How to convert const std::filesystem::directory_entry to tchar?

Question

I'm trying to convert const std::filesystem::directory_entry (dirent) to tchar but I don't understand how it an be done. I tried a lot of ways. Can you help me?

Edited:

 #include "pch.h"
    #include <memory>
    #include <filesystem>
    #include <algorithm>
    #include <iostream>
    #include <tchar.h>
    #include <string.h>
    typedef wchar_t WCHAR;
    namespace fs = std::filesystem;

    int main() try
    {
        std::for_each(fs::recursive_directory_iterator("./foo/"), {},
            [](fs::directory_entry const& dirent)
        {

                if (fs::is_regular_file(dirent) &&
                    dirent.path().filename() == "black.txt")
                {
                    std::wstring = path.wstring();
                }


        });
    }
    catch (fs::filesystem_error const& e)
    {
        std::cerr << "error: " << e.what() << '\n';
    }

There's no filesystem function that converts to a TCHAR. I'd recommend avoiding TCHAR (which only exists so you can cross compile for Windows 95 and Windows XP, hardly an important concern any more). Better these days to use wide characters, WCHAR in Windows. Then you can just do `wcscpy(path, dirent.c_str());` There's nothing you can do with TCHAR that you can't do with the equivalent WCHAR routine, so TCHAR really isn't needed any more. — john, Aug 09 '19 at 10:05
I just added typedef wchar_t WCHAR; and replaced TCHAR to WCHAR path[_MAX_PATH]; wcscpy(path, dirent.c_str()); but it says: error C2039: 'c_str': is not a member of 'std::filesystem::directory_entry' — Pranciskus, Aug 09 '19 at 10:15

rubenvb · Accepted Answer · 2019-08-09T14:01:29.223

1

You can convert std::filesystem::path to any form using these functions:

std::string string() const;
std::wstring wstring() const;
std::u16string u16string() const;
std::u32string u32string() const;

TCHAR is somewhat of a relic as mentioned in the comments, and you're much better off using any of the above alternatives.

If you're going to pass it to Win32 API functions, I would either suggest using wstring explicitly and not bother with the shape-shifting TCHAR at all.

What your code should look like is this:

if (fs::is_regular_file(dirent) &&
    dirent.path().filename() == "black.txt")
{    
    std::wstring path_as_string = path.wstring();
}

No TCHAR, no C-style arrays no C-style memory copying.

edited Aug 09 '19 at 14:01

answered Aug 09 '19 at 11:43

rubenvb

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I have opened this link before, and it only refers to what types I can convert or I don't understand something. I don't understand how it looks like in code. – Pranciskus Aug 09 '19 at 12:06
Still underlined red "=" says: expected indentifier and "path" is undefined. Look to the edited code above – Pranciskus Aug 09 '19 at 13:55
Right, forgot identifier name. Should be fixed now. – rubenvb Aug 09 '19 at 14:01
"Path" is still undefined somehow – Pranciskus Aug 09 '19 at 14:05
If std::wstring path_as_string = dirent.path.wstring(); then error C2228: left of '.wstring' must have class/struct/union – Pranciskus Aug 09 '19 at 14:10

How to convert const std::filesystem::directory_entry to tchar?

1 Answers1