GetCurrentDirectory

GetCurrentDirectory is a Microsoft Windows API function that retrieves the current working directory for the calling process. It is provided in Kernel32 and exposed in two character-set variants, GetCurrentDirectoryA (ANSI) and GetCurrentDirectoryW (Unicode). The function is commonly used by applications to determine the base path for relative file operations.

The typical signature is DWORD GetCurrentDirectory(DWORD nBufferLength, LPTSTR lpBuffer), where nBufferLength specifies the size of the buffer, in characters, and lpBuffer receives the directory string. On success the function returns the length, in characters, of the string copied to the buffer, not including the terminating null character. If the buffer is too small, it returns the required buffer size; if the function fails it returns zero and extended error information can be obtained via GetLastError.

Remarks include that the function returns the process current directory and reflects any changes made by SetCurrentDirectory. When nBufferLength is zero, the function returns the size required to hold the path (including the terminating null) without writing to a buffer. Historically path lengths were constrained by MAX_PATH; applications that need longer paths should use Unicode APIs and extended-length path prefixes where supported. Equivalent functionality on POSIX systems is provided by getcwd. Related functions include SetCurrentDirectory, GetFullPathName and GetModuleFileName.