Shell Path Handling Functions

This section describes the Windows Shell path handling functions. The programming elements explained in this documentation are exported by Shlwapi.dll and defined in Shlwapi.h and Shlwapi.lib.

In this section

Topic	Description
PathAddBackslash	Adds a backslash to the end of a string to create the correct syntax for a path. If the source path already has a trailing backslash, no backslash will be added.

[!Note]
Misuse of this function can lead to a buffer overrun. We recommend the use of the safer PathCchAddBackslash or PathCchAddBackslashEx function in its place.

PathAddExtension Adds a file name extension to a path string.

[!Note]
Misuse of this function can lead to a buffer overrun. We recommend the use of the safer PathCchAddExtension function in its place.

PathAppend Appends one path to the end of another.

[!Note]
Misuse of this function can lead to a buffer overrun. We recommend the use of the safer PathCchAppend or PathCchAppendEx function in its place.

PathBuildRoot Creates a root path from a given drive number. PathCanonicalize Simplifies a path by removing navigation elements such as «.» and «..» to produce a direct, well-formed path. PathCombine Concatenates two strings that represent properly formed paths into one path; also concatenates any relative path elements.

[!Note]
Misuse of this function can lead to a buffer overrun. We recommend the use of the safer PathCchCombine or PathCchCombineEx function in its place.

PathCommonPrefix Compares two paths to determine if they share a common prefix. A prefix is one of these types: «C:\\», «.», «..», «..\\». PathCompactPath Truncates a file path to fit within a given pixel width by replacing path components with ellipses. PathCompactPathEx Truncates a path to fit within a certain number of characters by replacing path components with ellipses. PathCreateFromUrl Converts a file URL to a Microsoft MS-DOS path. PathCreateFromUrlAlloc Creates a path from a file URL. PathFileExists Determines whether a path to a file system object such as a file or folder is valid. PathFindExtension Searches a path for an extension. PathFindFileName Searches a path for a file name. PathFindNextComponent Parses a path and returns the portion of that path that follows the first backslash. PathFindOnPath Searches for a file. PathFindSuffixArray Determines whether a given file name has one of a list of suffixes. PathGetArgs Finds the command line arguments within a given path. PathGetCharType Determines the type of character in relation to a path. PathGetDriveNumber Searches a path for a drive letter within the range of ‘A’ to ‘Z’ and returns the corresponding drive number. PathIsContentType Determines if a file’s registered content type matches the specified content type. This function obtains the content type for the specified file type and compares that string with the pszContentType. The comparison is not case-sensitive. PathIsDirectory Verifies that a path is a valid directory. PathIsDirectoryEmpty Determines whether a specified path is an empty directory. PathIsFileSpec Searches a path for any path-delimiting characters (for example, ‘:’ or ‘\’ ). If there are no path-delimiting characters present, the path is considered to be a File Spec path. PathIsHTMLFile Determines if a file is an HTML file. The determination is made based on the content type that is registered for the file’s extension. PathIsLFNFileSpec Determines whether a file name is in long format. PathIsNetworkPath Determines whether a path string represents a network resource. PathIsPrefix Searches a path to determine if it contains a valid prefix of the type passed by pszPrefix. A prefix is one of these types: «C:\\», «.», «..», «..\\». PathIsRelative Searches a path and determines if it is relative. PathIsRoot Determines whether a path string refers to the root of a volume. PathIsSameRoot Compares two paths to determine if they have a common root component. PathIsSystemFolder Determines if an existing folder contains the attributes that make it a system folder. Alternately, this function indicates if certain attributes qualify a folder to be a system folder. PathIsUNC Determines if a path string is a valid Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path, as opposed to a path based on a drive letter. PathIsUNCServer Determines if a string is a valid UNC for a server path only. PathIsUNCServerShare Determines if a string is a valid UNC share path, \\server\share. PathIsURL Tests a given string to determine if it conforms to a valid URL format. PathMakePretty Converts an all-uppercase path to all lowercase characters to give the path a consistent appearance. PathMakeSystemFolder Gives an existing folder the proper attributes to become a system folder. PathMatchSpec Searches a string using a MS-DOS wildcard match type. PathMatchSpecEx Matches a file name from a path against one or more file name patterns. PathParseIconLocation Parses a file location string that contains a file location and icon index, and returns separate values. PathQuoteSpaces Searches a path for spaces. If spaces are found, the entire path is enclosed in quotation marks. PathRelativePathTo Creates a relative path from one file or folder to another. PathRemoveArgs Removes any arguments from a given path. PathRemoveBackslash Removes the trailing backslash from a given path.

PathRemoveBlanks Removes all leading and trailing spaces from a string. PathRemoveExtension Removes the file name extension from a path, if one is present.

[!Note]
This function is deprecated. We recommend the use of the PathCchRemoveExtension in its place.

PathRemoveFileSpec Removes the trailing file name and backslash from a path, if they are present.

[!Note]
This function is deprecated. We recommend the use of the PathCchRemoveFileSpec function in its place.

PathRenameExtension Replaces the extension of a file name with a new extension. If the file name does not contain an extension, the extension will be attached to the end of the string.

[!Note]
Misuse of this function can lead to a buffer overrun. We recommend the use of the safer PathCchRenameExtension function in its place.

PathSearchAndQualify Determines if a given path is correctly formatted and fully qualified. PathSetDlgItemPath Sets the text of a child control in a window or dialog box, using PathCompactPath to ensure the path fits in the control. PathSkipRoot Retrieves a pointer to the first character in a path following the drive letter or UNC server/share path elements. PathStripPath Removes the path portion of a fully qualified path and file. PathStripToRoot Removes all file and directory elements in a path except for the root information.

[!Note]
Misuse of this function can lead to a buffer overrun. We recommend the use of the safer PathCchStripToRoot function in its place.

Windows Shell

The Windows UI provides users with access to a wide variety of objects necessary for running applications and managing the operating system. The most numerous and familiar of these objects are the folders and files that reside on computer disk drives. There are also a number of virtual objects that allow the user to perform tasks such as sending files to remote printers or accessing the Recycle Bin. The Shell organizes these objects into a hierarchical namespace and provides users and applications with a consistent and efficient way to access and manage objects.

Shell Development Scenarios

The following development scenarios relate to application development:

• Extending the Shell, which consists of creating a data source (versus consuming the Shell data model)
• Implementing a subset of the Shell data source tasks
• Supporting libraries and item views in Windows Explorer
• Using the common file dialog
• Implementing Control Panel items
• Managing notifications

The following development scenarios relate to file format ownership:

• Implementing a subset of the Shell data source tasks
• Implementing any handler
• Supporting desktop search

The following development scenarios relate to data storage ownership:

• Supporting desktop search and OpenSearch
• Implementing a subset of the Shell data source tasks (virtual folders)
• Supporting libraries in Windows Explorer

The following development scenario relates to device support:

• Auto run and auto play

Windows Shell SDK Documentation

This documentation is broken into three major sections:

• The Shell Developer’s Guide provides conceptual material about how the Shell works and how to use the Shell’s API in your application.
• The Shell Reference section documents programming elements that make up the various Shell APIs.
• Shell Samples provides links to related code samples.

The following table provides an outline of the Shell Reference section. Unless otherwise noted, all programming elements are documented in unmanaged C++.

File path formats on Windows systems

Members of many of the types in the System.IO namespace include a path parameter that lets you specify an absolute or relative path to a file system resource. This path is then passed to Windows file system APIs. This topic discusses the formats for file paths that you can use on Windows systems.

Traditional DOS paths

A standard DOS path can consist of three components:

• A volume or drive letter followed by the volume separator ( : ).
• A directory name. The directory separator character separates subdirectories within the nested directory hierarchy.
• An optional filename. The directory separator character separates the file path and the filename.

If all three components are present, the path is absolute. If no volume or drive letter is specified and the directory name begins with the directory separator character, the path is relative from the root of the current drive. Otherwise, the path is relative to the current directory. The following table shows some possible directory and file paths.

Path	Description
C:\Documents\Newsletters\Summer2018.pdf	An absolute file path from the root of drive C: .
\Program Files\Custom Utilities\StringFinder.exe	An absolute path from the root of the current drive.
2018\January.xlsx	A relative path to a file in a subdirectory of the current directory.
..\Publications\TravelBrochure.pdf	A relative path to file in a directory that is a peer of the current directory.
C:\Projects\apilibrary\apilibrary.sln	An absolute path to a file from the root of drive C: .
C:Projects\apilibrary\apilibrary.sln	A relative path from the current directory of the C: drive.

Note the difference between the last two paths. Both specify the optional volume specifier ( C: in both cases), but the first begins with the root of the specified volume, whereas the second does not. As result, the first is an absolute path from the root directory of drive C: , whereas the second is a relative path from the current directory of drive C: . Use of the second form when the first is intended is a common source of bugs that involve Windows file paths.

You can determine whether a file path is fully qualified (that is, it the path is independent of the current directory and does not change when the current directory changes) by calling the Path.IsPathFullyQualified method. Note that such a path can include relative directory segments ( . and .. ) and still be fully qualified if the resolved path always points to the same location.

The following example illustrates the difference between absolute and relative paths. It assumes that the directory D:\FY2018\ exists, and that you haven’t set any current directory for D:\ from the command prompt before running the example.

If you would like to see code comments translated to languages other than English, let us know in this GitHub discussion issue.

UNC paths

Universal naming convention (UNC) paths, which are used to access network resources, have the following format:

• A server or host name, which is prefaced by \\ . The server name can be a NetBIOS machine name or an IP/FQDN address (IPv4 as well as v6 are supported).
• A share name, which is separated from the host name by \ . Together, the server and share name make up the volume.
• A directory name. The directory separator character separates subdirectories within the nested directory hierarchy.
• An optional filename. The directory separator character separates the file path and the filename.

The following are some examples of UNC paths:

Path	Description
\\system07\C$\	The root directory of the C: drive on system07 .
\\Server2\Share\Test\Foo.txt	The Foo.txt file in the Test directory of the \\Server2\Share volume.

UNC paths must always be fully qualified. They can include relative directory segments ( . and .. ), but these must be part of a fully qualified path. You can use relative paths only by mapping a UNC path to a drive letter.

DOS device paths

The Windows operating system has a unified object model that points to all resources, including files. These object paths are accessible from the console window and are exposed to the Win32 layer through a special folder of symbolic links that legacy DOS and UNC paths are mapped to. This special folder is accessed via the DOS device path syntax, which is one of:

In addition to identifying a drive by its drive letter, you can identify a volume by using its volume GUID. This takes the form:

DOS device path syntax is supported on .NET implementations running on Windows starting with .NET Core 1.1 and .NET Framework 4.6.2.

The DOS device path consists of the following components:

The device path specifier ( \\.\ or \\?\ ), which identifies the path as a DOS device path.

The \\?\ is supported in all versions of .NET Core and .NET 5+ and in .NET Framework starting with version 4.6.2.

A symbolic link to the «real» device object (C: in the case of a drive name, or Volume in the case of a volume GUID).

The first segment of the DOS device path after the device path specifier identifies the volume or drive. (For example, \\?\C:\ and \\.\BootPartition\ .)

There is a specific link for UNCs that is called, not surprisingly, UNC . For example:

For device UNCs, the server/share portion forms the volume. For example, in \\?\server1\e:\utilities\\filecomparer\ , the server/share portion is server1\utilities . This is significant when calling a method such as Path.GetFullPath(String, String) with relative directory segments; it is never possible to navigate past the volume.

DOS device paths are fully qualified by definition. Relative directory segments ( . and .. ) are not allowed. Current directories never enter into their usage.

Example: Ways to refer to the same file

The following example illustrates some of the ways in which you can refer to a file when using the APIs in the System.IO namespace. The example instantiates a FileInfo object and uses its Name and Length properties to display the filename and the length of the file.

Path normalization

Almost all paths passed to Windows APIs are normalized. During normalization, Windows performs the following steps:

• Identifies the path.
• Applies the current directory to partially qualified (relative) paths.
• Canonicalizes component and directory separators.
• Evaluates relative directory components ( . for the current directory and .. for the parent directory).
• Trims certain characters.

This normalization happens implicitly, but you can do it explicitly by calling the Path.GetFullPath method, which wraps a call to the GetFullPathName() function. You can also call the Windows GetFullPathName() function directly using P/Invoke.

Identify the path

The first step in path normalization is identifying the type of path. Paths fall into one of a few categories:

• They are device paths; that is, they begin with two separators and a question mark or period ( \\? or \\. ).
• They are UNC paths; that is, they begin with two separators without a question mark or period.
• They are fully qualified DOS paths; that is, they begin with a drive letter, a volume separator, and a component separator ( C:\ ).
• They designate a legacy device ( CON , LPT1 ).
• They are relative to the root of the current drive; that is, they begin with a single component separator ( \ ).
• They are relative to the current directory of a specified drive; that is, they begin with a drive letter, a volume separator, and no component separator ( C: ).
• They are relative to the current directory; that is, they begin with anything else ( temp\testfile.txt ).

The type of the path determines whether or not a current directory is applied in some way. It also determines what the «root» of the path is.

Handle legacy devices

If the path is a legacy DOS device such as CON , COM1 , or LPT1 , it is converted into a device path by prepending \\.\ and returned.

A path that begins with a legacy device name is always interpreted as a legacy device by the Path.GetFullPath(String) method. For example, the DOS device path for CON.TXT is \\.\CON , and the DOS device path for COM1.TXT\file1.txt is \\.\COM1 .

Apply the current directory

If a path isn’t fully qualified, Windows applies the current directory to it. UNCs and device paths do not have the current directory applied. Neither does a full drive with separator C:\ .

If the path starts with a single component separator, the drive from the current directory is applied. For example, if the file path is \utilities and the current directory is C:\temp\ , normalization produces C:\utilities .

If the path starts with a drive letter, volume separator, and no component separator, the last current directory set from the command shell for the specified drive is applied. If the last current directory was not set, the drive alone is applied. For example, if the file path is D:sources , the current directory is C:\Documents\ , and the last current directory on drive D: was D:\sources\ , the result is D:\sources\sources . These «drive relative» paths are a common source of program and script logic errors. Assuming that a path beginning with a letter and a colon isn’t relative is obviously not correct.

If the path starts with something other than a separator, the current drive and current directory are applied. For example, if the path is filecompare and the current directory is C:\utilities\ , the result is C:\utilities\filecompare\ .

Relative paths are dangerous in multithreaded applications (that is, most applications) because the current directory is a per-process setting. Any thread can change the current directory at any time. Starting with .NET Core 2.1, you can call the Path.GetFullPath(String, String) method to get an absolute path from a relative path and the base path (the current directory) that you want to resolve it against.

Canonicalize separators

All forward slashes ( / ) are converted into the standard Windows separator, the back slash ( \ ). If they are present, a series of slashes that follow the first two slashes are collapsed into a single slash.

Evaluate relative components

As the path is processed, any components or segments that are composed of a single or a double period ( . or .. ) are evaluated:

For a single period, the current segment is removed, since it refers to the current directory.

For a double period, the current segment and the parent segment are removed, since the double period refers to the parent directory.

Parent directories are only removed if they aren’t past the root of the path. The root of the path depends on the type of path. It is the drive ( C:\ ) for DOS paths, the server/share for UNCs ( \\Server\Share ), and the device path prefix for device paths ( \\?\ or \\.\ ).

Trim characters

Along with the runs of separators and relative segments removed earlier, some additional characters are removed during normalization:

If a segment ends in a single period, that period is removed. (A segment of a single or double period is normalized in the previous step. A segment of three or more periods is not normalized and is actually a valid file/directory name.)

If the path doesn’t end in a separator, all trailing periods and spaces (U+0020) are removed. If the last segment is simply a single or double period, it falls under the relative components rule above.

This rule means that you can create a directory name with a trailing space by adding a trailing separator after the space.

You should never create a directory or filename with a trailing space. Trailing spaces can make it difficult or impossible to access a directory, and applications commonly fail when attempting to handle directories or files whose names include trailing spaces.

Skip normalization

Normally, any path passed to a Windows API is (effectively) passed to the GetFullPathName function and normalized. There is one important exception: a device path that begins with a question mark instead of a period. Unless the path starts exactly with \\?\ (note the use of the canonical backslash), it is normalized.

Why would you want to skip normalization? There are three major reasons:

To get access to paths that are normally unavailable but are legal. A file or directory called hidden. , for example, is impossible to access in any other way.

To improve performance by skipping normalization if you’ve already normalized.

On .NET Framework only, to skip the MAX_PATH check for path length to allow for paths that are greater than 259 characters. Most APIs allow this, with some exceptions.

.NET Core and .NET 5+ handles long paths implicitly and does not perform a MAX_PATH check. The MAX_PATH check applies only to .NET Framework.

Skipping normalization and max path checks is the only difference between the two device path syntaxes; they are otherwise identical. Be careful with skipping normalization, since you can easily create paths that are difficult for «normal» applications to deal with.

Paths that start with \\?\ are still normalized if you explicitly pass them to the GetFullPathName function.

You can pass paths of more than MAX_PATH characters to GetFullPathName without \\?\ . It supports arbitrary length paths up to the maximum string size that Windows can handle.

Case and the Windows file system

A peculiarity of the Windows file system that non-Windows users and developers find confusing is that path and directory names are case-insensitive. That is, directory and file names reflect the casing of the strings used when they are created. For example, the method call