OutputDebugString Function

OutputDebugString Function

Sends a string to the debugger for display.

Syntax

C++

void WINAPI OutputDebugString(
  __in_opt  LPCTSTR lpOutputString
);

Parameters

lpOutputString [in, optional]

The null-terminated string to be displayed.

Return Value

This function does not return a value.

Remarks

If the application has no debugger, the system debugger displays the string if the filter mask allows it. (Note that this function calls the DbgPrint function to display the string. For details on how the filter mask controls what the system debugger displays, see the DbgPrint function in the Windows Driver Kit on MSDN.) If the application has no debugger and the system debugger is not active, OutputDebugString does nothing.

Prior to Windows Vista:  The system debugger does not filter content.

OutputDebugStringW converts the specified string based on the current system locale information and passes it to OutputDebugStringA to be displayed. As a result, some Unicode characters may not be displayed correctly.

Applications should send very minimal debug output and provide a way for the user to enable or disable its use. To provide more detailed tracing, see Event Tracing.

Requirements

Minimum supported client	Windows 2000 Professional
Minimum supported server	Windows 2000 Server
Header	Winbase.h (include Windows.h)
Library	Kernel32.lib
DLL	Kernel32.dll
Unicode and ANSI names	OutputDebugStringW (Unicode) and OutputDebugStringA (ANSI)