pinvoke.net: Edit: ntdll.NtQueryInformationFile

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Summary: TODO - a short description

!!!!C# Signature:
 [DllImport("ntdll.dll", SetLastError=true)] static extern IntPtr NtQueryInformationFile(IntPtr fileHandle, ref IO_STATUS_BLOCK IoStatusBlock, IntPtr pInfoBlock, uint length, FILE_INFORMATION_CLASS fileInformation); 
!!!!VB Signature:
 Declare Function NtQueryInformationFile Lib "ntdll.dll" (ByVal fileHandle As IntPtr, ByRef IoStatusBlock As IO_STATUS_BLOCK, ByVal pInfoBlock As IntPtr, ByVal length As UInteger, ByVal fileInformation As FILE_INFORMATION_CLASS) As IntPtr

!!!!VB User-Defined Types:

Structure IO_STATUS_BLOCK
            Dim status As UInteger
            Dim information As ULong
        End Structure

Enum FILE_INFORMATION_CLASS
            FileDirectoryInformation = 1
            FileFullDirectoryInformation
            FileBothDirectoryInformation
            FileBasicInformation
            FileStandardInformation
            FileInternalInformation
            FileEaInformation
            FileAccessInformation
            FileNameInformation
            FileRenameInformation
            FileLinkInformation
            FileNamesInformation
            FileDispositionInformation
            FilePositionInformation
            FileFullEaInformation
            FileModeInformation = 16
            FileAlignmentInformation
            FileAllInformation
            FileAllocationInformation
            FileEndOfFileInformation
            FileAlternateNameInformation
            FileStreamInformation
            FilePipeInformation
            FilePipeLocalInformation
            FilePipeRemoteInformation
            FileMailslotQueryInformation
            FileMailslotSetInformation
            FileCompressionInformation
            FileObjectIdInformation
            FileCompletionInformation
            FileMoveClusterInformation
            FileQuotaInformation
            FileReparsePointInformation
            FileNetworkOpenInformation
            FileAttributeTagInformation
            FileTrackingInformation
            FileIdBothDirectoryInformation
            FileIdFullDirectoryInformation
            FileValidDataLengthInformation
            FileShortNameInformation
            FileHardLinkInformation = 46
        End Enum

!!!!C# User-Defined Types:

struct IO_STATUS_BLOCK
        {
            uint status;
            ulong information;
        }

enum FILE_INFORMATION_CLASS
        {
            FileDirectoryInformation = 1,     // 1
            FileFullDirectoryInformation,     // 2
            FileBothDirectoryInformation,     // 3
            FileBasicInformation,             // 4
            FileStandardInformation,          // 5
            FileInternalInformation,          // 6
            FileEaInformation,                // 7
            FileAccessInformation,            // 8
            FileNameInformation,              // 9
            FileRenameInformation,            // 10
            FileLinkInformation,              // 11
            FileNamesInformation,             // 12
            FileDispositionInformation,       // 13
            FilePositionInformation,          // 14
            FileFullEaInformation,            // 15
            FileModeInformation = 16,         // 16
            FileAlignmentInformation,         // 17
            FileAllInformation,               // 18
            FileAllocationInformation,        // 19
            FileEndOfFileInformation,         // 20
            FileAlternateNameInformation,     // 21
            FileStreamInformation,            // 22
            FilePipeInformation,              // 23
            FilePipeLocalInformation,         // 24
            FilePipeRemoteInformation,        // 25
            FileMailslotQueryInformation,     // 26
            FileMailslotSetInformation,       // 27
            FileCompressionInformation,       // 28
            FileObjectIdInformation,          // 29
            FileCompletionInformation,        // 30
            FileMoveClusterInformation,       // 31
            FileQuotaInformation,             // 32
            FileReparsePointInformation,      // 33
            FileNetworkOpenInformation,       // 34
            FileAttributeTagInformation,      // 35
            FileTrackingInformation,          // 36
            FileIdBothDirectoryInformation,   // 37
            FileIdFullDirectoryInformation,   // 38
            FileValidDataLengthInformation,   // 39
            FileShortNameInformation,         // 40
            FileHardLinkInformation=46        // 46	
        }

!!!!Alternative Managed API:
Do you know one?  Please contribute it!

!!!!Notes:

!!!!Tips & Tricks:
Please add some!

!!!!Sample Code:

// Copyright (C) Alex Shvedov
// Feel free to use this sample code in any way you want.

using System;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;	// for DllImport and friends
using Microsoft.Win32.SafeHandles;		// for SafeHandle

using System.Collections.Generic;		// for ParseFileAttributes helper function (List<FileAttributes>) only

using System.IO;						// for test main (FileStream) only
using System.Text;						// for test main (Encoding) only
using System.Threading;					// for test main (Thread.Sleep) only
using System.Diagnostics;				// for test main (Trace.Write[Line]) only

public class Nt {
	#region interops

struct IO_STATUS_BLOCK {
		internal uint status;
		internal ulong information;
	}
	enum FILE_INFORMATION_CLASS {
		FileDirectoryInformation = 1,		// 1
		FileFullDirectoryInformation,		// 2
		FileBothDirectoryInformation,		// 3
		FileBasicInformation,			// 4
		FileStandardInformation,		// 5
		FileInternalInformation,		// 6
		FileEaInformation,			// 7
		FileAccessInformation,			// 8
		FileNameInformation,			// 9
		FileRenameInformation,			// 10
		FileLinkInformation,			// 11
		FileNamesInformation,			// 12
		FileDispositionInformation,		// 13
		FilePositionInformation,		// 14
		FileFullEaInformation,			// 15
		FileModeInformation = 16,		// 16
		FileAlignmentInformation,		// 17
		FileAllInformation,			// 18
		FileAllocationInformation,		// 19
		FileEndOfFileInformation,		// 20
		FileAlternateNameInformation,		// 21
		FileStreamInformation,			// 22
		FilePipeInformation,			// 23
		FilePipeLocalInformation,		// 24
		FilePipeRemoteInformation,		// 25
		FileMailslotQueryInformation,		// 26
		FileMailslotSetInformation,		// 27
		FileCompressionInformation,		// 28
		FileObjectIdInformation,		// 29
		FileCompletionInformation,		// 30
		FileMoveClusterInformation,		// 31
		FileQuotaInformation,			// 32
		FileReparsePointInformation,		// 33
		FileNetworkOpenInformation,		// 34
		FileAttributeTagInformation,		// 35
		FileTrackingInformation,		// 36
		FileIdBothDirectoryInformation,		// 37
		FileIdFullDirectoryInformation,		// 38
		FileValidDataLengthInformation,		// 39
		FileShortNameInformation,		// 40
		FileHardLinkInformation = 46		// 46    
	}
	[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Explicit)]
	struct FILE_BASIC_INFORMATION {
		[FieldOffset(0)]
		internal long CreationTime;
		[FieldOffset(8)]
		internal long LastAccessTime;
		[FieldOffset(16)]
		internal long LastWriteTime;
		[FieldOffset(24)]
		internal long ChangeTime;
		[FieldOffset(32)]
		internal ulong FileAttributes;
	}
	[DllImport("ntdll.dll", SetLastError = true)]
	static extern IntPtr NtQueryInformationFile(SafeFileHandle fileHandle, ref IO_STATUS_BLOCK IoStatusBlock, IntPtr pInfoBlock, uint length, FILE_INFORMATION_CLASS fileInformation);

#endregion interops
	#region converter of bit-wise file attributes into a list

public static List<FileAttributes> ParseFileAttributes(ulong fileAttributes) {
		List<FileAttributes> listOfFileAttributesPresent = new List<FileAttributes>();
		FileAttributes[] allPossibleValues = new FileAttributes[] {		// per definition of FileAttributes
			FileAttributes.ReadOnly,
			FileAttributes.Hidden,
			FileAttributes.System,
			FileAttributes.Directory,
			FileAttributes.Archive,
			FileAttributes.Device,
			FileAttributes.Normal,
			FileAttributes.Temporary,
			FileAttributes.SparseFile,
			FileAttributes.ReparsePoint,
			FileAttributes.Compressed,
			FileAttributes.Offline,
			FileAttributes.NotContentIndexed,
			FileAttributes.Encrypted,
		};
		foreach(FileAttributes currentFileAttribute in allPossibleValues) {
			if((fileAttributes & (ulong)currentFileAttribute) != 0) {
				listOfFileAttributesPresent.Add(currentFileAttribute);
			}
		}
		return listOfFileAttributesPresent;
	}

#endregion converter of bit-wise file attributes into a list
	#region change time available only thru NtQueryInformationFile and only on NTFS volume

public static bool GetFourFileTimes(string path2file,
			out DateTime creationTime, out DateTime lastAccessTime, out DateTime lastWriteTime, out DateTime changeTime, out ulong fileAttributes, out string errMsg) {
		bool brc = false;
		creationTime = default(DateTime);
		lastAccessTime = default(DateTime);
		lastWriteTime = default(DateTime);
		changeTime = default(DateTime);
		errMsg = string.Empty;
		fileAttributes = 0;
		IntPtr p_fbi = IntPtr.Zero;
		try {
			FILE_BASIC_INFORMATION fbi = new FILE_BASIC_INFORMATION();
			IO_STATUS_BLOCK iosb = new IO_STATUS_BLOCK();
			using(FileStream fs = new FileStream(path2file, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read, FileShare.Read)) {
				p_fbi = Marshal.AllocHGlobal(Marshal.SizeOf(fbi));
				IntPtr iprc = NtQueryInformationFile(fs.SafeFileHandle, ref iosb, p_fbi, (uint)Marshal.SizeOf(fbi), FILE_INFORMATION_CLASS.FileBasicInformation);
				brc = iprc == IntPtr.Zero && iosb.status == 0;
				if(brc) {
					brc = false;
					fbi = (FILE_BASIC_INFORMATION)Marshal.PtrToStructure(p_fbi, typeof(FILE_BASIC_INFORMATION));
					creationTime = DateTime.FromFileTime(fbi.CreationTime);
					lastAccessTime = DateTime.FromFileTime(fbi.LastAccessTime);
					lastWriteTime = DateTime.FromFileTime(fbi.LastWriteTime);
					changeTime = DateTime.FromFileTime(fbi.ChangeTime);
					fileAttributes = fbi.FileAttributes;
					brc = true;
				}
			}
		} catch(Exception ex) {
			brc = false;				// JIC
			errMsg = ex.Message;
		} finally {
			if(p_fbi != IntPtr.Zero) { Marshal.FreeHGlobal(p_fbi); }
		}
		return brc;
	}

#endregion change time available only thru NtQueryInformationFile and only on NTFS volume
	#region test main

static void Main(string[] args) {
		// create a test file:
		string path2file = "test.fle";
		string contents = "contents of test.fle";
		Trace.WriteLine("path2file=" + path2file);
		using(FileStream fs = File.Create(path2file)) {
			fs.Write(Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(contents), 0, Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(contents).Length);
		}
		FileAttributes fileAttributesBefore = File.GetAttributes(path2file);
		Trace.Write("fileAttributesBefore=");
		foreach(FileAttributes fa1 in Nt.ParseFileAttributes((ulong)fileAttributesBefore)) {
			Trace.Write(fa1.ToString() + " ");
		}
		Trace.WriteLine("");

// wait a little (1.5 sec) and modify test file attributes:
		Thread.Sleep(1500);
		File.SetAttributes(path2file, FileAttributes.Normal);

Trace.WriteLine("");

// run the test:
		DateTime creationTime, lastAccessTime, lastWriteTime, changeTime;
		ulong fileAttributesAfter;
		string errMsg;
		bool brc = false;
		brc = Nt.GetFourFileTimes(path2file, out creationTime, out lastAccessTime, out lastWriteTime, out changeTime, out fileAttributesAfter, out errMsg);

// print results:
		if(!brc) {
			Trace.WriteLine("Error: " + errMsg);
		} else {
			Trace.Write("fileAttributesAfter=");
			foreach(FileAttributes fa1 in Nt.ParseFileAttributes(fileAttributesAfter)) {
				Trace.Write(fa1.ToString() + " ");
			}
			Trace.WriteLine("");
			Trace.WriteLine("lastWriteTime= " + lastWriteTime.ToString("o"));
			Trace.WriteLine("creationTime=  " + creationTime.ToString("o"));
			Trace.WriteLine("lastAccessTime=" + lastAccessTime.ToString("o"));
			Trace.WriteLine("changeTime=    " + changeTime.ToString("o"));
		}
	}
	//		sample printout:
	//path2file=test.fle
	//fileAttributesBefore=Archive

//fileAttributesAfter=Normal 
	//lastWriteTime= 2011-03-13T13:40:46.1003635-04:00
	//creationTime=  2011-03-13T13:35:17.3413635-04:00
	//lastAccessTime=2011-03-13T13:40:04.8263635-04:00
	//changeTime=    2011-03-13T13:40:47.6083635-04:00

#endregion test main
}

Documentation: NtQueryInformationFile@msdn on MSDN 
For FILE_INFORMATION_CLASS, see: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc232064.aspx