Locale-Sensitive Windows C++ Function

LPTSTR lstrcpy(LPTSTR lpString1, LPTSTR lpString2);

LPSTR lstrcpyA(LPSTR lpString1, LPSTR lpString2);

LPWSTR lstrcpyW(LPWSTR lpString1, LPWSTR lpString2);

Internationalization (I18n) Function Overview

The lstrcpy function copies the string at lpString2 to the buffer pointed to by lpString1, including the terminating null-character. A pointer to lpString1 is returned if the copy is successful; NULL is returned in the event of an error.

lstrcpyA is the narrow version of the function; whose arguments and return are single-byte or multibyte strings.

lstrcpyW is the wide version of the function; with wide-character string arguments and return.

I18n Issues

Use the appropriate version of the function as required for internationalization support, ensuring that lpString1 is large enough to hold lpString2 and the terminating null character for the chosen platform. See Locale-Sensitive Length Functions for a discussion on multibyte and wide character sizes.

Recommended Replacements*

Due to the security risks of this function, consider using a safe string function.

If lstrcpy is called, use the Generic version of the function rather than explicitly calling the narrow or wide versions. lstrcpy will be mapped to lstrcpyW when the program is compiled with the #define UNICODE switch, and to lstrcpyA otherwise. Using the Generic version facilitates switching between an MBCS and UTF-16 Unicode application.

These are shown as the first choices in the following table:

Microsoft Windows MBCS	StringCchCopy/StringCbCopy or lstrcpy or lstrcpyA
Microsoft Windows Unicode	StringCchCopy/StringCbCopy or lstrcpy or lstrcpyW
Microsoft Windows Generic	StringCchCopy/StringCbCopy or lstrcpy

Locale-Sensitive Windows C++ Functions