Help properly setting up a System.Diagnostics.Process

[mrgr8avill]

Hi, and thanks for taking the time to read this.

I'm faced with a problem I haven't run into before, and I can't seem to solve it on my own. I have to use my forms app (Program A - NET 3.5SP1) to open and manage another forms app (Program B, not mine).

What I've done already works fine and dandy EXCEPT Program B reads some of its configuration settings from a text file in its install directory on startup. I've been modifying that text file prior to starting the process, but the changes haven't been read by the program.

Finally, I figured out that Program B reads the text file fine if I start it manually, and if I put Program A into Program B's install directory and run it from there, it works fine as well. That has me thinking that System.Diagnostic.Process passes its own application/other environmental variables along to Program B.

Since I can't acutally install Program A in PRogram B's directory, I'm hoping there's some way to get Program B to recognize its own install directory and be able to read the modified text file I put in it. MSDN seems to be telling me that System.Diagnostics.PorcessStartInfo.EnvironmentalVariables is read only.

Any ideas how I can get Program B to think it's in the right place?

I really appreciate any information or assistance you can provide. Please keep in mind I have almost zero experience with environmental variable formatting, etc. If you include 1 example for 1 environmental variable (maybe I only need to modify one I don't know) I'd REALLY appreciate it!!

Thanks again!!!!

[Arjay]

Most likely, Process A is inadvertantly setting the CurrentDirectory of Process B.

The reason is that when you specify only a file name (versus the full path of the file), the system uses a particular algorithm for locating the file. If you don't specify the full path, it creates it for you by using the CurrentDirectory, and then tries other paths like System32 and so on. Read more about this in CreateProcess api in msdn for the exact search method.

To solve this problem is easy. Don't rely on CurrentDirectory which can change at any time and instead retrieve the path to the app and then form the full path to the file you wish to access (providing its located relative to your app).

See my response in the following thread and also the code to GetAppFolder( ) method.

http://www.codeguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=509393