Class for displaying system error messages

CodeGuru content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

The attached zip contains a small class I use regularly. It is an interface
to the win32 FormatMessage api for error-reporting.

It’s use is very simple:
when you detect a win32 error (could not open file for example):

FILE *f = fopen("idontexist.txt", "r");
if(!f)
{
   CErrorMessage em;  // initializes with the current ::GetLastError
   if(em.MessageBox("problem opening file, cause:", "file:idontexist.txtnRetry?", MB_YESNO)== IDYES)
   {
	...
   }
}

Header file.

// ErrorMessage.h: interface for the CErrorMessage class.
//
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

#if !defined(AFX_ERRORMESSAGE_H__51CAC9F1_9ECE_11D1_A06C_0000832CDDC7__INCLUDED_)
#define AFX_ERRORMESSAGE_H__51CAC9F1_9ECE_11D1_A06C_0000832CDDC7__INCLUDED_

#if _MSC_VER >= 1000
#pragma once
#endif // _MSC_VER >= 1000

class CErrorMessage
{
public:
		// default ctor: calls GetLastError to get the current errorcode
	CErrorMessage();
		// specify your own errorcode
	CErrorMessage(DWORD theError);
	~CErrorMessage();

		//	setup a new error (0=call GetLastError)
	void	setError(DWORD error=0);

	CString	getMessage() const		{return themsg;}
	DWORD	getMessageCode() const	{return dwError;}
		//	AfxMessageBox with the text pfxtext + "n" + themsg + "n" + suftext
	int		MessageBox(const char* pfxtext=NULL, const char* suftext=NULL, UINT nType=MB_OK) const;
protected:
	DWORD	dwError;
	CString	themsg;
		//	get the messagestring from the system
	void	getCurrentMessage();

};

#endif // !defined(AFX_ERRORMESSAGE_H__51CAC9F1_9ECE_11D1_A06C_0000832CDDC7__INCLUDED_)

Implementation file.

// ErrorMessage.cpp: implementation of the CErrorMessage class.
//
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
#include "stdafx.h"
#include "ErrorMessage.h"

#ifdef _DEBUG
#undef THIS_FILE
static char THIS_FILE[]=__FILE__;
#define new DEBUG_NEW
#endif

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Construction/Destruction
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/*
	default ctor
	gets the current system-error
*/
CErrorMessage::CErrorMessage()
{
	dwError		=	::GetLastError();
	getCurrentMessage();
}
/*
	ctor
	you specify the system-error
*/
CErrorMessage::CErrorMessage(DWORD theError)
{
	dwError		=	theError;
	getCurrentMessage();
}

CErrorMessage::~CErrorMessage()
{
}
/*
	reuse an existing CErrorMessage by setting a new system-error
*/
void	CErrorMessage::setError(DWORD error)
{
	if(dwError==0)
		dwError=::GetLastError();
	else
		dwError=error;
	getCurrentMessage();
}
/*
	show a message-box with the error-message
	you can specify a prefix- and suffix-line to the message
*/
int CErrorMessage::MessageBox(const char* pfxtext, const char* suftext, UINT nType) const
{
	CString	msg	=	"";
	if(pfxtext)	msg	=	CString(pfxtext) + "n";
	msg	+=	themsg;
	if(suftext)	msg	=	msg + "n" + suftext;
	return AfxMessageBox(msg, nType);
}
/*
	get the message from the current errorcode in the user's language
*/
void CErrorMessage::getCurrentMessage()
{
	LPTSTR	lpBuf;
	if(::FormatMessage(FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM |
						FORMAT_MESSAGE_ALLOCATE_BUFFER
					,	NULL
					,	dwError
					,	MAKELANGID(LANG_NEUTRAL, SUBLANG_SYS_DEFAULT)
					,	(LPTSTR)&lpBuf
					,	0
					,	NULL)!=0)
	{
		themsg	=	lpBuf;
		::LocalFree(lpBuf);
	}
	else
	{
		themsg.Format("Error %i occurred (no further info)", dwError);
	}
}

More by Author

Get the Free Newsletter!

Subscribe to Developer Insider for top news, trends & analysis

Must Read