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UI_E_CREATE_FAILED
Within Windows Animation Manager, UI_E_CREATE_FAILED reports that object construction failed before a usable animation object was returned. Diagnosis of this result should follow the original owner and generation rather than treating the visible symptom as the cause.
Facts that change the diagnosis
- Returning creation method and requested interface.
- Manager and transition-library identities.
- Output pointer state and allocation pressure.
- Thread apartment and callback activity.
Subsystem meaning
Creation can fail at manager, variable, storyboard, transition-library, or timer boundaries. Identify the exact factory method and preserve whether the output pointer stayed null; a later animation scheduling failure is a different stage.
Isolation workflow
- First: Create a manager and one animation variable with no callbacks.
- Next: Add the requested transition library or timer separately.
- Then: Check every creation HRESULT before dereferencing the output.
- Finally: Repeat under the same COM apartment with a fresh manager generation.
Avoid the tempting broad fix
It is earlier than storyboard validation or playback: no valid object exists yet.
Do not substitute a null pointer crash or E_OUTOFMEMORY assumption for the original creation HRESULT.
Expected branches
| Control | Interpretation | Hold constant |
|---|---|---|
| Same operation, controlled environment | If the result follows one machine, account, volume, network, or device, environment matters. | Keep versions and identity explicit rather than comparing only the final message. |
Regression proof
Verify it with the original scenario, one boundary case, and one deliberate failure; success means the exact creation call repeatedly returns S_OK and produces an object that can complete one minimal lifecycle.
Technical references
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