title: How to add multiple HttpMessageHandler to HttpClient without HttpClientFactory
body: <p>I have a console application that uses <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.net.http.httpclient(v=vs.118).aspx)" rel="noreferrer">HttpClient</a> to make web requests.</p>
  
  <pre><code>var client = new HttpClient();
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I'm trying to add multiple <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.net.http.httpmessagehandler(v=vs.118).aspx" rel="noreferrer">HttpMessageHandler</a> to it (custom implementations of <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.net.http.delegatinghandler(v=vs.118).aspx" rel="noreferrer">DelegatingHandler</a>, really) but the <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh193664(v=vs.118).aspx" rel="noreferrer">constructor for HttpClient</a> only takes a single <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.net.http.httpmessagehandler(v=vs.118).aspx" rel="noreferrer">HttpMessageHandler</a>.</p>
  
  <pre><code>class LoggingHandler : DelegatingHandler { //... }
  class ResponseContentProcessingHandler : DelegatingHandler { //... }
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>this is ok...</p>
  
  <pre><code>var client = new HttpClient(new LoggingHandler()); // OK
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>but this doesn't compile:</p>
  
  <pre><code>var client = new HttpClient(
                  new LoggingHandler(), 
                  new ResponseContentProcessingHandler()); // Sadness
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Because I'm targeting .NET 4.0, I cannot use <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.net.http.httpclientfactory(v=vs.118).aspx" rel="noreferrer">HttpClientFactory</a>, which is how the solution to this problem is commonly explained:</p>
  
  <pre><code>HttpClient client = HttpClientFactory.Create(
                         new LoggingHandler(),
                         new ResponseContentProcessingHandler());
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Because I'm just in a console application, rather than in an ASP.NET application, I can't do this either:</p>
  
  <pre><code>GlobalConfiguration.Configuration
                     .MessageHandlers
                     .Add(new LoggingHandler()
                     .Add(new ResponseContentProcessingHandler());
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I've looked at the <a href="https://aspnetwebstack.codeplex.com/SourceControl/latest#src/System.Net.Http.Formatting/HttpClientFactory.cs" rel="noreferrer">source for HttpClientFactory</a> and there doesn't seem to be anything in there that wouldn't compile in .NET 4.0, but short of rolling my own factory ("inspired" by Microsoft's source code), is there a way to manually add many HTTP message handlers to the <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.net.http.httpclient(v=vs.118).aspx)" rel="noreferrer">HttpClient</a>?</p>