Environment variable expansion for C++

Question

I need to get a %TEMP% environmental variable value string in Windows platform.

If I try to use any methods(C / C++) (getenv (), …) to get this environmental variable, it returns with “~” in that string.

For Example: C:\DOCUME~1\pkp\LOCALS~1\Temp.

But I need to get full string for some reasons, as below:

C:\Documents and Settings\pkp\Local Settings\Temp

If anyone knows any methodology to obtain this, please let me know.

Answer 1

DOCUME~1 is not an environment variable. It is a legacy naming convention from DOS still supported by windows for backward compatibility. Hence there is nothing to 'expand' in the environment variable sense.

Answer 2

Call GetLongPathName() on the short name.

Answer 3

You can use GetTempPath it obliges you to include "windows.h" but I assume you how to do that anyway since you're writing a windows app.