GetFinalPathNameByHandle function

Retrieves the final path for the specified file.

For more information about file and path names, see Naming a File.

Syntax

DWORD WINAPI GetFinalPathNameByHandle(
  _In_  HANDLE hFile,
  _Out_ LPTSTR lpszFilePath,
  _In_  DWORD  cchFilePath,
  _In_  DWORD  dwFlags
);

Parameters

hFile [in]

A handle to a file or directory.

lpszFilePath [out]

A pointer to a buffer that receives the path of hFile.

cchFilePath [in]

The size of lpszFilePath, in TCHARs. This value does not include a NULL termination character.

dwFlags [in]

The type of result to return. This parameter can be one of the following values.

Value	Meaning
FILE_NAME_NORMALIZED 0x0	Return the normalized drive name. This is the default.
FILE_NAME_OPENED 0x8	Return the opened file name (not normalized).

 

This parameter can also include one of the following values.

Value	Meaning
VOLUME_NAME_DOS 0x0	Return the path with the drive letter. This is the default.
VOLUME_NAME_GUID 0x1	Return the path with a volume GUID path instead of the drive name.
VOLUME_NAME_NONE 0x4	Return the path with no drive information.
VOLUME_NAME_NT 0x2	Return the path with the volume device path.

 

Return value

If the function succeeds, the return value is the length of the string received by lpszFilePath, in TCHARs. This value does not include the size of the terminating null character.

Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista:  For the ANSI version of this function, GetFinalPathNameByHandleA, the return value includes the size of the terminating null character.

If the function fails because lpszFilePath is too small to hold the string plus the terminating null character, the return value is the required buffer size, in TCHARs. This value includes the size of the terminating null character.

If the function fails for any other reason, the return value is zero. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

Remarks

A final path is the path that is returned when a path is fully resolved. For example, for a symbolic link named "C:\tmp\mydir" that points to "D:\yourdir", the final path would be "D:\yourdir".

The string that is returned by this function uses the \\?\ syntax. For more information, see CreateFile.

In Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, this function is supported by the following technologies.

Examples

The following example demonstrates the us of the GetFinalPathNameByHandle function.

#include <windows.h>
#include <tchar.h>
#include <stdio.h>

#define BUFSIZE MAX_PATH

void __cdecl _tmain(int argc, TCHAR *argv[])
{
    TCHAR Path[BUFSIZE];
    HANDLE hFile;
    DWORD dwRet;

    printf("\n");
    if( argc != 2 )
    {
        printf("ERROR:\tIncorrect number of arguments\n\n");
        printf("%s <file_name>\n", argv[0]);
        return;
    }

    hFile = CreateFile(argv[1],               // file to open
                       GENERIC_READ,          // open for reading
                       FILE_SHARE_READ,       // share for reading
                       NULL,                  // default security
                       OPEN_EXISTING,         // existing file only
                       FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL, // normal file
                       NULL);                 // no attr. template

    if( hFile == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
    {
        printf("Could not open file (error %d\n)", GetLastError());
        return;
    }

    dwRet = GetFinalPathNameByHandle( hFile, Path, BUFSIZE, VOLUME_NAME_NT );
    if(dwRet < BUFSIZE)
    {
        _tprintf(TEXT("\nThe final path is: %s\n"), Path);
    }
    else printf("\nThe required buffer size is %d.\n", dwRet);

    CloseHandle(hFile);
}

Requirements

See also

File Management Functions