Re: theApp.ExitInstance(); returns 20 - what does this mean?

From:
"David Ching" <dc@remove-this.dcsoft.com>
Newsgroups:
microsoft.public.vc.mfc
Date:
Sun, 8 Nov 2009 11:04:12 -0800
Message-ID:
<eOvHEZKYKHA.3600@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>
"Mechi" <mechif@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1b276b24-818f-42e2-9557-30b7570a16dd@d10g2000yqh.googlegroups.com...

Hi!
I have a dialog based application. It always exits with 20 - though i
think it should exit with 0.


In a dialog application, you typically show the dialog in InitInstance(),
wait for the DoModal() call to return, then return FALSE from InitInstance()
so your app closes without starting a message pump.

Because you do not override ExitInstance() (and it is not even called) in
this scenario, you don't have the ability to set a proper return code.
Essentially the return code is garbage depending on the last message pumped,
I believe.

Bottom line is if you care about the return code, you can't call DoModal()
in InitInstance() like this. Instead you need to start a message pump so
that ExitInstance is called. This typically means showing a CMainFrame
(perhaps with no menu bar, toolbar, or status bar) containing a CFormView of
your original dialog.

The only thread that is opened is the
GUI/dialog itself. I open and then immediately (afte GUI is
displayed) close the application.

after
    int nResponse = dlg.DoModal();

   CoUninitialize();

I call (just to be able to catch the error):

   int err = theApp.ExitInstance();

err returns = 20.


I don't know how CWinApp::ExitInstance() determines it's return value, but
it doesn't really matter because there is no way for you to then set this
value to the return value of your app.

I traced into thrdcore.cpp, below.

   MSG* AFXAPI AfxGetCurrentMessage()
   {
      _AFX_THREAD_STATE* pState = AfxGetThreadState();
      ASSERT(pState);
      return &(pState->m_msgCur);
   }

There is obviously a thread wtill running - as I saw in the Thread
list:
    3084 __tmainCRTStartup CCamelotSampleApp::InitInstance Normal 0
 2244 Win32 Thread _KiFastSystemCallRet@0 Normal 0

How do I ensure that the GUI thread closes before the application
does?


It does. But you haven't returned from CCamelotSampleApp::InitInstance()
yet when you look at the call stack; you are looking too early.

-- David

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