Question

Usually when I build an application in C# which can digest command line parameters, if these parameters are file paths strings, I could choose to use relative paths as well as absolute paths to refer to a specific file on my computer and use it in the program.

In my last project, my application does not work if I give it a relative path from the command prompt. But in debug mode in VS 2010, it digests relative paths. From the command prompt it requires an absolute path to work.

Answer 1

You need to set the working directory. See: Directory.SetCurrentDirectory Method

Example:

System.IO.Directory.SetCurrentDirectory( System.AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory );

In a debug build the Current Directory is set to debug\bin by default.

Specifies the working directory of the program being debugged. In Visual C#, the working directory is the directory the application is launched from \bin\debug by default.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/2kf0yb05.aspx

You can also retrieve the assembly’s path using Assembly.GetEntryAssembly() or Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly() and then using either the Location property or the CodeBase property.