What does HRESULT 0x80040237 (TPC_E_OUT_OF_ORDER_CALL) mean?

Status / error code:

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Constant name:

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Description:

Evidence and retry guidance for api calls were made in an incorrect order.

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VFW_E_ADVISE_ALREADY_SET	TPC_E_QUEUE_FULL

TPC_E_OUT_OF_ORDER_CALL

Meaning and numerical form

TPC_E_OUT_OF_ORDER_CALL is HRESULT 2147746359 (0x80040237; signed -2147220937). AllStat records its meaning as “TabletPC inking error code. API calls were made in an incorrect order”. In practical terms, it is returned when Tablet PC APIs are invoked in a sequence that violates the component lifecycle or configuration contract.

The severity bit in 0x80040237 is set, so this result is a failure result rather than a success or informational status. Its facility is 4 (FACILITY_ITF) and its low 16-bit code is 567 (0x0237). Those fields classify the value but do not identify the component instance, call, object or input that produced it.

Where the failure belongs

This result belongs to Tablet PC ink, stylus and recognition. Tablet PC APIs span device enumeration, RealTimeStylus packet queues, ink-object lifetime and recognizer-specific capabilities. The numerical facility does not identify which Tablet PC layer produced the result. The decisive condition is this: Tablet PC APIs are invoked in a sequence that violates the component lifecycle or configuration contract. Record the first native producer instead of relying only on a framework exception translated several layers later.

Do not infer from this result alone that reinstalling, rebooting or repeating the whole workflow is appropriate. Because it can cross process and language boundaries, its correction depends on the object identity, lifecycle generation, input and state at the first failing call.

Diagnostic sequence

Capture this result at the first native return and identify the exact object and method.
Confirm that the observed path matches this condition: Tablet PC APIs are invoked in a sequence that violates the component lifecycle or configuration contract.
compare the live state with the method contract before changing configuration.
collect the code-specific evidence listed above and preserve any more specific preceding error.
change one evidence-backed cause at a time, then repeat the smallest operation that can prove the correction.
Add a regression check that distinguishes it from the related outcomes described below.

Likely causes

Possible cause 1 for this HRESULT: configuration is changed after the RealTimeStylus object is enabled.
Possible cause 2 for this HRESULT: packet or plug-in methods run before required initialization.
Possible cause 3 for this HRESULT: shutdown calls occur before queued data and callbacks are drained.

Evidence to collect

A useful it record includes the native API or interface method, component or CLSID, process and thread IDs, architecture, apartment where relevant, operation correlation ID, elapsed time, input identity, and the first state-changing event before failure. When diagnosing it, preserve IErrorInfo, an inner HRESULT, Win32 status, device event or provider message when available.

Capture 1 for this HRESULT: ordered call trace with thread IDs and object generation.
Capture 2 for this HRESULT: enabled, connected and initialized state before every call.
Capture 3 for this HRESULT: plug-in insertion and removal sequence.

Telemetry for this HRESULT should retain types, lengths, hashes, stable opaque identifiers and lifecycle generations while redacting content and credentials. This makes repeated incidents comparable without exposing ink content, packet data, account details or recognizer input.

Correction and retry boundary

Corrective action 1 for this HRESULT: model the component lifecycle explicitly and reject invalid transitions locally.
Corrective action 2 for this HRESULT: perform configuration before enabling input.
Corrective action 3 for this HRESULT: serialize teardown with callback and queue completion.

Retry guidance for this HRESULT. Retry from a valid earlier lifecycle state; repeating only the final call preserves the ordering violation. A retry must avoid this hazard: replay stale strokes, reorder stylus packets or reuse an invalid recognizer context. It must also preserve the evidence needed to locate the original producer of it.

Practical scenario

An application calls a configuration method after enabling RealTimeStylus; disabling, configuring and re-enabling in the documented order removes it. The result scenario narrows the result to a reproducible contract boundary and supplies a concrete before-and-after test.

Developer and operational guidance

Code handling it should log the failed stage before cleanup, keep ownership and lifecycle transitions explicit, and avoid converting every failure into a generic message. Tests for this HRESULT should cover the primary cause, one adjacent HRESULT and the retry boundary so a future change cannot turn a deterministic contract failure into an uncontrolled loop.

Operational repair for this HRESULT should use supported device, Tablet PC component, recognizer and application lifecycle paths. Avoid unsupported configuration edits or component replacement unless evidence identifies that layer. Retain the original trace and a post-fix trace so the result can be attributed and the change reversed.

Difference from nearby HRESULTs

TPC_E_INVALID_CONFIGURATION identifies a conflicting configuration choice, while it identifies when otherwise meaningful calls occur in the wrong sequence. Keep these outcomes separate in logs, exception mappings, user messages, dashboards and automated retry policy.

Official Microsoft references

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