How to add reference from %programfiles(x86)%?

Question

This might be a silly question but I have to add reference to %programfiles(x86)% folder (on a 64 bit machine) OR to %programfiles% folder (on a 32 bit machine). I also have to set CopyLocal to false so that the DLLs are not copied to bin/debug folder of my project but always point to the same %programfiles% location.

How do I add reference to %programfiles(x86)%in Visual Studio 2010?

score 12 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 13 '11 at 19:19

The solution is to edit the .csproj manually by opening it in a text editor and changing the HintPath of the DLL that you are referencing. Since I always need to refer location of 32-bit Program Files, I use $(ProgramFiles) in HintPath which resolves to %programfiles% or %programfiles(x86)% automatically.

score 8 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:17

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An alternative to "$(ProgramFiles)" is "$(MSBuildProgramFiles32)", which may be slightly more future-proof. See here: Use 32bit "Program Files" directory in msbuild

edited May 23 '17 at 12:17

Community

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answered Feb 08 '14 at 15:35

RenniePet

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This worked for me when $(ProgramFiles) didn't. – Stu Wilson Dec 08 '21 at 14:25

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 11 '11 at 09:16

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Adding reference to dll in program files looks a bit weird to me. Is this your company's dll or some 3rd party? If it's yours maybe you should reconsider putting it in GAC.

answered Aug 11 '11 at 09:16

Piotr Perak

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@Perl Its a third party dll which gets installed in `%programfiles(x86)%\SomeFolder`. I need to refer them from there and not create additional copies of their DLLs in our installer. – Mayank Aug 11 '11 at 10:10

How to add reference from %programfiles(x86)%?

3 Answers3