LPSTARTUPINFO

LPSTARTUPINFO is a Windows API typedef representing a pointer to a STARTUPINFO structure. It is used primarily to supply startup parameters for a new process created with CreateProcess. The LP prefix reflects historical Windows typedefs, and in modern code LPSTARTUPINFO is equivalent to STARTUPINFO*.

The STARTUPINFO structure contains fields that control how a process begins, including window appearance, desktop, title, and standard I/O handles. Key members include the size field (cb), the dwFlags that describe which features are being specified, and optional settings such as wShowWindow and the handles for standard input, output, and error (hStdInput, hStdOutput, hStdError). Additional fields can specify initial window position, size, and console character behavior. The exact layout varies by platform, but the essence is to communicate startup characteristics to the new process.

Usage-wise, a program typically initializes a STARTUPINFO (often zeroed out), sets cb to sizeof(STARTUPINFO), and, if needed, fills dwFlags with flags like STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW or STARTF_USESTDHANDLES. When redirecting I/O, valid handles are assigned to hStdInput, hStdOutput, and hStdError, and the corresponding STARTF flags are set. The pointer to this structure is then passed to CreateProcess via the lpStartupInfo parameter. After the call, the structure itself remains the caller’s responsibility to manage, but the initiated process uses the specified startup parameters for its initial state.

Related concepts include STARTUPINFOEX, which extends STARTUPINFO with attribute lists for more advanced process startup, and the general use of LPSTARTUPINFO in conjunction with process creation functions in the Windows API.