BUG: SSEXP Stops Responding with Invalid Page Fault During Checkin

• Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, 32-bit, for Windows 6.0
• Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, 16-bit and 32-bit, for Windows, versions 4.0, 4.0a, 5.0

SYMPTOMS

When checking in a document to a Microsoft Visual SourceSafe (VSS) database while using Keyword Expansion, an Invalid Page Fault occurs.

CAUSE

Keyword Expansion uses a maximum buffer size of 132 characters. When this maximum buffer size is exceeded, notably between 160 and 170 characters, SSEXP stops responding, resulting in an Invalid Page Fault.

This behavior has been reproduced during checkin using the $Archive, $Log and $Logfile keywords. When any of these keywords expand with a project path (including backslashes) that exceeds the maximum buffer size, the buffer overflows, eventually overwriting protected memory and causing an Invalid Page Fault in SSEXP.

It is also possible that this behavior could occur in any Keyword that requested a project path exceeding the maximum buffer size.

RESOLUTION

Shorten the project path to fewer than 132 characters, or remove the keywords from the document being stored in Visual SourceSafe.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to reproduce:

1. Create sufficient projects, subprojects and text files in the Visual SourceSafe tree so that a project path size of greater than 170 characters including backslashes.



2. Check the file out through the Visual SourceSafe explorer.



3. Edit the file, adding one of the keywords mentioned in the "Cause" section. Keyword Expansion must be enabled for this to work properly.



4. Check the file in.

REFERENCES

Microsoft Online Help provided with Visual SourceSafe 6

Microsoft Visual SourceSafe 5 Users Guide, pages 89 - 94

Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

Q141504 HOWTO: Make SourceSafe Keyword Expansion Work in Text Docs

Additional query words: explorer crashes

Keywords : kbSSafe400bug kbSSafe500bug kbSSafe600bug kbSSExplorer kbDSupport
Version : WINDOWS:4.0,4.0a,5.0,6.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug