Question

I want to reuse some code logic from a self-hosted web application in my Windows Azure web application. Currently I have code like this:

void myFunction( params )
{
   //environment-neutral code
}

I need to rewrite that code to make the program act differently depending on whether is is on Azure:

void myFunctionModified( params )
{
    if( onAzure() ) {
       //run Azure-specific code
    } else {
       //run non-Azure code
    }
}

yes, I know about virtual functions, but I’ll need such code for at least instantiating the right object before I can call those virtual functions.

The problem is to implement onAzure() I need to use stuff from an assembly that is only present on Windows Azure (like RoleEnvironment for example). So I don’t see how I can implement onAzure() so that it doesn’t crash when run outside Windows Azure environment.

How do I make my application act differently depending on what assemblies are present on the system?

Answer 1

If you can’t use conditional compilation symbols as other answers have suggested then…

Could you try and get a type using reflection that only exists on Azure?
If it can’t find the type then you’re not on Azure.

Or, if you want to go down the assemblies route, then you could check AppDomain.CurrentDomain.GetAssemblies() for your Azure assembly.