String copy

I would like to copy the string returned in FormatMessage() in the error array, but i only get garbage.
I dont know if the problem comes from the fact that FormatMessage() takes a tchar as a 5th parameter.

Code:

char * reportError()
{
    LPVOID Buf;

    FormatMessage(
        FORMAT_MESSAGE_ALLOCATE_BUFFER | FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM,
        NULL,
        GetLastError(),
        MAKELANGID(LANG_NEUTRAL, SUBLANG_DEFAULT), 
        (LPTSTR) &Buf,
        0,
        NULL );

    cout << (char*)Buf << "\n";
    char error[260] ="";
    strcpy(error, (char*) Buf);

    LocalFree( Buf );
    return error;
}

You're returning a local variable that goes out of scope when you leave the function. You need to dynamically allocate the memory into which you're copying the string.

Yes, you're right, thanks rags_to_riches.

Anyway I just went with the easier solution and declared it globally to solve the problem.

Not the right solution, but whatever. Globals are very, VERY rarely the right solution.

Thanks ill consider then to go the other way.

So i think in that case i could just return 'Buf', directly without assigning it, and then use LocalFree( Buf2 ); after i called the function , right?

Code:

Buf2 =  reportError();
LocalFree( Buf2 );