| Platform SDK: DLLs, Processes, and Threads |
The GetCurrentThread function retrieves a pseudo handle for the current thread.
HANDLE GetCurrentThread(VOID);
This function has no parameters.
The return value is a pseudo handle for the current thread.
A pseudo handle is a special constant that is interpreted as the current thread handle. The calling thread can use this handle to specify itself whenever a thread handle is required. Pseudo handles are not inherited by child processes.
This handle has the maximum possible access to the thread object. For systems that support security descriptors, this is the maximum access allowed by the security descriptor for the calling process. For systems that do not support security descriptors, this is THREAD_ALL_ACCESS.
The function cannot be used by one thread to create a handle that can be used by other threads to refer to the first thread. The handle is always interpreted as referring to the thread that is using it. A thread can create a "real" handle to itself that can be used by other threads, or inherited by other processes, by specifying the pseudo handle as the source handle in a call to the DuplicateHandle function.
The pseudo handle need not be closed when it is no longer needed. Calling the CloseHandle function with this handle has no effect. If the pseudo handle is duplicated by DuplicateHandle, the duplicate handle must be closed.
Windows NT/2000: Requires Windows NT 3.1 or later.
Windows 95/98: Requires Windows 95 or later.
Header: Declared in Winbase.h; include Windows.h.
Library: Use Kernel32.lib.
Processes and Threads Overview, Process and Thread Functions, CloseHandle, DuplicateHandle, GetCurrentProcess, GetCurrentThreadId, OpenThread