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| DISP_E_BUFFERTOOSMALL | TYPE_E_FIELDNOTFOUND |
TYPE_E_BUFFERTOOSMALL
Type-information buffer is too small
TYPE_E_BUFFERTOOSMALL is HRESULT 2147647510 (0x80028016) from winerror.h. The documented description is “Buffer too small.” The value must be interpreted at type-library, record-information, or type-description API writing into caller-supplied storage.
The capacity passed to the type-information operation is insufficient for the complete metadata value.
Where the result appears
- This result belongs to type-library and metadata processing around type-library, record-information, or type-description API writing into caller-supplied storage.
- Identify the LIBID, major/minor version, LCID, SYSKIND, file path, resource ID, and the specific ITypeLib or ITypeInfo operation.
- Metadata consumers should treat this result as a contract-version or construction problem until file integrity, registry view, import dependencies, TYPEKIND, and builder phase are verified.
Typical causes and interpretation
Common cause categories are: the caller uses a fixed buffer; encoding units are wrong; metadata grew; terminator or alignment is omitted.
Evidence to preserve
- Record the HRESULT with the type-library path and hash, LIBID and version, LCID, architecture, source package, and producer toolchain.
- Capture API name; supplied and required capacity; byte versus character units; type library version; partial output behavior.
- Retain the exact type, member, field, name, MEMBERID, HREFTYPE, TYPEKIND, or registry path involved in the failing operation.
- When the failure occurs during type-library generation, record construction order, imported libraries, layout/finalization state, and output TLB hash.
- After the failing call, release TYPEATTR, FUNCDESC, VARDESC, BSTR, and interface resources using the matching API even when parsing or lookup fails.
A useful diagnostic event contains ownership and shape information, not raw documents, passwords, access tokens, or full Automation values.
Diagnostic sequence
- Capture the HRESULT (0x80028016) before a compiler, importer, or language runtime reduces the value to a generic metadata error.
- Verify the exact type-library identity, file/resource loaded, registry view, architecture, and operation that returned the HRESULT.
- Prove the relevant metadata condition: the capacity passed to the type-information operation is insufficient for the complete metadata value.
- Test the likely causes independently: the caller uses a fixed buffer; encoding units are wrong; metadata grew; terminator or alignment is omitted.
- For
TYPE_E_BUFFERTOOSMALL, enumerate the relevant TYPEATTR, members, imports, names, IDs, locales, and builder state instead of assuming source declarations match deployed metadata. - Rebuild or reload one corrected metadata generation and verify that the HRESULT no longer occurs without introducing a different identity or compatibility break.
Correct handling and recovery
The appropriate recovery is to query or calculate the required size, allocate with checked arithmetic, and repeat only through the API’s documented two-call pattern. Repeat the operation only after the failed condition has changed and the caller can distinguish a duplicate effect.
Practical scenario
A tooling plug-in allocates 256 bytes for a fully qualified type name; it switches to the required-length contract.
Difference from related HRESULTs
DISP_E_BUFFERTOOSMALL concerns Automation invocation output; it concerns type metadata.
References
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