Can anyone explain the difference between Server.MapPath(".")
, Server.MapPath("~")
, Server.MapPath(@"\")
and Server.MapPath("/")
?
Server.MapPath specifies the relative or virtual path to map to a physical directory.
Server.MapPath(".")
1 returns the current physical directory of the file (e.g. aspx) being executedServer.MapPath("..")
returns the parent directoryServer.MapPath("~")
returns the physical path to the root of the applicationServer.MapPath("/")
returns the physical path to the root of the domain name (is not necessarily the same as the root of the application)An example:
Let's say you pointed a web site application (http://www.example.com/
) to
C:\Inetpub\wwwroot
and installed your shop application (sub web as virtual directory in IIS, marked as application) in
D:\WebApps\shop
For example, if you call Server.MapPath()
in following request:
http://www.example.com/shop/products/GetProduct.aspx?id=2342
then:
Server.MapPath(".")
1 returns D:\WebApps\shop\products
Server.MapPath("..")
returns D:\WebApps\shop
Server.MapPath("~")
returns D:\WebApps\shop
Server.MapPath("/")
returns C:\Inetpub\wwwroot
Server.MapPath("/shop")
returns D:\WebApps\shop
If Path starts with either a forward slash (/
) or backward slash (\
), the MapPath()
returns a path as if Path was a full, virtual path.
If Path doesn't start with a slash, the MapPath()
returns a path relative to the directory of the request being processed.
Note: in C#, @
is the verbatim literal string operator meaning that the string should be used "as is" and not be processed for escape sequences.
Footnotes
Server.MapPath(null)
and Server.MapPath("")
will produce this effect too.