Specifies one or more attributes that apply to a type. Valid type attributes include handle, switch_type, transmit_as; the pointer attribute ref, unique, or ptr; and the usage attributes context_handle, string, and ignore. Separate multiple attributes with commas.
type-specifier
Specifies a base_type, struct, union, or enum type or type identifier. An optional storage specification can precede type-specifier.
declarator and declarator-list
Specify standard C declarators, such as identifiers, pointer declarators, and array declarators. For more information, see pointers and arrays. The declarator-list consists of one or more declarators separated by commas. The parameter-name identifier in the function declarator is optional.
Specifies zero or more field attributes that apply to the structure, union member, or function parameter. Valid field attributes include first_is, last_is, length_is, max_is, size_is; the usage attributes string, ignore, and context_handle, the pointer attribute ref, unique, or ptr, and the union attribute switch_type. Separate multiple field attributes with commas.
function-attribute-list
Specifies zero or more attributes that apply to the function. Valid function attributes are callback, local; the pointer attribute ref, unique, or ptr; and the usage attributes string, ignore, and context_handle.
ptr-decl
Specifies an optional pointer declarator to which the string attribute applies. A pointer declarator is the same as the pointer declarator used in C; it is constructed from the * designator, modifiers such as far, and the qualifier const.
function-name
Specifies the name of the remote procedure.
parameter-attribute-list
Consists of zero or more attributes appropriate for the specified parameter type. Parameter attributes can take the directional attributes in and out; the field attributes first_is, last_is, length_is, max_is, size_is, and switch_type; the pointer attribute ref, unique, or ptr; and the usage attributes context_handle and string. The usage attribute ignore cannot be used as a parameter attribute. Separate multiple attributes with commas.
Examples
/* a string type that can hold up to 80 characters */
typedef [string] char line[81];
HRESULT Proc1([in, string] char * pszName);
Remarks
The string attribute indicates that the one-dimensional char, wchar_t, byte (or equivalent) array or the pointer to such an array must be treated as a string.
The string can also be an array (or a pointer to an array) of constructs whose fields are all of the type "byte."
If the string attribute is used with an array whose bounds are determined at run time, you must also specify a size_is or max_is attribute.
The string attribute cannot be used with attributes that specify the range of transmitted elements, such as first_is, last_is, and length_is.
When used on multidimensional arrays, the string attribute applies to the rightmost array.
To define a counted string, do not use the string attribute. Use a character array or character-based pointer such as the following:
typedef struct {
unsigned short size;
unsigned short length;
[size_is(size), length_is(length)] char string[*];
} counted_string;
The string attribute specifies that the stub should use a language-supplied method to determine the length of strings.
When declaring strings in C, you must allocate space for an extra character that marks the end of the string.