AppSettings Clear Xml element in app.config

Question

What is the purpose of the XML element <Clear \>in the tag <AppSettings>in the application configuration file?

I see that it deletes previously added settings (see code below), but why do you want to do this?

<appSettings>
  <add key="LogInformation" value="False"/>
  <add key="LogAPIMessages" value="False"/>
  <add key="LogErrors" value="True"/>
  <clear/> <!--This line removes previously added keys.-->
</appSettings>

I also understand that when manipulating application settings in code, you can clear existing keys, but why an XML element <clear\>?

In addition, out of habit, I put an element <clear\>in front of any elements <add>. Do I need to do this if I do not?

Answer 1

, - -. , . "clear" , .

Answer 2

, . , . , , . machine.config.

<appSettings> , , , <connectionStrings>.