Thread: 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;
}

Yes, you're right, thanks rags_to_riches.

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

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 );