Microsoft KB Archive/94999

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INFO: FormatMessage Converts GetLastError Codes

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Q94999

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Win32 Application Programming Interface (API), included with:
 * Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.1, 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
 * Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.1, 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
 * Microsoft Windows 95

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SUMMARY
The FormatMessage application programming interface (API) allows you to convert error codes returned by GetLastError into error strings using FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM in the dwFlags parameter.

MORE INFORMATION
The following code fragment demonstrates how to get the system message string:

LPVOID lpMessageBuffer;

FormatMessage( FORMAT_MESSAGE_ALLOCATE_BUFFER |  FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM,  NULL,  GetLastError,  MAKELANGID(LANG_NEUTRAL, SUBLANG_DEFAULT), //The user default language  (LPTSTR) &lpMessageBuffer,  0,  NULL );

//... now display this string

// Free the buffer allocated by the system

LocalFree( lpMessageBuffer );