Find directory of .exe (it is not always the current directory)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Zytan
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Z

Zytan

If a program is run from a batch file, the current directory for the
program will be that of the batch file, not of the .exe. How can I
find the directory of the .exe? My program's files are in the same
directory as the .exe, and it assumes that it can find them by using
the current directory, which is not always the case.

thanks,
Zytan
 
Thanks, Sam.

Application.StartupPath = Gets the path for the executable file that
started the application, not including the executable name.

AppDomain.BaseDirectory = Gets the base directory that the assembly
resolver used to probe for assemblies.

It sounds like Application.StartupPath is more proper for what I want
(to know which directory the .exe resides in).

Zytan
 
You mentioned a console app, and Application is in the windows forms
dll. I wouldn't want to import a dll just to get the startup path.

While the descriptions differ, I'm not aware of what situations would
cause the values to be different.

Another possibility is Assembly.CodeBase but that needs some string
manipulation to get a proper directory path (it returns a file url).

Sam
 
It sounds like Application.StartupPath is more proper for what I want

Just for information. The Application.StartupPath works fine for EXE.
But if your program is add-in, control or class library (which are DLLs
often located in different directory than main EXE program), you would
get EXE's path instead of your application path. The more general
approach which works with EXE and DLL is:

IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly.Location)
 
Zytan said:
If a program is run from a batch file, the current directory for the
program will be that of the batch file, not of the .exe. How can I
find the directory of the .exe? My program's files are in the same
directory as the .exe, and it assumes that it can find them by using
the current directory, which is not always the case.
Click to expand...

Path.GetDirectoryName(Environment.GetCommandLineArgs()[0])

Arne
 
You mentioned a console app, and Application is in the windows forms
dll. I wouldn't want to import a dll just to get the startup path.
Click to expand...

Actually, I didn't say it was a console app, it is a Windows
application, it is being run from a batch file, which I guess is the
console, but the application being launched can be anything. If it
were a console, your suggestion is better, I agree.
While the descriptions differ, I'm not aware of what situations would
cause the values to be different.
Click to expand...

Me, neither.
Another possibility is Assembly.CodeBase but that needs some string
manipulation to get a proper directory path (it returns a file url).
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks.

Zytan
 
Just for information. The Application.StartupPath works fine for EXE.
But if your program is add-in, control or class library (which are DLLs
often located in different directory than main EXE program), you would
get EXE's path instead of your application path.
Click to expand...

Ok, and the EXE's path is what I want.

But, I follow you, if it were a DLL, and I wanted to know the
directory of the DLL, and not the EXE, I would use your method:

IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly.Location)

Thanks, Peter.

Zytan
 
Zytan said:
Actually, I didn't say it was a console app, it is a Windows
application, it is being run from a batch file, which I guess is the
console, but the application being launched can be anything. If it
were a console, your suggestion is better, I agree.
Click to expand...

If it is a console app then I absolutely think:

Path.GetDirectoryName(Environment.GetCommandLineArgs()[0])

is best (it inly uses System and System.IO namespaces).

Arne
 
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