StringCbCopyNEx function
Copies the specified number of bytes from one string to another. The size of the destination buffer is provided to the function to ensure that it does not write past the end of this buffer.
StringCbCopyNEx adds to the functionality of StringCbCopyN by returning a pointer to the end of the destination string as well as the number of bytes left unused in that string. Flags may also be passed to the function for additional control.
StringCbCopyNEx is a replacement for the following functions:
Syntax
HRESULT StringCbCopyNEx( _Out_ LPTSTR pszDest, _In_ size_t cbDest, _In_ LPCTSTR pszSrc, _In_ size_t cbSrc, _Out_opt_ LPTSTR *ppszDestEnd, _Out_opt_ size_t *pcbRemaining, _In_ DWORD dwFlags );
Parameters
- pszDest [out]
-
Type: LPTSTR
The destination buffer, which receives the copied string.
- cbDest [in]
-
Type: size_t
The size of pszDest, in bytes. This value must be at least large enough to hold the copied bytes (the length of pszSrc or the value of cbSrc, whichever is smaller) as well as to account for the terminating null character. The maximum number of bytes allowed is
STRSAFE_MAX_CCH * sizeof(TCHAR). - pszSrc [in]
-
Type: LPCTSTR
The source string. This string must be null-terminated.
- cbSrc [in]
-
Type: size_t
The maximum number of bytes to be copied from pszSrc to pszDest.
- ppszDestEnd [out, optional]
-
Type: LPTSTR*
The address of a pointer to the end of pszDest. If ppszDestEnd is non-NULL and any data is copied into the destination buffer, this points to the terminating null character at the end of the string.
- pcbRemaining [out, optional]
-
Type: size_t*
The number of unused bytes in pszDest, including those used for the terminating null character. If pcbRemaining is NULL, the count is not kept or returned.
- dwFlags [in]
-
Type: DWORD
One or more of the following values.
Return value
Type: HRESULT
This function can return one of the following values. It is strongly recommended that you use the SUCCEEDED and FAILED macros to test the return value of this function.
| Return code | Description |
|---|---|
|
Source data was present, fully copied without truncation, and the resultant destination buffer is null-terminated. |
|
Either pszDest or pszSrc is greater than |
|
The copy operation failed due to insufficient buffer space. Depending on the value of dwFlags, the destination buffer may contain a truncated, null-terminated version of the intended result. In situations where truncation is acceptable, this may not necessarily be seen as a failure condition. |
Note that this function returns an HRESULT value, unlike the functions that it replaces.
Remarks
StringCbCopyNEx provides additional processing for proper buffer handling in your code. Poor buffer handling is implicated in many security issues that involve buffer overruns. StringCbCopyNEx always null-terminates and never overflows a valid destination buffer, even if the contents of the source string change during the operation.
While this routine is meant as a replacement for strncpy, there are differences in behavior. If cbSrc is larger than the number of bytes in pszSrc, StringCbCopyNEx—unlike strncpy—does not continue to pad pszDest with null characters until cbSrc bytes have been copied.
Behavior is undefined if the strings pointed to by pszSrc and pszDest overlap.
Neither pszSrc nor pszDest should be NULL unless the STRSAFE_IGNORE_NULLS flag is specified, in which case both may be NULL. However, an error due to insufficient space may still be returned even though NULL values are ignored.
StringCbCopyNEx can be used in its generic form, or in its more specific forms. The data type of the string determines the form of this function that you should use, as shown in the following table.
| String Data Type | String Literal | Function |
|---|---|---|
| char | "string" | StringCbCopyNExA |
| TCHAR | TEXT("string") | StringCbCopyNEx |
| WCHAR | L"string" | StringCbCopyNExW |
Requirements
|
Minimum supported client |
Windows XP with SP2 [desktop apps | Windows Store apps] |
|---|---|
|
Minimum supported server |
Windows Server 2003 with SP1 [desktop apps | Windows Store apps] |
|
Header |
|
|
Unicode and ANSI names |
StringCbCopyNExW (Unicode) and StringCbCopyNExA (ANSI) |
See also
- Reference
- StringCbCopyN
- StringCchCopyNEx