IntPtr.Zero Field

Definition

Namespace:

System

Assembly:

System.Runtime.dll

Source:

IntPtr.cs

A read-only field that represents a signed integer that has been initialized to zero.

public: static initonly IntPtr Zero;

public static readonly IntPtr Zero;

 staticval mutable Zero : nativeint

Public Shared ReadOnly Zero As IntPtr 

Field Value

IntPtr

nativeint

Remarks

The value of this field is not equivalent to null. Use this field to efficiently determine whether an instance of IntPtr has been set to a value other than zero.

For example, assume the variable, ip, is an instance of IntPtr. You can determine if it has been set by comparing it to the value returned by a constructor, for example: " if ip != new IntPtr(0)... ". However, invoking a constructor to get an uninitialized pointer is inefficient. It is better to code either " if ip != IntPtr.Zero... ", or " if !IntPtr.Zero.Equals(ip)... ".

When calling the Windows API from managed code, you can pass IntPtr.Zero instead of null if an argument is expected to be either a pointer or a null. For example, the following call to the Windows CreateFile function supplies IntPtr.Zero for the pSecurityAttributes and hTemplateFile argument values.

using Microsoft.Win32.SafeHandles;
using System;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

public class Example
{
   private const uint GENERIC_READ = 0x80000000;
   private const uint OPEN_EXISTING = 3;
   private const uint FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL = 128;
   private const uint FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED = 0x40000000;

   [DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
   private static extern Microsoft.Win32.SafeHandles.SafeFileHandle CreateFile(
            string lpFileName, System.UInt32 dwDesiredAccess, System.UInt32 dwShareMode,
            IntPtr pSecurityAttributes, System.UInt32 dwCreationDisposition,
            System.UInt32 dwFlagsAndAttributes, IntPtr hTemplateFile);

   public static void Main()
   {
      SafeFileHandle hnd = CreateFile("CallOfTheWild.txt", GENERIC_READ, 0,
                                      IntPtr.Zero, OPEN_EXISTING,
                                      FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL | FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED,
                                      IntPtr.Zero);
      if (hnd.IsInvalid) {
            Exception ex = Marshal.GetExceptionForHR(Marshal.GetHRForLastWin32Error());
            Console.WriteLine("Attempt to open file failed:");
            Console.WriteLine("  {0}", ex.Message);
            return;
      }
      else {
         Console.WriteLine("File successfully opened.");
         hnd.Close();
      }
   }
}
// If the file cannot be found, the example displays the following output:
//    Attempt to open file failed:
//      The system cannot find the file specified. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070002)

open Microsoft.Win32.SafeHandles
open System
open System.Runtime.InteropServices

let GENERIC_READ = 0x80000000u
let OPEN_EXISTING = 3u
let FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL = 128u
let FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED = 0x40000000u

[<DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)>]
extern SafeFileHandle CreateFile(
            string lpFileName, uint dwDesiredAccess, uint dwShareMode,
            nativeint pSecurityAttributes, uint dwCreationDisposition,
            uint dwFlagsAndAttributes, nativeint hTemplateFile)

let hnd = 
    CreateFile("CallOfTheWild.txt", GENERIC_READ, 0u,
               IntPtr.Zero, OPEN_EXISTING,
               FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL ||| FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED,
               IntPtr.Zero)

if hnd.IsInvalid then
    let ex = Marshal.GetExceptionForHR(Marshal.GetHRForLastWin32Error())
    printfn $"Attempt to open file failed:\n  {ex.Message}"
else
    printfn "File successfully opened."
    hnd.Close()

// If the file cannot be found, the example displays the following output:
//    Attempt to open file failed:
//      The system cannot find the file specified. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070002)

Imports Microsoft.Win32.SafeHandles
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices

Module Example
   Private Const GENERIC_READ As UInteger = 2147483648
   Private Const OPEN_EXISTING As UInteger = 3 
   Private Const FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL As UInteger = 128
   Private Const FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED As UInteger = &h40000000

   Private Declare Auto Function CreateFile Lib "Kernel32" Alias "CreateFileW" (
            lpFileName As String, dwDesiredAccess As UInt32, 
            dwShareMode As UInt32, pSecurityAttributes As IntPtr, 
            dwCreationDisposition As UInt32, dwFlagsAndAttributes As UInt32, 
            hTemplateFile As IntPtr) As SafeFileHandle

   Public Sub Main()
      Dim hnd As SafeFileHandle = CreateFile("CallOfTheWild.txt", GENERIC_READ, 0, 
                                             IntPtr.Zero, OPEN_EXISTING,
                                             FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL Or FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED, 
                                             IntPtr.Zero)
      If hnd.IsInvalid Then
         Dim ex As Exception = Marshal.GetExceptionForHR(Marshal.GetHRForLastWin32Error())
         Console.WriteLine("Attempt to open file failed:")
         Console.WriteLine("  {0}", ex.Message)
         Return           
      Else 
         Console.WriteLine("File successfully opened.")
         hnd.Close()     
      End If
   End Sub
End Module
' If the file cannot be found, the example displays the following output:
'    Attempt to open file failed:
'      The system cannot find the file specified. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070002)

Note

Although Zero is equivalent to null for Windows API functions with parameters or return values that can be either pointers or null, Zero is not equivalent to null. Passing null to the IntPtr.Zero.Equals method always returns false.

You can also test for a null return value from Windows API function calls that return either a pointer or a null by comparing the returned value with IntPtr.Zero. For example, the call to the GetWindow function in the following example tries to retrieve the handle of a non-existent window. If it were called from unmanaged code, the function would return null, but when it is called from managed code, it returns IntPtr.Zero.

using System;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

public class Example
{
   private const int GW_OWNER = 4;

   [DllImport("user32", CharSet=CharSet.Auto, SetLastError=true, ExactSpelling=true)]
   public static extern IntPtr GetWindow(IntPtr hwnd, int wFlag);

   public static void Main()
   {
      IntPtr hwnd = new IntPtr(3);
      IntPtr hOwner = GetWindow(hwnd, GW_OWNER);
      if (hOwner == IntPtr.Zero)
         Console.WriteLine("Window not found.");
   }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//        Window not found.

open System
open System.Runtime.InteropServices

let GW_OWNER = 4

[<DllImport("user32", CharSet=CharSet.Auto, SetLastError=true, ExactSpelling=true)>]
extern IntPtr GetWindow(nativeint hwnd, int wFlag)

let hwnd = IntPtr 3
let hOwner = GetWindow(hwnd, GW_OWNER)
if hOwner = IntPtr.Zero then
    printfn "Window not found."

// The example displays the following output:
//        Window not found.

Module Example
   Private Const GW_OWNER As Integer = 4

   Private Declare Function GetWindow Lib "user32" (hWnd As IntPtr, 
                            wFlag As Integer) As IntPtr 

   Public Sub Main()
      Dim hwnd = new IntPtr(3)
      Dim hOwner As IntPtr = GetWindow(hwnd, GW_OWNER)
      If hOwner = IntPtr.Zero Then
         Console.WriteLine("Window not found.")
      End If   
   End Sub
End Module
' The example displays the following output:
'       Window not found.