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FWP_E_NULL_DISPLAY_NAME
FWP_E_NULL_DISPLAY_NAME — 0x80320023
This code places the first failure in WFP display metadata. Operationally, the WFP object lacks the required human-readable name in FWPM_DISPLAY_DATA0 for an operation that requires it.
Meaning in the subsystem
A Windows Filtering Platform management call is defined by the exact FWPM structure revision, layer, sublayer, action, conditions, provider context, and BFE transaction. Zero-initialization and backing-buffer lifetime matter because the engine validates the submitted object graph, not the caller’s high-level intent.
Do not collapse this result into a nearby status. The filterKey may be generated when zero, but the display name has its own required contract for the affected object. Compare lifecycle, identity, caller, and first API.
Minimum useful evidence
| Preserve before changing state | Diagnostic value |
|---|---|
| Object type, displayData. Name, description, localization source, and lifetime | Creates a stable before/after control. |
| FWPM_FILTER0/provider/sublayer/callout structure passed to the add API | Tests whether the first boundary moves. |
| Whether an empty string or null pointer was produced by configuration parsing | Pins evidence to one attempt. |
| BFE transaction state and generated object key | Separates contract failure from environment. |
The goal is reproducibility, not a full data dump. Prefer object IDs, configuration exports, event correlation, and redacted paths over credentials, cryptographic material, or user content.
Isolate the responsible condition
- Supply a stable nonempty name while keeping all filtering semantics unchanged; keep every other input fixed and record the first event that differs from the failing run.
- Test localization/resource failure separately from object creation; use a disposable or backed-up environment when the comparison changes boot, security, device, queue, or encryption state.
- Enumerate the committed object and verify its display metadata; retain one negative control so that a broad workaround is not mistaken for a root-cause correction.
Do not use repeated retries as the primary test. In this case, a successful later attempt may reflect a new object, refreshed policy, restarted service, different token, or completed background transition, so record exactly what changed between attempts.
Avoid the common misdiagnosis
Use the outcomes to narrow the failing layer rather than to accumulate unrelated fixes:
| Observed result | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| The minimal or known-good comparison succeeds | The control works; inspect production-specific state. |
| The control fails at the same first operation | The control also fails; inspect host/provider evidence. |
| A new HRESULT marks another boundary | this boundary moved; diagnose the new status separately rather than treating it as confirmation that the entire operation is fixed. |
Regression proof
A defensible correction is specific to the evidence: Populate an operator-meaningful stable name and keep the backing string valid for the duration of the call. Preserve the pre-change configuration or trace.
Close the incident only when objects can be enumerated and distinguished by name after restart, while a null-name control remains rejected. Repeat under the original identity and state. A different environment is comparison, not proof.
Technical references
These references define the HRESULT family and subsystem contract used above:
- Microsoft Open Specifications: HRESULT values.
- Microsoft: Windows Filtering Platform.
- Microsoft: FWPM_FILTER0.
- Microsoft: FwpmFilterAdd0.
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