[Windows 8.1 and latter] warning C4996: deprecated GetVersionExA

[matlo607]

I would like to get rid of C4996 ([Microsoft] GetVersionEx function) triggered by VS2013, VS2015 and VS2017.

StackWalker.cpp
     3>C:\Users\mlongo\.conan\data\StackWalker\master\murex\testing\build\e0a02d496bbb652b6295152dfce0d3937acc0b56\StackWalker-master\Main\StackWalker\StackWalker.cpp(1045): warning C4127: conditional expression is constant [C:\Users\mlongo\.conan\data\StackWalker\mas
       ter\murex\testing\build\e0a02d496bbb652b6295152dfce0d3937acc0b56\StackWalker.vcxproj]
     3>C:\Users\mlongo\.conan\data\StackWalker\master\murex\testing\build\e0a02d496bbb652b6295152dfce0d3937acc0b56\StackWalker-master\Main\StackWalker\StackWalker.cpp(1407): warning C4996: 'GetVersionExA': was declared deprecated [C:\Users\mlongo\.conan\data\StackWalk
       er\master\murex\testing\build\e0a02d496bbb652b6295152dfce0d3937acc0b56\StackWalker.vcxproj]

I replaced GetVersionEx by RtlGetVersion (available starting with Windows 2000). It should not create compatibility issues.
It displays now a good value: OS-Version: 10.0.16299 0x100-0x1 vs GetVersionExA OS-Version: 6.2.9200 () 0x100-0x1
I am not sure about using _MSC_VER to choose this piece of code instead of the old one. The best may be to check NT version at build time. Any idea ?
Do you think this fix could trigger an issue on old Windows versions ?

[JochenKalmbach]

We should check for _WIN32_WINNT > _WIN32_WINNT_NT4 to use the new function… are you sure this is available from w2k? I do not believe this…. it is in w2k, but only in the kernel lib… so you need to have rtlver.lib... this lib is not available in all VS versions…
See also: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/ddi/content/wdm/nf-wdm-rtlisntddiversionavailable
I assume it is available for Windows Vista and later... so we should check _WIN32_WINNT >= 0x0600 (_WIN32_WINNT_VISTA)

See: https://docs.microsoft.com/de-de/cpp/porting/modifying-winver-and-win32-winnt

[matlo607]

I am sorry, I am a unix guy so not very familiar with Windows development. The situation is a bit confusing for me.
From what I can read in the doc, OSVERSIONINFOEXA, OSVERSIONINFOA and GetVersionExA() are available since Windows 2000. Why do we have 2 cases (_MSC_VER <= 1200 and _MSC_VER < 1800) with GetVersionExA() ?

it is in w2k, but only in the kernel lib… so you need to have rtlver.lib... this lib is not available in all VS versions…
See also: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/ddi/content/wdm/nf-wdm-rtlisntddiversionavailable

A kernel lib should be available with the OS and not bundled within VS. Am I wrong ?
Please could you explain me in more details ?

[JochenKalmbach]

It is a little bit complicated....
Windows OS contains the function since w2k.
But tge win32 API (which is a subsystem in windows) does not provide an API (or better/ LIB) dor accessing it....
The function was only available if you have installed the WDK (Windows Driver Kit). Then you have to reference a special lib (rtlver.lib). This lib is not part of your VS installation.
Starting with Windows Vista they asded this function to the Win32 SDK; there is no need for rtlver.lib again. And the SDK is installed wirh VS.
This is the reason why I would suggest to use both variant dependend of the target system of the compiling application. This is defined by the above macro. If the macro is equal or same as Windows Viata, we can assume that the VS and SDK contains the function in the Win32 SDK.
We should never try to use the rtlver.lib file because this is normally not installed...

[JochenKalmbach]

It is a little bit complicated....
Windows OS contains the function since w2k.
But tge win32 API (which is a subsystem in windows) does not provide an API (or better/ LIB) dor accessing it....
The function was only available if you have installed the WDK (Windows Driver Kit). Then you have to reference a special lib (rtlver.lib). This lib is not part of your VS installation.
Starting with Windows Vista they asded this function to the Win32 SDK; there is no need for rtlver.lib again. And the SDK is installed wirh VS.
This is the reason why I would suggest to use both variant dependend of the target system of the compiling application. This is defined by the above macro. If the macro is equal or same as Windows Viata, we can assume that the VS and SDK contains the function in the Win32 SDK.
We should never try to use the rtlver.lib file because this is normally not installed...

[matlo607]

Ok so first question, is SDKDDKVer.h available in all versions of Visual Studio ?
Here are the pages summing up the platforms supported by:

• Visual Studio 2013: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/productinfo/vs2013-compatibility-vs
• Visual Studio 2015: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/productinfo/vs2015-compatibility-vs
• Visual Studio 2017: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/productinfo/vs2015-compatibility-vs

All of them support XP. If I compile the code with XP SDK and VS2017, it should be okay using RtlGetVersion, isn't it ?

[JochenKalmbach]

We just use
_WIN32_WINNT >= 0x0600
which is available in all compuler settings starting from NT... so no need to include anything special

[matlo607]

@JochenKalmbach, could you please review again this PR ?

[matlo607]

Hello @JochenKalmbach,
Any comment about this PR ?

[JochenKalmbach]

You now introduce STL code into project, which was not used until now… I am not happy about these changes...

[matlo607]

Hello @JochenKalmbach,
I will remove the last commit using STL.
Why do you want not to use STL whereas C++ is already used in the project and the only platform targeted by the project is Windows (where STL is supported) ?

[matlo607]

Hello @JochenKalmbach,
Please could you tell me why introducing STL code into the project is bothering you ?

[JochenKalmbach]

It is just a feeling… adding the dependency to STL for a little function… 100% of the code currently is not dependend to STL... now for 1% of the code we add this dependency… it is just a feeling...