The first element in the array contains the file name of the executing program. If the file name is not available, the first element is equal to String..::.Empty. The remaining elements contain any additional tokens entered on the command line.

The program file name can, but is not required to, include path information.

Command line arguments are delimited by spaces. You can use double quotation marks (") to include spaces within an argument. The single quotation mark ('), however, does not provide this functionality.

If a double quotation mark follows two or an even number of backslashes, each proceeding backslash pair is replaced with one backslash and the double quotation mark is removed. If a double quotation mark follows an odd number of backslashes, including just one, each preceding pair is replaced with one backslash and the remaining backslash is removed; however, in this case the double quotation mark is not removed.

The following table shows how command line arguments can be delimited, and assumes MyApp as the current executing application.

To obtain the command line as a single string, use the CommandLine property.

Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 Platform Note: The name of the executable file does not include the path.

Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition Platform Note: The name of the executable file includes the path. Long file names (non-8dot3 names) can be shortened to their 8dot3 representation.

The following example shows displays the application's command line arguments.

' Sample for the Environment.GetCommandLineArgs method
Imports System

Class Sample
   Public Shared Sub Main()
      Console.WriteLine()
      '  Invoke this sample with an arbitrary set of command line arguments.
      Dim arguments As [String]() = Environment.GetCommandLineArgs()
      Console.WriteLine("GetCommandLineArgs: {0}", [String].Join(", ", arguments))
   End Sub 'Main
End Class 'Sample
'
'This example produces the following results:
'
'C:\>GetCommandLineArgs ARBITRARY TEXT
'
'GetCommandLineArgs: GetCommandLineArgs, ARBITRARY, TEXT
'

// Sample for the Environment.GetCommandLineArgs method
using System;

class Sample 
{
    public static void Main() 
    {
    Console.WriteLine();
//  Invoke this sample with an arbitrary set of command line arguments.
    String[] arguments = Environment.GetCommandLineArgs();
    Console.WriteLine("GetCommandLineArgs: {0}", String.Join(", ", arguments));
    }
}
/*
This example produces the following results:

C:\>GetCommandLineArgs ARBITRARY TEXT

GetCommandLineArgs: GetCommandLineArgs, ARBITRARY, TEXT
*/

// Sample for the Environment::GetCommandLineArgs method
using namespace System;
int main()
{
   Console::WriteLine();

   //  Invoke this sample with an arbitrary set of command line arguments.
   array<String^>^arguments = Environment::GetCommandLineArgs();
   Console::WriteLine( "GetCommandLineArgs: {0}", String::Join( ", ", arguments ) );
}

/*
This example produces the following results:

C:\>GetCommandLineArgs ARBITRARY TEXT

GetCommandLineArgs: GetCommandLineArgs, ARBITRARY, TEXT
*/

.NET Framework

.NET Framework Client Profile

• EnvironmentPermission 

  for read access to the PATH environment variable. Associated enumeration: EnvironmentPermissionAccess..::.Read

Windows 7, Windows Vista SP1 or later, Windows XP SP3, Windows XP SP2 x64 Edition, Windows Server 2008 (Server Core not supported), Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core supported with SP1 or later), Windows Server 2003 SP2

Reference