Question

I have a C# project file (.csproj) containing references to $(ProgramFiles). I am using 64bit Windows 7. When I compile this project file within Visual Studio 2010, it locates the file correctly in c:\Program Files (X86).

If I try to be clever and instead use Microsoft.Build.Evaluation.ProjectCollection.LoadProject([project file]), in an attempt to build it in code, it evaluates $(ProgramFiles) incorrectly as c:\Program Files.

Any idea what the cause of the problem could be?

Answer 1

Visual Studio 2010 is a 32-bit process, and WOW will give c:\Program Files (X86) for 32-bit processes.

My assumption here:

If I try to be clever and instead use Microsoft.Build.Evaluation.ProjectCollection.LoadProject([project file]), in an attempt to build it in code

Is that when you are doing it “in code”, your code is executing a x64, so you get the normal environment value.

You can use the ProgramFiles(x86) environment variable from x64 if you need the path to the x86 program files directory. In MSBuild, that’s $(MSBuildProgramFiles32).