Why Does `GetTempPath()` Sometimes Return the System's, and Sometimes the User's, Temporary Folder?

How to Differentiate Between System and User Temporary Folders?

When retrieving the temporary folder path for the current user using System.IO.Path.GetTempPath(), discrepancies may arise across different machines. Some may yield the user's specific path, while others may return the system's temporary folder location. This is due to the underlying native function, GetTempPath, which searches for environment variables in a specific order.

Understanding the Environment Variables

GetTempPath prioritizes the following environment variables:

• TMP
• TEMP
• USERPROFILE
• Windows directory

It selects the first path found. If the values of TMP, TEMP, or USERPROFILE point to the Windows path or are unset, GetTempPath reverts to the Windows temporary directory.

Possible Scenarios

1. User-Specific Temporary Folder:
   If TMP, TEMP, or USERPROFILE variables are set to paths other than the Windows directory, the function will return the user's specific temporary folder path.
2. System Temporary Folder:
   If the aforementioned environment variables are unset or point to the Windows directory, the function will return the system's temporary folder path.

The above is the detailed content of Why Does `GetTempPath()` Sometimes Return the System's, and Sometimes the User's, Temporary Folder?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!