StackWalk

The StackWalk function provides a portable method for obtaining a stack trace.

BOOL StackWalk(
  IN DWORD MachineType,                                          
  IN HANDLE hProcess,                                            
  IN HANDLE hThread,                                             
  IN OUT LPSTACKFRAME StackFrame,                                
  IN OUT LPVOID ContextRecord,                                   
  IN PREAD_PROCESS_MEMORY_ROUTINE ReadMemoryRoutine,             
  IN PFUNCTION_TABLE_ACCESS_ROUTINE FunctionTableAccessRoutine,  
  IN PGET_MODULE_BASE_ROUTINE GetModuleBaseRoutine,              
  IN PTRANSLATE_ADDRESS_ROUTINE TranslateAddress                 
);
 

Parameters

MachineType

Specifies the architecture type of the machine for which the stack trace is generated. This parameter can be one of the following values:

Value	Meaning
IMAGE_FILE_MACHINE_I386	Intel
IMAGE_FILE_MACHINE_R4000	MIPS
IMAGE_FILE_MACHINE_R10000	MIPS
IMAGE_FILE_MACHINE_ALPHA	DEC Alpha
IMAGE_FILE_MACHINE_POWERPC	IBM PowerPC

hProcess

Handle to the process for which the stack trace is generated. If the caller supplies a valid callback pointer for the ReadMemoryRoutine parameter, then this value does not have to be a valid process handle. It can be a token that is unique and consistently the same for all calls to the StackWalk function. If the ImageHlp symbol handler is used with StackWalk, use the same process handles for the calls to each function.

hThread

Handle to the thread for which the stack trace is generated. If the caller supplies a valid callback pointer for the ReadMemoryRoutine parameter, then this value does not have to be a valid thread handle. It can be a token that is unique and consistently the same for all calls to the StackWalk function.

StackFrame

Pointer to a STACKFRAME structure. This structure is filled with information for the next frame, if the function call succeeds.

ContextRecord

Pointer to a CONTEXT structure. This parameter is required only when the MachineType parameter is not IMAGE_FILE_MACHINE_I386.

ReadMemoryRoutine

Pointer to a callback routine that provides memory read services. When the StackWalk function needs to read memory from the process's address space, this callback is used. If NULL is passed, then the ReadProcessMemory function is used. In this case, the hProcess parameter must be a valid process handle.

FunctionTableAccessRoutine

Pointer to a callback routine that provides access to the run-time function table for the process. For RISC machines, this function accesses the pdata table, while on X86 machines this function accesses the fpo table. This parameter is required because the StackWalk function does not have access to the process's run-time function table.

The symbol handler in ImageHlp provides functions that load and access the run-time table. If these functions are used, then SymFunctionTableAccess can be passed as a valid parameter.

GetModuleBaseRoutine

Pointer to a callback routine that provides a module base for any given virtual address. This parameter is required. The symbol handler in ImageHlp provides functions that load and maintain module information. If these functions are used, then SymGetModuleBase can be passed as a valid parameter.

TranslateAddress

Pointer to a callback routine that provides address translation for 16-bit addresses. Most, if not all, callers of StackWalk can safely pass NULL for this parameter.

Return Values

If the function succeeds, the return value is TRUE.

If the function fails, the return value is FALSE. To retrieve extended error information, call GetLastError.

Remarks

The StackWalk function provides a portable method for obtaining a stack trace. This function is used by all Microsoft debuggers and tools that require stack trace facilities. Using the StackWalk function is recommended over writing your own function because of all the complexities associated with stack walking on Win32 platforms. In addition, there are compiler options that cause the stack to appear differently, depending on how the module is compiled. By using this function, your application has a portable stack trace that continues to work as the compiler and operating system change.

QuickInfo

  Windows NT: Requires version 4.0 or later.
  Windows: Requires Windows 95 or later. Available as a redistributable for Windows 95.
  Windows CE: Unsupported.
  Header: Declared in imagehlp.h.
  Import Library: Use imagehlp.lib.

See Also

PE Image Helper (ImageHlp) Overview, ImageHlp Debugger Functions, CONTEXT, STACKFRAME