BUG: Empty File Name in PrivateProfile APIs Returns True

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The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Visual C++ version 4.0 Cross-Development Edition for Windows NT and Macintosh platforms

SYMPTOMS

WritePrivateProfileString() and GetPrivateProfileString() return TRUE when using an empty string as the file name parameter. They should fail and return FALSE when there is no cached file name value.

CAUSE

When you pass an empty string ("") as the file name parameter to either WritePrivateProfileString() or GetPrivateProfileString(), the Windows Portability Library (WPL) incorrectly matches the empty string with the empty invalid cached file name. The invalid cache entry contains an invalid refNum (-1).

RESOLUTION

Do not pass an empty string as the file name parameter. Use the fully qualified name instead.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.