VerFindFileA function (winver.h)
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 VerFindFileA(
[in] DWORD uFlags,
[in] LPCSTR szFileName,
[in, optional] LPCSTR szWinDir,
[in] LPCSTR szAppDir,
[out] LPSTR szCurDir,
[in, out] PUINT puCurDirLen,
[out] LPSTR szDestDir,
[in, out] PUINT puDestDirLen
);
Parameters
[in] uFlags
Type: DWORD
This parameter can be the following value. All other bits are reserved.
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
|
The source file can be shared by multiple applications. An application can use this information to determine where the file should be copied. |
[in] szFileName
Type: LPCTSTR
The name of the file to be installed. Include only the file name and extension, not a path.
[in, optional] szWinDir
Type: LPCTSTR
The directory in which Windows is running or will be run. This string is returned by the GetWindowsDirectory function.
[in] szAppDir
Type: LPCTSTR
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.
[out] szCurDir
Type: LPWSTR
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.
[in, out] puCurDirLen
Type: PUINT
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.
[out] szDestDir
Type: LPTSTR
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.
[in, out] puDestDirLen
Type: PUINT
A 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
Type: DWORD
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.
| Return code/value | Description |
|---|---|
|
The currently installed version of the file is not in the recommended destination. |
|
The system is using the currently installed version of the file; therefore, the file cannot be overwritten or deleted. |
|
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
This function works 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.
Note
The winver.h header defines VerFindFile as an alias which automatically selects the ANSI or Unicode version of this function based on the definition of the UNICODE preprocessor constant. Mixing usage of the encoding-neutral alias with code that not encoding-neutral can lead to mismatches that result in compilation or runtime errors. For more information, see Conventions for Function Prototypes.
Requirements
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum supported client | Windows 2000 Professional [desktop apps only] |
| Minimum supported server | Windows 2000 Server [desktop apps only] |
| Target Platform | Windows |
| Header | winver.h (include Windows.h) |
| Library | Version.lib |
| DLL | Api-ms-win-core-version-l1-1-0.dll |
See also
Conceptual
Other Resources
Reference
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