is there any way to make System.IO.Directory.GetFiles(string) look in the program's directory?

Question

I'm trying to use string[] files = System.IO.Directory.GetFiles("~/Pictures/"); to search a folder in the program for picture files. This will later be used to randomly select a picture to display in an image box.I get an error when it tries to find ~/Pictures because the method is looking in 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\DevServer\10.0\~\Pictures\'. instead. Isn't the "~" going to make it look in the programs directory? How do I make it look in the programs directory if I don't know what it will be until the program is installed? Any help will be appreciated!!

is this what you're looking for? http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6719293/defining-a-working-directory-for-executing-a-program-c — kenny, Nov 13 '12 at 17:46
yes, but you must have slipped in there I added it 10 second or less later — kenny, Nov 13 '12 at 17:48

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 13 '12 at 17:59

The tilde path is an asp.net construct that represents the root of the currently running asp.net application. It has no meaning outside of the asp.net context -- Directory.GetFiles doesn't know how to work with it. GetFiles does know how to work with a regular filesystem path. So the question becomes: How do we translate the asp.net relative path to one GetFiles can work with. The answer is HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath.

I'm not near my webserver right now, but something like

var serverPath = HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath("~/Pictures/");
var files = Directory.GetFiles(serverPath);

should get you started.

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 13 '12 at 17:47

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I don't think you'll find the "~" has any significance.

Try Application.StartupPath

answered Nov 13 '12 at 17:47

Black Light

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+1. StartupPath and `Path.Combine` to construct path. (`"~" is "folder for root of the site" in the ASP.Net world...) – Alexei Levenkov Nov 13 '12 at 17:52

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 13 '12 at 17:47

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Supplying a relative directory, like "Pictures", instead of "~/Pictures/", should do the trick.

answered Nov 13 '12 at 17:47

Steven Lemmens

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still same problem, its looking in C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\DevServer\10.0 – Craig Smith Nov 13 '12 at 17:48

Ken White · Answer 4 · 2012-11-13T17:58:05.937

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Just use System.IO.Directory.GetFiles('Pictures'). The path separator on Windows is \, not /, and directories below the current one are just referenced as relative path locations.

edited Nov 13 '12 at 17:58

answered Nov 13 '12 at 17:48

Ken White

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if you use \ in a string it is seen as an escape sequence – Craig Smith Nov 13 '12 at 17:52
@Craig: Then you escape it (`\\`). – Ken White Nov 13 '12 at 17:58
ok, / works for this line Image1.ImageUrl = "~/Pictures/" imageNumber + ".jpg"; – Craig Smith Nov 13 '12 at 17:59

is there any way to make System.IO.Directory.GetFiles(string) look in the program's directory?

4 Answers4