beware maxBufferSize, maxReceivedMessageSize, and maxStringCotentLength when adding service reference in VS2008

when you add a service reference in VS2008, you end up with a entry in your applications app.config file. this element contains binding elements for each service you add.

BEWARE: the default value for three critical attributes, maxBufferSize, maxReceivedMessageSize, and maxStringCotentLength, is set considerably low (64KB). we have hit this problem more than once now with deployed software, and unfortunately the only way to correct it is to adjust these values in app.config and re-distribute the software. so if you think there is even the slightest chance that your service will be returning more than 64KB in data, be sure to adjust these values after you add the service reference.