ProcessStartInfo.FileName Property

Definition

Namespace:

System.Diagnostics

Assembly:

System.Diagnostics.Process.dll

Source:

ProcessStartInfo.cs

Gets or sets the application or document to start.

public:
 property System::String ^ FileName { System::String ^ get(); void set(System::String ^ value); };

public string FileName { get; set; }

member this.FileName : string with get, set

Public Property FileName As String

Property Value

String

The name of the application to start, or the name of a document of a file type that is associated with an application and that has a default open action available to it. The default is an empty string ("").

Examples

#using <System.dll>
using namespace System;
using namespace System::Diagnostics;
using namespace System::ComponentModel;

int main()
{
    Process^ myProcess = gcnew Process;

    try
    {
        myProcess->StartInfo->UseShellExecute = false;
        // You can start any process, HelloWorld is a do-nothing example.
        myProcess->StartInfo->FileName = "C:\\HelloWorld.exe";
        myProcess->StartInfo->CreateNoWindow = true;
        myProcess->Start();
        // This code assumes the process you are starting will terminate itself. 
        // Given that it is started without a window so you cannot terminate it 
        // on the desktop, it must terminate itself or you can do it programmatically
        // from this application using the Kill method.
    }
    catch ( Exception^ e ) 
    {
        Console::WriteLine( e->Message );
    }
}

using System;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.ComponentModel;

namespace MyProcessSample
{
    class MyProcess
    {
        public static void Main()
        {
            try
            {
                using (Process myProcess = new Process())
                {
                    myProcess.StartInfo.UseShellExecute = false;
                    // You can start any process, HelloWorld is a do-nothing example.
                    myProcess.StartInfo.FileName = "C:\\HelloWorld.exe";
                    myProcess.StartInfo.CreateNoWindow = true;
                    myProcess.Start();
                    // This code assumes the process you are starting will terminate itself.
                    // Given that it is started without a window so you cannot terminate it
                    // on the desktop, it must terminate itself or you can do it programmatically
                    // from this application using the Kill method.
                }
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(e.Message);
            }
        }
    }
}

Imports System.Diagnostics
Imports System.ComponentModel

Namespace MyProcessSample
    Class MyProcess
        Public Shared Sub Main()
            Try
                Using myProcess As New Process()

                    myProcess.StartInfo.UseShellExecute = False
                    ' You can start any process, HelloWorld is a do-nothing example.
                    myProcess.StartInfo.FileName = "C:\\HelloWorld.exe"
                    myProcess.StartInfo.CreateNoWindow = True
                    myProcess.Start()
                    ' This code assumes the process you are starting will terminate itself. 
                    ' Given that it is started without a window so you cannot terminate it 
                    ' on the desktop, it must terminate itself or you can do it programmatically
                    ' from this application using the Kill method.
                End Using
            Catch e As Exception
                Console.WriteLine((e.Message))
            End Try
        End Sub
    End Class
End Namespace

Remarks

You must set at least the FileName property before you start the process. The file name is any application or document. A document is defined to be any file type that has an open or default action associated with it. You can view registered file types and their associated applications for your computer by using the Folder Options dialog box, which is available through the operating system. The Advanced button leads to a dialog box that shows whether there is an open action associated with a specific registered file type.

The set of file types available to you depends in part on the value of the UseShellExecute property. If UseShellExecute is true, you can start any document and perform operations on the file, such as printing, with the Process component. When UseShellExecute is false, you can start only executables with the Process component.

You can start a ClickOnce application by setting the FileName property to the location (for example, a Web address) from which you originally installed the application. Do not start a ClickOnce application by specifying its installed location on your hard disk.

Important

Using an instance of this object with untrusted data is a security risk. Use this object only with trusted data. For more information, see Validate All Inputs.