c# class library use files - c#

I'm building a class library which use a .dat file, inside the library i made a folder App_Data and put the .dat file inside it, how can i have my library to use the .dat file. How could it be included at the dll when build?
I already tried Path.GetFullPath, and almost anything in Path, but all i get is the path to debug folder, and in that folder i dont even have the .dat file which i expect to be included because the .dat file is in the project.
I just want to use that .dat file without hard coding its path, and it should still work when referenced.

You must right-click the .dat file and set Copy to Output Directory = Copy Always. Doing so, the path to the debug folder will correctly point to the file. No need to hard code the path.
If you're interested in embedding the .dat file in the DLL (a bit more work), you can go this way:
Can I embed other files in a DLL?

Related

How should i do to reference one file in my project, so when i publish the application, the file is generated in a specific folder?

the problem that i have with my application is about how to reference some files, when i load and image, etc, i use Path.GetFullPath(Path.Combine(AppContext.BaseDirectory, "..\\..\\..\\")); and this works fine for debugging and for some files, but doesn't work for some essential files, credentials.txt, config.ini, this files are searched in appdata when i run the published file and i don't know how i should reference them.
I try to generate some initial files so i am sure where they are and that they exists, but for folders that works great with
System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(
System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location);
with that i can make the folders where the app is run but you can't generate a file without load the content of the original file, and i don't know how to reference them.
Example:
Project.
Root of the project.
utils/key/credentials.txt
When the published file is executed i want to generate and store credentials.txt like this:
Executable (app.exe stored for example in "my documents")
"my documents"/utils/key/credentials.txt
how i do that? when i run the published application you just have the .exe, the dlls, and the resources are embebbed, so the uri doesn't works.
Assuming you have sufficient permissions, you could create a folder in the output folder of your compiled .exe at runtime using the Directory.CreateDirectory method.
If the utils/key/credentials.txt file is part of your deployment, you should set its Build Action to Content and the Copy to Output Directory property to Copy if newer in Visual Studio. This will add the utils and key folders to the output directory of the .exe, which is typically c:<project-folder\bin\Debug or \Release when you build from Visual Studio.
You can get the absolute path of the output directory like this:
string path = System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(
System.Diagnostics.Process.GetCurrentProcess().MainModule.FileName);
Depending on your requirements, you may then append the relative path of the file within your app to the absolute path.

How to modify and export files included in project?

For example, lets say I have a text file with one line of code named Template.txt included in the project folder.
Since the text file is included with the project, is there another way to specify this file or would I still have to specify the full file path?
If it's included in the project and if you select the option copy always from the property Copy to Output Directory (Right click on the file and select properties in VS), you will have the file available in the bin/ folder after compilation. So, you would not need the entire path. Just the name of the file.
If i understand your question,
you can put the file on the same folder where the exe file is and specify only the name of the file [Template.txt].

How can I get the name and location of a sound file resource in C#?

I have a sound.wav file on my resources folder in my C# project. I found that I can use the file using:
Properties.Resources.soundImage
But the code above gives me a stream. What I need is the name and if it is possible, the path to the file. Is there any way to get them?
Since we see that it is part of Properties.Resources, we can tell that it is actually a compiled resource. This means it is embedded in the .NET assembly (.exe or .dll).
While it starts out as a file in your project, the compiler actually plops it into your output file. So when your application is running, there is no filename for you to get.

C# console app: reference file without ..\..\filename

I need to read data from a file in a c# console application.
What works: new StreamReader(#"..\\..\myData.csv");
Problem:
the ..\\..\ work because my exe file is in the bin/Debug directory
When I deploy my project the path doesn't work any longer
Question:
How can I reference myData.csv regardless of the location of the exe file?
I had hoped to find a method that returns the 'root' of my console application
So far I tried the following:
Process.GetCurrentProcess().MainModule.FileName
Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetEntryAssembly().Location
Path.GetFullPath("bp.csv")
AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory
Directory.GetCurrentDirectory()
All of these expressions lead me to the directory of the exe file not the root.
I just started to read about isolated storage but it would be nice to have something simpler. Any suggestions / recommendations?
The simplest option is probably to add your CSV file to the solution and right-click it in VS and set the build action to "Copy if newer", which will output it together with the .exe (to the Debug or Release folder) when you build.
In the code, you can get the current location of the executing assembly like this:
string folder = Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location);
And then you can combine the path with the CSV file name:
string filePath = Path.Combine(folder, "myData.csv");
Where your myData.csv will be stored ? You should have an absolute location of this file.
there are couple of options
You can place this file at the same directory where your exe is placed so you will only need to do
new StreamReader("myData.csv");
you can define file location in the App.Conig file and read that location.
you can set a path variable an read the PATH variable.
You should change your code to
new StreamReader("myData.csv");
This will ensure that the data is always read from the same folder the .exe is run from.
After that, you can create a post build step to copy the file to the deployment folder (or a subfolder) so that even in your debug environment the file will be in the correct place. The property "Copy to Output Folder" on the data file will do this as well if you just need the file to be in the output path for a project.
If you need more control, n the post build steps you can use macros like $(ProjectPath) to reference where the project files are located and $(TargetDir) to reference where the output directory will be.

pack xml files inside dll,c#

I have a .NET C# 2.0 Project and it refers to many .xml files, i'd need these files when i port my project to another location or distribute it. I'm currently not interested in making it as a setup.exe file. I want to to be standalone. currently i've got all of them in a folder "FILES" within my project. So what i want to know is
Can i pack all these XML files inside a dll, so that it's secure and portable? If so how to do it?
When i build the program the FILES folder is not copied. How can i make it copy it as well?
You can mark the xml files as resources, and they will be packaged inside the assembly. Just set the "build action" to "embedded resource". Alternatively, use a resource file (resx), and drag the xml files onto the resx designer, and it'll do everything for you (including providing access methods to get the data back out).

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