GetProcessTimes

The GetProcessTimes function obtains timing information about a specified process.

BOOL GetProcessTimes(
  HANDLE hProcess,           // specifies the process of interest
  LPFILETIME lpCreationTime, // when the process was created
  LPFILETIME lpExitTime,     // when the process exited
  LPFILETIME lpKernelTime,   // time the process has spent in kernel
                             // mode
  LPFILETIME lpUserTime      // time the process has spent in user mode
);
 

Parameters

hProcess

Handle to the process whose timing information is sought. This handle must be created with PROCESS_QUERY_INFORMATION access.

lpCreationTime

Pointer to a FILETIME structure that receives the creation time of the process.

lpExitTime

Pointer to a FILETIME structure that receives the exit time of the process. If the process has not exited, the content of this structure is undefined.

lpKernelTime

Pointer to a FILETIME structure that receives the amount of time that the process has executed in kernel mode. The time that each of the threads of the process has executed in kernel mode is determined, and then all of those times are summed together to obtain this value.

lpUserTime

Pointer to a FILETIME structure that receives the amount of time that the process has executed in user mode. The time that each of the threads of the process has executed in user mode is determined, and then all of those times are summed together to obtain this value.

Return Values

If the function succeeds, the return value is nonzero.

If the function fails, the return value is zero. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

Remarks

All times are expressed using FILETIME data structures. Such a structure contains two 32-bit values that combine to form a 64-bit count of 100-nanosecond time units.

Process creation and exit times are points in time expressed as the amount of time that has elapsed since midnight on January 1, 1601 at Greenwich, England. The Win32 API provides several functions that an application can use to convert such values to more generally useful forms.

Process kernel mode and user mode times are amounts of time. For example, if a process has spent one second in kernel mode, this function will fill the FILETIME structure specified by lpKernelTime with a 64-bit value of ten million. That is the number of 100-nanosecond units in one second.

QuickInfo

  Windows NT: Requires version 3.5 or later.
  Windows: Unsupported.
  Windows CE: Unsupported.
  Header: Declared in winbase.h.
  Import Library: Use kernel32.lib.

See Also

Processes and Threads Overview, Process and Thread Functions, FILETIME, FileTimeToDosDateTime, FileTimeToLocalFileTime, FileTimeToSystemTime