How do I get the directory from a file's full path?

Question

What is the simplest way to get the directory that a file is in? I'm using this to set a working directory.

string filename = @"C:\MyDirectory\MyFile.bat";

In this example, I should get "C:\MyDirectory".

Screech

Shouldn't that be a string literal? @"C:\MyDirectory\MyFile.bat" – Mcquiston

Does somebody want to protect this question who has the rights to do so ? 11 similar answers with the last from 2017.. – Signalize

Answer 1

If you definitely have an absolute path, use Path.GetDirectoryName(path).

If you might only have a relative name, use new FileInfo(path).Directory.FullName.

Note that Path and FileInfo are both found in the namespace System.IO.

Focal

Indeed, but is there a method called GetDirectory? Isn't it GetDirectoryName? – Sinter

You can just use DirectoryName instead of Directory.FullPath can you not? – Whiten

I was proofing against receiving a relative name. I hadn't spotted that the path will be absolute. I've now got both versions :) – Focal

Is there a single solution which works no matter the type of path we have? That is, be it either a relative or an absolute path. – Pharyngo

@UlyssesAlves: I believe new FileInfo(path).Directory.FullName should work in either case. – Focal

Answer 2

System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(filename)

Margarettamargarette

Answer 3

Path.GetDirectoryName(filename);

Dorri

Answer 4

You can use System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(fileName), or turn the path into a FileInfo using FileInfo.Directory.

If you're doing other things with the path, the FileInfo class may have advantages.

Saltish

Answer 5

You can use Path.GetDirectoryName and just pass in the filename.

MSDN Link

Sinter

Answer 6

If you are working with a FileInfo object, then there is an easy way to extract a string representation of the directory's full path via the DirectoryName property.

Description of the FileInfo.DirectoryName Property via MSDN:

Gets a string representing the directory's full path.

Sample usage:

string filename = @"C:\MyDirectory\MyFile.bat";
FileInfo fileInfo = new FileInfo(filename);
string directoryFullPath = fileInfo.DirectoryName; // contains "C:\MyDirectory"

Link to the MSDN documentation.

Judaism

Answer 7

You can get the current Application Path using:

string AssemblyPath = Path.GetDirectoryName(System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location).ToString();

Organo

Answer 8

First, you have to use System.IO namespace. Then;

string filename = @"C:\MyDirectory\MyFile.bat";
string newPath = Path.GetFullPath(fileName);

or

string newPath = Path.GetFullPath(openFileDialog1.FileName));

Skipton

Answer 9

You can use Path.GetFullPath for most of the case. But if you want to get the path also in the case of the file name is relatively located then you can use the below generic method:

string GetPath(string filePath)
{
  return Path.GetDirectoryName(Path.GetFullPath(filePath))
}

For example:

GetPath("C:\Temp\Filename.txt") return "C:\Temp\"

GetPath("Filename.txt") return current working directory like "C:\Temp\"

Julesjuley

Answer 10

In my case, I needed to find the directory name of a full path (of a directory) so I simply did:

var dirName = path.Split('\\').Last();

Dubrovnik

The OP needs "C:\MyDirectory" and not MyDirectory. The advice to use string manipulation methods is risky, there are many traps, rather use dedicated Path methods. – Stotinka