Error Handling Interfaces

Objects that are invoked through virtual function table (VTBL) binding need to use the Automation error handling interfaces and API functions to define and return error information. In addition to the API functions, the interfaces include the following:

IErrorInfo — Returns information from an error object.
ICreateErrorInfo — Sets error information.
ISupportErrorInfo — Identifies this object as supporting the IErrorInfo interface.
Error handling functions.

This chapter covers the error handling interfaces. The member functions of each interface are listed in the following table.

Category	Member function	Purpose
IErrorInfo	GetDescription	Returns a textual description of the error.
	GetGUID	Returns the globally unique identifier (GUID) for the interface that defined the error.
	GetHelpContext	Returns the Help context identifier (ID) for the error.
	GetHelpFile	Returns the path of the Help file that describes the error.
	GetSource	Returns the programmatic identifier (ProgID) for the class or application that returned the error.
ICreateErrorInfo	SetDescription	Sets a textual description of the error.
	SetGUID	Sets the GUID for the interface that defined the error.
	SetHelpContext	Sets the Help context ID for the error.
	SetHelpFile	Sets the path of the Help file that describes the error.
	SetSource	Sets the ProgID for the class or application that returned the error.
ISupportErrorInfo	InterfaceSupportsErrorInfo	Indicates whether an interface supports the IErrorInfo interface.
Error handling functions	CreateErrorInfo	Creates a generic error object.
	GetErrorInfo	Retrieves and clears the current error object.
	SetErrorInfo	Sets the current error object.