CreateDirectory2A function (fileapi.h)

Creates a new directory. If the underlying file system supports security on files and directories, the function applies a specified security descriptor to the new directory.

To specify a template directory, use the CreateDirectoryEx function.

To perform this operation as a transacted operation, use the CreateDirectoryTransacted function.

Syntax

HANDLE CreateDirectory2A(
  LPCSTR                lpPathName,
  DWORD                 dwDesiredAccess,
  DWORD                 dwShareMode,
  DIRECTORY_FLAGS       DirectoryFlags,
  LPSECURITY_ATTRIBUTES lpSecurityAttributes
);

Parameters

lpPathName

The path of the directory to be created.

By default, the name is limited to MAX_PATH characters. To extend this limit to 32,767 wide characters, prepend "\\?\" to the path. For more information, see Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces.

dwDesiredAccess

The ACCESS_MASK value that expresses the type of access that the caller requires to the directory. The set of system-defined dwDesiredAccess flags determines the following specific access rights directory file objects:

dwShareMode

The type of share access that the caller would like to use in the file, as zero, or as one or a combination of the following values:

DirectoryFlags

This parameter can contain combinations of DIRECTORY_FLAGS.

lpSecurityAttributes

A pointer to a SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES structure. The lpSecurityDescriptor member of the structure specifies a security descriptor for the new directory. If lpSecurityAttributes is NULL, the directory gets a default security descriptor. The ACLs in the default security descriptor for a directory are inherited from its parent directory.

The target file system must support security on files and directories for this parameter to have an effect. (This is indicated when GetVolumeInformation returns FS_PERSISTENT_ACLS.)

Return value

If the function succeeds, the return value is nonzero.

If the function fails, the return value is INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

Possible errors include the following:

Remarks

Some file systems, such as the NTFS file system, support compression or encryption for individual files and directories. On volumes formatted for such a file system, a new directory inherits the compression and encryption attributes of its parent directory.

An application can obtain a handle to a directory by calling CreateFile with the FILE_FLAG_BACKUP_SEMANTICS flag set. For a code example, see CreateFile.

To support inheritance functions that query the security descriptor of this object may heuristically determine and report that inheritance is in effect. See Automatic Propagation of Inheritable ACEs for more information.

This function is supported by the following technologies:

Examples

The following example creates a new directory with the CreateDirectory2 function. The new directory is created with the FILE_LIST_DIRECTORY and SYNCHRONIZE access rights. The new directory is also created with the FILE_SHARE_READ share mode, which allows other processes to open the directory for read access.

// THIS CODE AND INFORMATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF 
// ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO 
// THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A 
// PARTICULAR PURPOSE. 
// 
// Copyright (C) Microsoft. All rights reserved 
#include <Windows.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <strsafe.h>

int main(int argc, wchar_t* argv[])
{
    WCHAR filePath[MAX_PATH] = { 0 };

    // Create a directory to put a file into, that can't be deleted
    // and redirected before this handle is closed.
    HANDLE hDirectory = CreateDirectory2(argv[1],
        FILE_LIST_DIRECTORY | SYNCHRONIZE,
        FILE_SHARE_READ,
        DIRECTORY_FLAGS_NONE,
        NULL,
        NULL);
    if (hDirectory == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
    {
        // Handle the error.
        printf("CreateDirectory2 failed (%d)\n", GetLastError());
        return (1);
    }

    StringCchPrintf(filePath,
        ARRAYSIZE(filePath),
        L"%ws\\example.test",
        argv[1]);

    HANDLE hFile = CreateFile3(filePath,
        GENERIC_ALL,
        FILE_SHARE_READ,
        CREATE_ALWAYS,
        NULL);
    if (hFile == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
    {
        // Handle the error.
        CloseHandle(hDirectory);
        printf("CreateFile3 failed (%d)\n", GetLastError());
        return (1);
    }

    CloseHandle(hFile);
    CloseHandle(hDirectory);
    return (0);
}

For additional examples, see Retrieving and Changing File Attributes.

Requirements

See also

CreateFile3

DeleteFile2

RemoveDirectory2