Configuring ProcessStartInfo.WorkingDirectory on a UNC Path

Question

I have a utility that I wrote on VB.net that works as scheduled tasks. It internally calls another executable file and has to access the mapped drive. Windows appears to have problems with scheduled access tasks for mapped drives when the user is not logged in, even when authentication credentials are supplied to the task itself. Good Excellent.

To get around this, I just passed my application the UNC path.

process.StartInfo.FileName = 'name of executable'
process.StartInfo.WorkingDirectory = '\\unc path\'
process.StartInfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden
process.StartInfo.Arguments = 'arguments to executable'
process.Start()

This is the same implementation that I used with the mapped drive, but using the UNC path, the process does not behave as if the UNC path was the working directory.

Are there any known issues setting ProcessStartInfo.WorkingDirectory to a UNC path? If not, what am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

The problem with mapped drives when users are not logged in is that they do not exist. Disks are only displayed and available to the current user. If no one is registered, no discs are displayed.

CMD, PUSHD, UNC , . tree.com 32 "tree4.com", ( , , )

Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click

    Using P As New Process()
        'Launch a standard hidden command window
        P.StartInfo.FileName = "cmd.exe"
        P.StartInfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden
        P.StartInfo.CreateNoWindow = True

        'Needed to redirect standard error/output/input
        P.StartInfo.UseShellExecute = False

        P.StartInfo.RedirectStandardInput = True
        P.StartInfo.RedirectStandardOutput = True

        'Add handler for when data is received
        AddHandler P.OutputDataReceived, AddressOf SDR

        'Start the process
        P.Start()

        'Begin async data reading
        P.BeginOutputReadLine()

        '"Map" our drive
        P.StandardInput.WriteLine("pushd \\file-server\File-Server")

        'Call our command, you could pass args here if you wanted
        P.StandardInput.WriteLine("tree2.com  c:\3ea7025b247d0dfb7731a50bf2632f")

        'Once our command is done CMD.EXE will still be sitting around so manually exit
        P.StandardInput.WriteLine("exit")
        P.WaitForExit()
    End Using

    Me.Close()
End Sub
Private Sub SDR(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As DataReceivedEventArgs)
    Trace.WriteLine(e.Data)
End Sub

Answer 2

, . , , UNC [Path.GetTempDir()]\[Guid.NewGuid().ToString()], process.StartInfo.WorkingDirectory. "", IDisposable temp. - ( ):

 using (var env = new ProcessEnvironment(settings))
                {
                    filePath = Path.Combine(env.WorkingDirectory, settings.ApplicationEXE);
                    var psi = new ProcessStartInfo
                    {
                        UseShellExecute = false,
                        FileName = filePath,
                        WorkingDirectory = env.WorkingDirectory,
                        Arguments = (args != null && args.Length > 0 ? String.Join(" ", args) : null)
                    };

                    var proc = Process.Start(psi);

                    if (env.ExecutingFromTempDir || settings.WaitForExit)
                        proc.WaitForExit();
                }

ProcessEnvironment :

 class ProcessEnvironment : IDisposable
    {
        private Settings itsSettings;
        private string itsTempDestDirectory;
        public string WorkingDirectory { get; set; }
        public bool ExecutingFromTempDir { get { return !String.IsNullOrEmpty(itsTempDestDirectory); } }

        public ProcessEnvironment(Settings settings)
        {
            this.itsSettings = settings;

            WorkingDirectory = GetWorkingDirectory();
        }

        private string GetWorkingDirectory()
        {
            var dirInfo = new DirectoryInfo(itsSettings.StartupFolder);

            if (!IsUncDrive(dirInfo))
                return itsSettings.StartupFolder;

            return CreateWorkingDirectory(dirInfo);
        }

        private string CreateWorkingDirectory(DirectoryInfo dirInfo)
        {
            var srcPath = dirInfo.FullName;
            itsTempDestDirectory = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), Guid.NewGuid().ToString());
            Directory.CreateDirectory(itsTempDestDirectory);

            //Now Create all of the directories
            foreach (string dirPath in Directory.GetDirectories(srcPath, "*", SearchOption.AllDirectories))
                Directory.CreateDirectory(dirPath.Replace(srcPath, itsTempDestDirectory));

            //Copy all the files & Replaces any files with the same name
            foreach (string newPath in Directory.GetFiles(srcPath, "*.*", SearchOption.AllDirectories))
                File.Copy(newPath, newPath.Replace(srcPath, itsTempDestDirectory), true);

            return itsTempDestDirectory;
        }

        private bool IsUncDrive(DirectoryInfo dirInfo)
        {
            Uri uri = null;
            if (!Uri.TryCreate(dirInfo.FullName, UriKind.Absolute, out uri))
            {
                return false;
            }
            return uri.IsUnc;
        }



        public void Dispose()
        {
            try
            {
                if (ExecutingFromTempDir)
                    Directory.Delete(itsTempDestDirectory, true);

            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {  //do nothing - if we can't delete then we can't do it
                Console.WriteLine("Failed in Dispose: " + ex);
            }
        }
    }