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Asked: 2026-05-10T14:38:01+00:00

I’m building an application that is targeting Windows, Mac and Linux soon. I was

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I’m building an application that is targeting Windows, Mac and Linux soon. I was wondering where should I keep application data such as settings, etc.

Application’s installation folder is the easiest choice, but I think that might be a problem with new Vista security model. Besides, users might want different settings.

Is it C:\Documents and Settings\username\MyApp good for both Vista and XP? Is it /home/username/.MyApp good for Linux and Macs?

Any ideas and/or links to best practices much appreciated.

Thanks!

Juan

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1 Answer

  1. Each platform has its own API for finding the user’s home folder, or documents folder, or preferences folder.

    • Windows: SHGetFolderPath() or SHGetKnownFolderPath()
    • Mac OS X and iPhone OS: NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains()
    • Unix: $HOME environment variable

    Don’t hardcode specific paths or just tack a prefix and suffix on the user’s name. Also, try to follow whatever conventions there are for the platform for naming the files.

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