition") != null); Console.WriteLine(hasConditions.Count()); try { var debugConfig = xDoc.Root.Elements(ns + "PropertyGroup") .Where(x => x.Attribute("Condition") .Value =http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11105744/=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU' "); Console.WriteLine(debugConfig.Count()); } catch { Console.WriteLine("doesn't work"); } }\[/code\]Complete proj file:\[code\]<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><Project ToolsVersion="4.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003"> <PropertyGroup> <Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">Debug</Configuration> <Platform Condition=" '$(Platform)' == '' ">AnyCPU</Platform> <ProductVersion>8.0.30703</ProductVersion> <SchemaVersion>2.0</SchemaVersion> <ProjectGuid>{F08E2AEB-A1C2-43F9-A93C-38AF2A99C96A}</ProjectGuid> <OutputType>Library</OutputType> <AppDesignerFolder>Properties</AppDesignerFolder> <RootNamespace>CommunicationSystem.XmlLoading.Common</RootNamespace> <AssemblyName>CommunicationSystem.XmlLoading.Common</AssemblyName> <TargetFrameworkVersion>v4.0</TargetFrameworkVersion> <FileAlignment>512</FileAlignment> <SccProjectName>SAK</SccProjectName> <SccLocalPath>SAK</SccLocalPath> <SccAuxPath>SAK</SccAuxPath> <SccProvider>SAK</SccProvider> </PropertyGroup> <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU' "> <DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols> <DebugType>full</DebugType> <Optimize>false</Optimize> <OutputPath>bin\Debug\</OutputPath> <DefineConstants>DEBUG;TRACE</DefineConstants> <ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport> <WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel> <CodeAnalysisRuleSet>MinimumRecommendedRules.ruleset</CodeAnalysisRuleSet> <RunCodeAnalysis>true</RunCodeAnalysis> </PropertyGroup> <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|AnyCPU' "> <DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType> <Optimize>true</Optimize> <OutputPath>bin\Release\</OutputPath> <DefineConstants>TRACE</DefineConstants> <ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport> <WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel> <CodeAnalysisRuleSet>MinimumRecommendedRules.ruleset</CodeAnalysisRuleSet> <RunCodeAnalysis>true</RunCodeAnalysis> </PropertyGroup> <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'DEV|AnyCPU'"> <DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols> <OutputPath>bin\DEV\</OutputPath> <DefineConstants>DEBUG;TRACE</DefineConstants> <DebugType>full</DebugType> <PlatformTarget>AnyCPU</PlatformTarget> <ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport> </PropertyGroup> <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'SIT|AnyCPU'"> <DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols> <OutputPath>bin\SIT\</OutputPath> <DefineConstants>DEBUG;TRACE</DefineConstants> <DebugType>full</DebugType> <PlatformTarget>AnyCPU</PlatformTarget> <ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport> </PropertyGroup> <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'QA|AnyCPU'"> <OutputPath>bin\QA\</OutputPath> <DefineConstants>TRACE</DefineConstants> <Optimize>true</Optimize> <DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType> <PlatformTarget>AnyCPU</PlatformTarget> <ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport> </PropertyGroup> <ItemGroup> <Reference Include="StorageSystem"> <HintPath>..\..\..\GlobalDependencies\StorageSystem\beta\StorageSystem.dll</HintPath> </Reference> <Reference Include="System" /> <Reference Include="System.Configuration" /> <Reference Include="System.Core" /> <Reference Include="System.Web" /> <Reference Include="System.Xml.Linq" /> <Reference Include="System.Data.DataSetExtensions" /> <Reference Include="Microsoft.CSharp" /> <Reference Include="System.Data" /> <Reference Include="System.Xml" /> </ItemGroup> <ItemGroup> <Compile Include="Common\IEnumerableExtensions.cs" /> <Compile Include="Common\XmlLoaderBase.cs" /> <Compile Include="Configuration\SchemasConfigurationElement.cs" /> <Compile Include="Configuration\SettingsConfigurationElement.cs" /> <Compile Include="Configuration\TConfigurationElementCollection.cs" /> <Compile Include="Configuration\XmlLoadingConfigurationSection.cs" /> <Compile Include="Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs" /> <Compile Include="Validation\XValidationResult.cs" /> <Compile Include="Validation\XValidator.cs" /> </ItemGroup> <Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" /> <!-- To modify your build process, add your task inside one of the targets below and uncomment it. Other similar extension points exist, see Microsoft.Common.targets. <Target Name="BeforeBuild"> </Target> <Target Name="AfterBuild"> </Target> --></Project>\[/code\]My suspicion is that it has something to do with the whitespace in the attribute value, but I can't be sure.... Anyone else face something similar?