Question

I have a text file in Program Files. I cannot write it from a C# application while running in non-admin mode.

I am using this snippet

TextReader read = new StreamReader("C:\Program Files\......\link");

It is throwing an error that the access to the file is denied, however I can read it!

Thanks

Answer 1

Access to a file can be different for reading and writing. As a non-admin, it’s normal to be able to read files in Program Files, but not be able to write them.

If the file is a setting for the current user, you should put it in a folder under the AppData folder. You can find the AppData folder’s location by calling Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.ApplicationData))

If the file is a setting for all users on the computer, use Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.CommonApplicationData))

See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.environment.specialfolder.aspx for a list of other possible special folder locations.