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How to convert a message (ex:13928) to an Message ID (ex: ERROR_IPSEC_DOSP_STATE_LOOKUP_FAILED) How to do that?
When retrieving an error code using GetLastError():
GetLastError()
It retrives an code, not a message ID or message
How do I convert an error code to a message ID and without loops?
Since winerror.h uses the preprocessor #define to associate a "message id" with the numeric value you would need to create your own lookup table. There is no Windows API function to convert the actual error code to the "message id" that is seen by the preprocessor.
How Visual studio does it?
To get it from WINERROR.H, use this code to get the handle of the file:
#include <fileapi.h>
HANDLE hFile = CreateFileW(L"\\?\C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Include\10.0.19041.0\winerror.h", GENERIC_ALL | GENERIC_READ | GENERIC_WRITE, FILE_SHARE_READ | FILE_SHARE_WRITE, NULL, OPEN_EXISTING, FILE_FLAG_SEQUENTIAL_SCAN, NULL);
How Visual studio does it?
You'll have to get that answer from Microsoft.
I want a way that is:
Future-compliant (responds to changes in the OS)
Returns the message ID (EX: ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED)
Past-compliant and Past-compatible (responds to past and future changes in the error code message ID and compatible with older OSes)
I would need it to be dynamic
Time now is 3/3/2023 1:27:20 PM EET
Well, it seems to me that you should propose your feature request to Microsoft.
With FormatMessage
But it depends on the resource DLL
13928 gives "La protection DoS IPsec n’a pas pu rechercher l’état.\r\n" on my french OS
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(70.4, 57.99999999999999%, 16%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3ERP%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
FormatMessage() will give you the localized text message of the error, ie "IPsec DoS Protection failed to look up state.", not the preprocessor name associated with the ID, ie: "ERROR_IPSEC_DOSP_STATE_LOOKUP_FAILED"
The OP wrote
"It retrives an code, not a message ID or message"
You can search the system's message ID tables
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(275.2, 43%, 36%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3ES7%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It retrives an code, not a message ID or message
FormatMessage is the way to get the message from a system code
FormatMessage() is the way to get a localized text message of the error, not the preprocessor name that is associated with the ID.