How to convert a std::string to an LPCWSTR in c++?

[MasterHacker110]

I am getting an error when i try to compile this code

int StartProgram(string sProgramName){      
ShellExecute(NULL, NULL, sProgramName, NULL, NULL, SW_SHOW);
}

[deceptikon]

If you're using LPCWSTR in the first place, you should also be using std::wstring rather than std::string. Then you can just use the c_str() method from std::wstring directly. It's certainly possible to convert the latter into the former, but it's fair to say that not having to do a conversion is the better option if you can manage it:

#include <string>
#include <vector>
#include <Windows.h>

namespace strings {
    std::wstring widen(const std::string& s)
    {
        std::vector<wchar_t> buf(MultiByteToWideChar(CP_ACP, 0, s.c_str(), s.size() + 1, 0, 0));

        MultiByteToWideChar(CP_ACP, 0, s.c_str(), s.size() + 1, &buf[0], buf.size());

        return std::wstring(&buf[0]);
    }
}

[RonalBertogi]

But, in continuation to deceptikon's reply, if you just want to be able to call ShellExecute while enabling you to pass your sProgramName variable as an argument, you can use its ANSI version without much hassles, e. g. ShellExecuteA(NULL, NULL, &sProgramName[0], NULL, NULL, SW_SHOW);

[triumphost]

std::string From = "From String";

std::wstring To(From.begin(), From.end());

LPCWSTR Last = To.c_str();

[CodeAngry]

The problem is that we need to know if the std::string() holds the Windows CP or UTF8, or something else... Decoding is different for each codepage. Also look into std::wstring_convert for UTF8.

@triumphost's solution is unsafe in regards to multibyte std::string.

[MasterHacker110]

Thanks again 'deceptikon'