Convert std::string to STRSAFE_LPCWSTR in an utility method - c++

Question

I'm relatively new to C++ and I'm trying out Windows Notification using Win32 API.
This is the method I have:
BOOL Notification::ShowNotification(std::string title, std::string info) {
NOTIFYICONDATA nid = {
sizeof(nid)
};
nid.uFlags = NIF_INFO | NIF_GUID;
nid.guidItem = __uuidof(AppIcon);
nid.dwInfoFlags = NIIF_USER | NIIF_LARGE_ICON;
std::wstring wtitle = std::wstring(title.begin(), title.end());
const wchar_t * wchar_title = (STRSAFE_LPCWSTR) wtitle.c_str();
StringCchCopy(nid.szInfoTitle, sizeof(nid.szInfoTitle), wchar_title);
std::wstring wInfo = std::wstring(info.begin(), info.end());
const wchar_t * wchar_Info = (STRSAFE_LPCWSTR) wInfo.c_str();
StringCchCopy(nid.szInfo, sizeof(nid.szInfo), wchar_Info);
LoadIconMetric(g_hInst, MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDI_NOTIFICATIONICON), LIM_LARGE, & nid.hBalloonIcon);
return Shell_NotifyIcon(NIM_MODIFY, & nid);
}
As you can see, there is duplicate code for converting the string type to STRSAFE_LPCWSTR for the variables title and info. I was thinking of a small utility method that would replace the duplicate code.
Something like this:
void Notification::ConvertToLPCWSTR(std::string input, STRSAFE_LPCWSTR &result)
{
std::wstring wide_string = std::wstring(input.begin(), input.end());
result = (STRSAFE_LPCWSTR)wide_string.c_str();
}
And then use it from the ShowNotification method like this, where wchar_title is passed by reference:
STRSAFE_LPCWSTR wchar_title;
ConvertToLPCWSTR(title, wchar_title);
But it is failing because wide_string variable is stack allocated and it goes out of scope when ConvertToLPCWSTR execution is finished, because of which wchar_title is pointing at deallocated memory.
Anyone know of a good way to fix this ?

Answer 1

You need to move all three lines of the repeated code into a small utility function.
static void Notification::ConvertToLPCWSTR(const std::string& input, LPWSTR result, size_t result_max_size) {
std::wstring wInfo = std::wstring(input.begin(), input.end());
const wchar_t * wchar_Info = (STRSAFE_LPCWSTR) wInfo.c_str();
StringCchCopy(result, result_max_size, wchar_Info);
}
And call like
ConvertToLPCWSTR(info, nid.szInfo, sizeof(nid.szInfo));