Win32(3pm) Perl Programmers Reference Guide Win32(3pm)
NAME
Win32 - Interfaces to some Win32 API Functions
DESCRIPTION
Perl on Win32 contains several functions to access Win32 APIs. Some are
included in Perl itself (on Win32) and some are only available after
explicitly requesting the Win32 module with:
use Win32;
The builtin functions are marked as [CORE] and the other ones as [EXT]
in the following alphabetical listing. The "Win32" module is not part
of the Perl source distribution; it is distributed in the libwin32 bun-
dle of Win32::* modules on CPAN. The module is already preinstalled in
binary distributions like ActivePerl.
Alphabetical Listing of Win32 Functions
Win32::AbortSystemShutdown(MACHINE)
[EXT] Aborts a system shutdown (started by the InitiateSystemShut-
down function) on the specified MACHINE.
Win32::BuildNumber()
[CORE] Returns the ActivePerl build number. This function is only
available in the ActivePerl binary distribution.
Win32::CopyFile(FROM, TO, OVERWRITE)
[CORE] The Win32::CopyFile() function copies an existing file to a
new file. All file information like creation time and file
attributes will be copied to the new file. However it will not copy
the security information. If the destination file already exists it
will only be overwritten when the OVERWRITE parameter is true. But
even this will not overwrite a read-only file; you have to unlink()
it first yourself.
Win32::DomainName()
[CORE] Returns the name of the Microsoft Network domain that the
owner of the current perl process is logged into. This function
does not work on Windows 9x.
Win32::ExpandEnvironmentStrings(STRING)
[EXT] Takes STRING and replaces all referenced environment variable
names with their defined values. References to environment vari-
ables take the form "%VariableName%". Case is ignored when looking
up the VariableName in the environment. If the variable is not
found then the original "%VariableName%" text is retained. Has the
same effect as the following:
$string =~ s/%([^%]*)%/$ENV{$1} || "%$1%"/eg
Win32::FormatMessage(ERRORCODE)
[CORE] Converts the supplied Win32 error number (e.g. returned by
Win32::GetLastError()) to a descriptive string. Analogous to the
perror() standard-C library function. Note that $^E used in a
string context has much the same effect.
C:\> perl -e "$^E = 26; print $^E;"
The specified disk or diskette cannot be accessed
Win32::FsType()
[CORE] Returns the name of the filesystem of the currently active
drive (like 'FAT' or 'NTFS'). In list context it returns three
values: (FSTYPE, FLAGS, MAXCOMPLEN). FSTYPE is the filesystem type
as before. FLAGS is a combination of values of the following table:
0x00000001 supports case-sensitive filenames
0x00000002 preserves the case of filenames
0x00000004 supports Unicode in filenames
0x00000008 preserves and enforces ACLs
0x00000010 supports file-based compression
0x00000020 supports disk quotas
0x00000040 supports sparse files
0x00000080 supports reparse points
0x00000100 supports remote storage
0x00008000 is a compressed volume (e.g. DoubleSpace)
0x00010000 supports object identifiers
0x00020000 supports the Encrypted File System (EFS)
MAXCOMPLEN is the maximum length of a filename component (the part
between two backslashes) on this file system.
Win32::FreeLibrary(HANDLE)
[EXT] Unloads a previously loaded dynamic-link library. The HANDLE
is no longer valid after this call. See LoadLibrary for information
on dynamically loading a library.
Win32::GetArchName()
[EXT] Use of this function is deprecated. It is equivalent with
$ENV{PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE}. This might not work on Win9X.
Win32::GetChipName()
[EXT] Returns the processor type: 386, 486 or 586 for Intel proces-
sors, 21064 for the Alpha chip.
Win32::GetCwd()
[CORE] Returns the current active drive and directory. This func-
tion does not return a UNC path, since the functionality required
for such a feature is not available under Windows 95.
Win32::GetFolderPath(FOLDER [, CREATE])
[EXT] Returns the full pathname of one of the Windows special fold-
ers. The folder will be created if it doesn't exist and the
optional CREATE argument is true. The following FOLDER constants
are defined by the Win32 module, but only exported on demand:
CSIDL_ADMINTOOLS
CSIDL_APPDATA
CSIDL_CDBURN_AREA
CSIDL_COMMON_ADMINTOOLS
CSIDL_COMMON_APPDATA
CSIDL_COMMON_DESKTOPDIRECTORY
CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTS
CSIDL_COMMON_FAVORITES
CSIDL_COMMON_MUSIC
CSIDL_COMMON_PICTURES
CSIDL_COMMON_PROGRAMS
CSIDL_COMMON_STARTMENU
CSIDL_COMMON_STARTUP
CSIDL_COMMON_TEMPLATES
CSIDL_COMMON_VIDEO
CSIDL_COOKIES
CSIDL_DESKTOP
CSIDL_DESKTOPDIRECTORY
CSIDL_FAVORITES
CSIDL_FONTS
CSIDL_HISTORY
CSIDL_INTERNET_CACHE
CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA
CSIDL_MYMUSIC
CSIDL_MYPICTURES
CSIDL_MYVIDEO
CSIDL_NETHOOD
CSIDL_PERSONAL
CSIDL_PRINTHOOD
CSIDL_PROFILE
CSIDL_PROGRAMS
CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES
CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES_COMMON
CSIDL_RECENT
CSIDL_RESOURCES
CSIDL_RESOURCES_LOCALIZED
CSIDL_SENDTO
CSIDL_STARTMENU
CSIDL_STARTUP
CSIDL_SYSTEM
CSIDL_TEMPLATES
CSIDL_WINDOWS
Note that not all folders are defined on all versions of Windows.
Please refer to the MSDN documentation of the CSIDL constants, cur-
rently available at:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/shellcc/plat-
form/shell/reference/enums/csidl.asp
Win32::GetFullPathName(FILENAME)
[CORE] GetFullPathName combines the FILENAME with the current drive
and directory name and returns a fully qualified (aka, absolute)
path name. In list context it returns two elements: (PATH, FILE)
where PATH is the complete pathname component (including trailing
backslash) and FILE is just the filename part. Note that no
attempt is made to convert 8.3 components in the supplied FILENAME
to longnames or vice-versa. Compare with Win32::GetShortPathName
and Win32::GetLongPathName.
This function has been added for Perl 5.6.
Win32::GetLastError()
[CORE] Returns the last error value generated by a call to a Win32
API function. Note that $^E used in a numeric context amounts to
the same value.
Win32::GetLongPathName(PATHNAME)
[CORE] Returns a representation of PATHNAME composed of longname
components (if any). The result may not necessarily be longer than
PATHNAME. No attempt is made to convert PATHNAME to the absolute
path. Compare with Win32::GetShortPathName and Win32::GetFullPath-
Name.
This function has been added for Perl 5.6.
Win32::GetNextAvailDrive()
[CORE] Returns a string in the form of "<d>:" where <d> is the
first available drive letter.
Win32::GetOSVersion()
[CORE] Returns the list (STRING, MAJOR, MINOR, BUILD, ID), where
the elements are, respectively: An arbitrary descriptive string,
the major version number of the operating system, the minor version
number, the build number, and a digit indicating the actual operat-
ing system. For the ID, the values are 0 for Win32s, 1 for Windows
9X/Me and 2 for Windows NT/2000/XP/2003. In scalar context it
returns just the ID.
Currently known values for ID MAJOR and MINOR are as follows:
OS ID MAJOR MINOR
Win32s 0 - -
Windows 95 1 4 0
Windows 98 1 4 10
Windows Me 1 4 90
Windows NT 3.51 2 3 51
Windows NT 4 2 4 0
Windows 2000 2 5 0
Windows XP 2 5 1
Windows Server 2003 2 5 2
On Windows NT 4 SP6 and later this function returns the following
additional values: SPMAJOR, SPMINOR, SUITEMASK, PRODUCTTYPE.
SPMAJOR and SPMINOR are are the version numbers of the latest
installed service pack.
SUITEMASK is a bitfield identifying the product suites available on
the system. Known bits are:
VER_SUITE_SMALLBUSINESS 0x00000001
VER_SUITE_ENTERPRISE 0x00000002
VER_SUITE_BACKOFFICE 0x00000004
VER_SUITE_COMMUNICATIONS 0x00000008
VER_SUITE_TERMINAL 0x00000010
VER_SUITE_SMALLBUSINESS_RESTRICTED 0x00000020
VER_SUITE_EMBEDDEDNT 0x00000040
VER_SUITE_DATACENTER 0x00000080
VER_SUITE_SINGLEUSERTS 0x00000100
VER_SUITE_PERSONAL 0x00000200
VER_SUITE_BLADE 0x00000400
VER_SUITE_EMBEDDED_RESTRICTED 0x00000800
VER_SUITE_SECURITY_APPLIANCE 0x00001000
The VER_SUITE_xxx names are listed here to crossreference the
Microsoft documentation. The Win32 module does not provide sym-
bolic names for these constants.
PRODUCTTYPE provides additional information about the system. It
should be one of the following integer values:
1 - Workstation (NT 4, 2000 Pro, XP Home, XP Pro)
2 - Domaincontroller
3 - Server
Win32::GetOSName()
[EXT] In scalar context returns the name of the Win32 operating
system being used. In list context returns a two element list of
the OS name and whatever edition information is known about the
particular build (for Win9x boxes) and whatever service packs have
been installed. The latter is roughly equivalent to the first item
returned by GetOSVersion() in list context.
Currently the possible values for the OS name are
Win32s Win95 Win98 WinMe WinNT3.51 WinNT4 Win2000 WinXP/.Net Win2003
This routine is just a simple interface into GetOSVersion(). More
specific or demanding situations should use that instead. Another
option would be to use POSIX::uname(), however the latter appears
to report only the OS family name and not the specific OS. In
scalar context it returns just the ID.
The name "WinXP/.Net" is used for historical reasons only, to main-
tain backwards compatibility of the Win32 module. Windows .NET
Server has been renamed as Windows 2003 Server before final release
and uses a different major/minor version number than Windows XP.
Win32::GetShortPathName(PATHNAME)
[CORE] Returns a representation of PATHNAME composed only of short
(8.3) path components. The result may not necessarily be shorter
than PATHNAME. Compare with Win32::GetFullPathName and Win32::Get-
LongPathName.
Win32::GetProcAddress(INSTANCE, PROCNAME)
[EXT] Returns the address of a function inside a loaded library.
The information about what you can do with this address has been
lost in the mist of time. Use the Win32::API module instead of this
deprecated function.
Win32::GetTickCount()
[CORE] Returns the number of milliseconds elapsed since the last
system boot. Resolution is limited to system timer ticks (about
10ms on WinNT and 55ms on Win9X).
Win32::InitiateSystemShutdown
(MACHINE, MESSAGE, TIMEOUT, FORCECLOSE, REBOOT)
[EXT] Shutsdown the specified MACHINE, notifying users with the
supplied MESSAGE, within the specified TIMEOUT interval. Forces
closing of all documents without prompting the user if FORCECLOSE
is true, and reboots the machine if REBOOT is true. This function
works only on WinNT.
Win32::IsWinNT()
[CORE] Returns non zero if the Win32 subsystem is Windows NT.
Win32::IsWin95()
[CORE] Returns non zero if the Win32 subsystem is Windows 95.
Win32::LoadLibrary(LIBNAME)
[EXT] Loads a dynamic link library into memory and returns its mod-
ule handle. This handle can be used with Win32::GetProcAddress and
Win32::FreeLibrary. This function is deprecated. Use the Win32::API
module instead.
Win32::LoginName()
[CORE] Returns the username of the owner of the current perl pro-
cess.
Win32::LookupAccountName(SYSTEM, ACCOUNT, DOMAIN, SID, SIDTYPE)
[EXT] Looks up ACCOUNT on SYSTEM and returns the domain name the
SID and the SID type.
Win32::LookupAccountSID(SYSTEM, SID, ACCOUNT, DOMAIN, SIDTYPE)
[EXT] Looks up SID on SYSTEM and returns the account name, domain
name, and the SID type.
Win32::MsgBox(MESSAGE [, FLAGS [, TITLE]])
[EXT] Create a dialogbox containing MESSAGE. FLAGS specifies the
required icon and buttons according to the following table:
0 = OK
1 = OK and Cancel
2 = Abort, Retry, and Ignore
3 = Yes, No and Cancel
4 = Yes and No
5 = Retry and Cancel
MB_ICONSTOP "X" in a red circle
MB_ICONQUESTION question mark in a bubble
MB_ICONEXCLAMATION exclamation mark in a yellow triangle
MB_ICONINFORMATION "i" in a bubble
TITLE specifies an optional window title. The default is "Perl".
The function returns the menu id of the selected push button:
0 Error
1 OK
2 Cancel
3 Abort
4 Retry
5 Ignore
6 Yes
7 No
Win32::NodeName()
[CORE] Returns the Microsoft Network node-name of the current
machine.
Win32::RegisterServer(LIBRARYNAME)
[EXT] Loads the DLL LIBRARYNAME and calls the function DllRegis-
terServer.
Win32::SetChildShowWindow(SHOWWINDOW)
[CORE] Sets the ShowMode of child processes started by system().
By default system() will create a new console window for child pro-
cesses if Perl itself is not running from a console. Calling
SetChildShowWindow(0) will make these new console windows invisi-
ble. Calling SetChildShowWindow() without arguments reverts sys-
tem() to the default behavior. The return value of SetChild-
ShowWindow() is the previous setting or "undef".
[EXT] The following symbolic constants for SHOWWINDOW are available
(but not exported) from the Win32 module: SW_HIDE, SW_SHOWNORMAL,
SW_SHOWMINIMIZED, SW_SHOWMAXIMIZED and SW_SHOWNOACTIVATE.
Win32::SetCwd(NEWDIRECTORY)
[CORE] Sets the current active drive and directory. This function
does not work with UNC paths, since the functionality required to
required for such a feature is not available under Windows 95.
Win32::SetLastError(ERROR)
[CORE] Sets the value of the last error encountered to ERROR. This
is that value that will be returned by the Win32::GetLastError()
function. This functions has been added for Perl 5.6.
Win32::Sleep(TIME)
[CORE] Pauses for TIME milliseconds. The timeslices are made avail-
able to other processes and threads.
Win32::Spawn(COMMAND, ARGS, PID)
[CORE] Spawns a new process using the supplied COMMAND, passing in
arguments in the string ARGS. The pid of the new process is stored
in PID. This function is deprecated. Please use the Win32::Process
module instead.
Win32::UnregisterServer(LIBRARYNAME)
[EXT] Loads the DLL LIBRARYNAME and calls the function DllUnregis-
terServer.
perl v5.8.1 2003-07-09 Win32(3pm)
Mac OS X 10.3 - Generated Sat Feb 23 08:13:56 CST 2008