Get executing assembly name from referenced DLL in C#

Question

What is the best way to get the application name (i.e MyApplication.exe) of the executing assembly from a referenced class library in C#?

I need to open the applicat

Answer 1

You can get the assembly through the class type...

typeof(MyClass).Assembly

Answer 2

For the short name of an assembly from a class instance:

Me.GetType ().Assembly.GetName().Name

Answer 3

To get the answer to the question title:

// Full-name, e.g. MyApplication, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
string exeAssembly = Assembly.GetEntryAssembly().FullName;

// or just the "assembly name" part (e.g. "MyApplication")
string exeAssemblyName = Assembly.GetEntryAssembly().GetName().Name;

As mentioned by @Ben, since you mention wanting to get the configuration information, use the ConfigurationManager class.

Answer 4

To get the exact name without versions, etc. use:

string appName = Assembly.GetEntryAssembly().GetName().Name;

Works with .NET v1.1 and later.

Answer 5

You should never couple your libraries to a consumer (in this case Web, WinForm or WCF app). If your library needs configuration settings, then GIVE it to the library.

Don't code the library to pull that data from a consumer's config file. Provide overloaded constructors for this (that's what they are for).

If you've ever looked at the ConfigurationManager.AppSettings object, it is simply a NameValueCollection. So create a constructor in your library to accept a NameValueCollection and have your consumer GIVE that data to the library.

//Library
public class MyComponent
{
  //Constructor
  public MyComponent(NameValueCollection settings)
  {
     //do something with your settings now, like assign to a local collection
  }
}

//Consumer
class Program
{
  static void Main(string[] args)
  {
    MyComponent component = new MyComponent(ConfigurationManager.AppSettings);
  }
}

Answer 6

If you want to get the current appdomain's config file, then all you need to do is:

ConfigurationManager.AppSettings....

(this requires a reference to System.Configuration of course).

To answer your question, you can do it as Ray said (or use Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().FullName) but I think the problem is easier solved using ConfigurationManager.