https://github.com/dacap/safedlgs

Proof of concept to avoid random crashes from the Windows file dialog
https://github.com/dacap/safedlgs

crash file-dialog win32 windows

Last synced: 2 months ago
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Proof of concept to avoid random crashes from the Windows file dialog

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/dacap/safedlgs
• Owner: dacap
• License: mit
• Created: 2024-10-15T21:19:32.000Z (over 1 year ago)
• Default Branch: main
• Last Pushed: 2024-11-25T23:02:12.000Z (over 1 year ago)
• Last Synced: 2026-03-12T06:58:11.936Z (3 months ago)
• Topics: crash, file-dialog, win32, windows
• Language: C
• Homepage:
• Size: 55.7 KB
• Stars: 2
• Watchers: 1
• Forks: 0
• Open Issues: 0
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • License: LICENSE.txt

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README

          
# safedlgs

> This is a proof of concept. Use this code as [you wish](LICENSE.txt).

There is no safe way to use the standard file dialog to open/save

files on Windows. What does this mean? It looks like there are several

`comctl32.dll` implementations, and some third-party Windows IME

(Input Method Editors) that can crash your application just by using

the standard file dialog from Windows.

As the file dialog contains a `EDIT` control, it opens a full range of

possible bugs/crashes when a third-party IME is configured. Which

means that just opening the file selector is a potential source of

crashes for your application.

One possible way to fix this is using a background process just to

open the file dialog. If the process crashes, we can reopen it, even

using the last location where the crash was produced.

## Demo

This project includes the following programs:

* `dlgs.exe`: Shows the native Windows file dialog using the

  [IFileDialog](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/shell/common-file-dialog)

  interface. This process can crash. Each time the user changes to

  other folder, it prints that folder to STDOUT, so we can re-open the

  file dialog in the last location.

* `test.exe`: Wrapper that (re-)executes `dlgs.exe`. This process

  shouldn't crash, if it detects that `dlgs.exe` crashed, it just

  re-open it in the last visited location.

The `dlgs.exe` will show the native file dialog with an extra "Crash

Process" button just to test how it works in case of crash:

![Screen Shot](images/screenshot.png)

## Crashes

You can find some stack traces in the [CRASHES](CRASHES.md) file

about real world Windows and IME bugs out there.

## License

This project is released under the terms of the MIT license. Read

[LICENSE](LICENSE.txt) for more information.