The VerFindFile function determines where to install a file based on whether it locates another version of the file in the system. The values VerFindFile returns in the specified buffers are used in a subsequent call to the VerInstallFile function.
Syntax
DWORD VerFindFile(
DWORD dwFlags,
LPCTSTR szFileName,
LPCTSTR szWinDir,
LPCTSTR szAppDir,
LPCSTR szCurDir,
PUINT lpuCurDirLen,
LPTSTR szDestDir,
PUINT lpuDestDirLen
);
Parameters
- dwFlags
-
[in] This parameter can be the following value. All other bits are reserved.
VFFF_ISSHAREDFILE- The source file can be shared by multiple applications. An application can use this information to determine where the file should be copied.
- szFileName
-
[in] Pointer to the name of the file to be installed. The filename can include only the filename and extension, not a path.
- szWinDir
-
[in] Pointer to a string that specifies the directory in which Windows is running or will be run. This string is returned by the GetWindowsDirectory function.
- szAppDir
-
[in] Pointer to a string that specifies the directory where the installation program is installing a set of related files. If the installation program is installing an application, this is the directory where the application will reside. This parameter also points to the application's current directory unless otherwise specified.
- szCurDir
-
[out] Pointer to a buffer that receives the path to a current version of the file being installed. The path is a zero-terminated string. If a current version is not installed, the buffer will contain a zero-length string. The buffer should be at least _MAX_PATH characters long, although this is not required.
- lpuCurDirLen
-
[in, out] Pointer to a variable that specifies the length of the
szCurDir buffer. This pointer must not be NULL.
When the function returns,
lpuCurDirLen contains the size, in characters, of the data returned in
szCurDir, including the terminating null character. If the buffer is too small to contain all the data,
lpuCurDirLen will be the size of the buffer required to hold the path.
- szDestDir
-
[out] Pointer to a buffer that receives the path to the installation location recommended by VerFindFile. The path is a zero-terminated string. The buffer should be at least _MAX_PATH characters long, although this is not required.
- lpuDestDirLen
-
[in, out] Pointer to a variable that specifies the length of the
szDestDir buffer. This pointer must not be NULL.
When the function returns,
lpuDestDirLen contains the size, in characters, of the data returned in
szDestDir, including the terminating null character. If the buffer is too small to contain all the data,
lpuDestDirLen will be the size of the buffer needed to hold the path.
Return Value
The return value is a bitmask that indicates the status of the file. It can be one or more of the following values. All other values are reserved.
| VFF_CURNEDEST | The currently installed version of the file is not in the recommended destination. |
| VFF_FILEINUSE | The system is using the currently installed version of the file; therefore, the file cannot be overwritten or deleted. |
| VFF_BUFFTOOSMALL | At least one of the buffers was too small to contain the corresponding string. An application should check the output buffers to determine which buffer was too small. |
Remarks
Windows NT 3.51 and earlier: The version information functions do not work with 16-bit Windows file images.
Windows 95/98/Me, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000: These functions work on both 16- and 32-bit file images.
Windows XP: These functions work on 16-, 32-, and 64-bit file images.
VerFindFile searches for a copy of the specified file by using the OpenFile function. However, it determines the system directory from the specified Windows directory, or searches the path.
If the
dwFlags parameter indicates that the file is private to this application (not VFFF_ISSHAREDFILE), VerFindFile recommends installing the file in the application's directory. Otherwise, if the system is running a shared copy of the system, the function recommends installing the file in the Windows directory. If the system is running a private copy of the system, the function recommends installing the file in the system directory.
Windows 95/98/Me: VerFindFileW is supported by the Microsoft? Layer for Unicode. To use this version, you must add certain files to your application, as outlined in Microsoft Layer for Unicode on Windows 95/98/Me Systems.
Function Information
| Minimum DLL Version | version.dll |
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| Header | Declared in Winver.h, include Windows.h |
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| Import library | Version.lib |
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| Minimum operating systems |
Windows 95, Windows NT 3.1 |
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| Unicode | Implemented as
ANSI and Unicode versions. |
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See Also