Windows / LSTATUS

LSTATUS

The LSTATUS codes are legacy error codes used in some Windows functions. The 'L' in LSTATUS connotates the Windows LONG data type, defined in winreg.h as LONG under WinNT.h. The LONG data type is defined as the C long data type.

Functions returning LSTATUS codes, such as the low-level Windows Registry API (winreg.h), intially introduced in Window 3.1 (1992), and the Windows Shell API (Shlwapi.h), do not seem to set the thread's last error code (for example, using SetLastError), resulting in confusing GetLastError results.

These error codes can also be used directly for FormatMessage with FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM.