strcpy_s vs StringCchCopy

Question

3.20/5 (4 votes)

See more:

Dear Gurus,

Can anyone please explain the difference between strcpy_s and StringCchCopy?

I would also like to know the difference between the functions found in StrSafe.h and the other safe string functions like wcscpy_s etc.

Please advice which function is best to use.

Thanks in advance.

Posted 17-Mar-11 3:50am

Ryan Zahra

Updated 17-Mar-11 4:17am

v2

Add a Solution

4 solutions

Solution 2

They both do the same thing. strcpy_s is standard C, and the other is ~~MFC~~ a native Windows API.

Google really does work. Try this link:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms646979(v=VS.85).aspx[^]

Posted 17-Mar-11 4:09am

#realJSOP

Updated 17-Mar-11 7:52am

v2

Comments

Ryan Zahra 17-Mar-11 10:11am

Agreed, but which should I use? Which one is the best?

#realJSOP 17-Mar-11 13:52pm

Whatever blows up your skirt.

Emilio Garavaglia 17-Mar-11 13:53pm

We don't have their respective sources, but I'll not be surprised if we found that one just calls the other!

#realJSOP 17-Mar-11 13:54pm

Please don't edit my posts. If there's a mistake, let me know, and I'll edit it.

Emilio Garavaglia 17-Mar-11 16:46pm

Now you know ...

Solution 1

strcpy_s is the secure version of strcpy :

the secure functions do not prevent or correct security errors; rather, they catch errors when they occur. They perform additional checks for error conditions, and in the case of an error, they invoke an error handler

while StringCchCopy is a replacement for the following functions :

* strcpy, wcscpy, _tcscpy
* lstrcpy
* StrCpy

Posted 17-Mar-11 4:05am

Piccadilly Yum Yum

Comments

Ryan Zahra 17-Mar-11 10:08am

According to MSDN both functions are secure. See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms647466(v=VS.85).aspx

Add a Solution

Add your solution here

Treat my content as plain text, not as HTML

Preview 0

…

Existing Members

Sign in to your account

...or Join us

Download, Vote, Comment, Publish.

Your Email
Password
Forgot your password?

Your Email
This email is in use. Do you need your password?
Optional Password

I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Please subscribe me to the CodeProject newsletters

When answering a question please:

Read the question carefully.
Understand that English isn't everyone's first language so be lenient of bad spelling and grammar.
If a question is poorly phrased then either ask for clarification, ignore it, or edit the question and fix the problem. Insults are not welcome.
Don't tell someone to read the manual. Chances are they have and don't get it. Provide an answer or move on to the next question.

Let's work to help developers, not make them feel stupid.

This content, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)

Nemanja Trifunovic · Accepted Answer · 2011-03-17T04:20:00

Solution 3

If you really want to use the "safe" ones (they are not really safe, and are slow), I'd go with strcpy_s. It is provided with CRT, whereas StringCchCopy depends on Windows version - it is supported only in XP SP2 and above.

Posted 17-Mar-11 4:20am

Nemanja Trifunovic

Comments

Ryan Zahra 17-Mar-11 10:27am

In my case, support is not a problem as I'm using this for Windows Server 2003 SP2 and over. In your opinion, which function should I use and why?

Kurt Degiorgio · Accepted Answer · 2011-03-17T04:42:00

Solution 4

Both Versions are "Sercure".
I personally prefer the "StringCchCopy" versions since they are cleaner and more consistent then the *_S versions.

Regards,

K,D

Posted 17-Mar-11 4:42am

Kurt Degiorgio

v2