_putenv, _wputenv
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Creates, modifies, or removes environment variables. More secure versions of these functions are available; see _putenv_s, _wputenv_s.
Important
This API cannot be used in applications that execute in the Windows Runtime. For more information, see CRT functions not supported with /ZW.
Syntax
int _putenv(
const char *envstring
);
int _wputenv(
const wchar_t *envstring
);
Parameters
envstring
Environment-string definition.
Return Value
Return 0 if successful or –1 in the case of an error.
Remarks
The _putenv
function adds new environment variables or modifies the values of existing environment variables. Environment variables define the environment in which a process executes (for example, the default search path for libraries to be linked with a program). _wputenv
is a wide-character version of _putenv
; the envstring
argument to _wputenv
is a wide-character string.
Generic-Text Routine Mappings
Tchar.h routine | _UNICODE and _MBCS not defined | _MBCS defined | _UNICODE defined |
---|---|---|---|
_tputenv |
_putenv |
_putenv |
_wputenv |
The envstring
argument must be a pointer to a string of the form varname=string
, where varname
is the name of the environment variable to be added or modified and string
is the variable's value. If varname
is already part of the environment, its value is replaced by string
; otherwise, the new varname
variable and its string
value are added to the environment. You can remove a variable from the environment by specifying an empty string
— in other words, by specifying only varname=
.
_putenv
and _wputenv
affect only the environment that is local to the current process; you cannot use them to modify the command-level environment. That is, these functions operate only on data structures accessible to the run-time library and not on the environment segment created for a process by the operating system. When the current process terminates, the environment reverts to the level of the calling process (in most cases, the operating-system level). However, the modified environment can be passed to any new processes created by _spawn
, _exec
, or system
, and these new processes get any new items added by _putenv
and _wputenv
.
Do not change an environment entry directly: instead, use _putenv
or _wputenv
to change it. In particular, direct freeing elements of the _environ[]
global array might lead to invalid memory being addressed.
getenv
and _putenv
use the global variable _environ
to access the environment table; _wgetenv
and _wputenv
use _wenviron
. _putenv
and _wputenv
might change the value of _environ
and _wenviron
, thus invalidating the _envp
argument to main
and the _wenvp
argument to wmain
. Therefore, it is safer to use _environ
or _wenviron
to access the environment information. For more information about the relation of _putenv
and _wputenv
to global variables, see _environ, _wenviron.
Note
The _putenv
and _getenv
families of functions are not thread-safe. _getenv
could return a string pointer while _putenv
is modifying the string, causing random failures. Make sure that calls to these functions are synchronized.
Requirements
Routine | Required header |
---|---|
_putenv |
<stdlib.h> |
_wputenv |
<stdlib.h> or <wchar.h> |
For more compatibility information, see Compatibility.
Example
For a sample of how to use _putenv
, see getenv, _wgetenv.
.NET Framework Equivalent
Not applicable. To call the standard C function, use PInvoke
. For more information, see Platform Invoke Examples.
See Also
Process and Environment Control
getenv, _wgetenv
_searchenv, _wsearchenv