The LoadString function loads a string resource from the executable file associated with a specified module, copies the string into a buffer, and appends a terminating NULL character.

Syntax

int LoadString(      
    HINSTANCE hInstance,
    UINT uID,
    LPTSTR lpBuffer,
    int nBufferMax
);

Parameters

hInstance

[in] Handle to an instance of the module whose executable file contains the string resource. To get the handle to the application itself, use GetModuleHandle(NULL).

uID

[in] Specifies the integer identifier of the string to be loaded.

lpBuffer

[out] Pointer to the buffer to receive the string.

nBufferMax

[in] Specifies the size of the buffer, in TCHARs. This refers to bytes for ANSI versions of the function or WCHARs for Unicode versions. The string is truncated and NULL terminated if it is longer than the number of characters specified. If this parameter is zero, then lpBuffer receives a read-only pointer to the resource itself.

Return Value

If the function succeeds, the return value is the number of TCHARs copied into the buffer, not including the terminating NULL character, or zero if the string resource does not exist. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

Remarks

Security Alert  

Using this function incorrectly can compromise the security of your application. Incorrect use includes specifying the wrong size in the nBufferMax parameter. For example, if lpBuffer points to a buffer szBuffer which is declared as TCHAR szBuffer[100], then sizeof(szBuffer) gives the size of the buffer in bytes, which could lead to a buffer overflow for the Unicode version of the function. Buffer overflow situations are the cause of many security problems in applications. In this case, using sizeof(szBuffer)/sizeof(TCHAR) or sizeof(szBuffer)/sizeof(szBuffer[0]) would give the proper size of the buffer.

Windows 95/98/Me: LoadStringW is supported by the Microsoft Layer for Unicode. To use this, you must add certain files to your application, as outlined in Microsoft Layer for Unicode on Windows 95/98/Me Systems.

Example

For an example, see Creating a Child Window

Function Information

Minimum DLL Version	user32.dll
Header	Declared in Winuser.h, include Windows.h
Import library	User32.lib
Minimum operating systems	Windows 95, Windows NT 3.1
Unicode	Implemented as ANSI and Unicode versions.

See Also

Strings Overview, FormatMessage, LoadAccelerators, LoadBitmap, LoadCursor, LoadIcon, LoadMenu, LoadMenuIndirect