Binaryworld - GetApplicationPath - Retrieving the path of a Windows application ... [ VB.net -> Windows ]

' Get the path of a Windows application or an empty string if the application
' isn't registered
'
' This routine only works for those applications that register themselves under
' the registry key
' HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths
'
' You can use it to retrieve the path of all MSOffice apps, MS Access,
' SQl Server, Windows Dialer,
' and more, for example Run Excel in a maximized window:
'  Process.Start(GetApplicationPath("EXCEL.EXE"))

Function GetApplicationPath(ByVal exeName As String) As String
  Dim key As Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey
  Try
    key = Microsoft.Win32.Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey( _
      "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\" & exeName)
    Return key.GetValue("")
  Catch e As Exception
  Finally
    If Not key Is Nothing Then key.Close()
  End Try
End Function