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I'm developing a UWP app and I want the user to be able to open a PDF stored in my app in Reader or a browser on the user's desktop.
I first used the following code-behind from an app bar button click:
string filename1 = "ModelHouseAppStencils.pdf";
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(filename1);
I got the following exception:
System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception: 'The system cannot find the file specified'
Then I used the code:
StorageFile file1 = await StorageFile.GetFileFromApplicationUriAsync(new Uri("ms-appx:///Assets/ModelHouseAppStencils.pdf"));
I then got the following exception:
Exception thrown: 'System.IO.FileNotFoundException' in System.Private.CoreLib.dll
What do I do to solve this? Thanks.
A Microsoft platform for building and publishing apps for Windows devices.
Answer accepted by question author
The full path of my PDF file isn't exactly where you specified it should be. It's in this full path:
<yourproject><yourproject>\bin\<architecture>\Debug\AppX\Assets\
How do I get rid of the top folder in this path or redirect my project to look for the PDF file in the current full path?
GenerationContinuum5900
Is now working. Installing the Application Model package really did it. Thanks!!
At first check the properties of ModelHouseAppStencils.pdf: set "Copy to Output Directory" to "Copy if newer" or "Copy always" or set "Build Action" to "Content"
Then
StorageFile file = await Package.Current.InstalledLocation.GetFileAsync(System.IO.Path.Combine("Assets", "ModelHouseAppStencils.pdf"));
await Windows.System.Launcher.LaunchFileAsync(file);
Thanks. I'll try that. I failed to mention that I'm using a view model in my app. I set the data context on the xaml main page to an instance of the view model class. That may be why I'm getting a file not found message because I was using code-behind to open the PDF. I think I'll put this code in the view model and see if it works then.
Page code-behind or view model code should be the same, it seems to me that the pdf is not copied as content of you app.
Take a look at the properties of your pdf file in visual studio: select the file and press F4, you should see a property view similar to this:
Look at the "Build Action" and "Copy to Output Directory" properties and compare the values with the ones in my first comment:
set "Copy to Output Directory" to "Copy if newer" or "Copy always"
or
set "Build Action" to "Content"
To see if pdf file is correctly copied go in "<yourproject>\bin\<architecture>\Debug\AppX\Assets\" and check.
I checked my PDF file and both settings you mentioned had to be changed. I'll try to run it now. Thanks.