ClearEventLog

The ClearEventLog function clears the specified event log, and optionally saves the current copy of the logfile to a backup file.

BOOL ClearEventLog(

HANDLE hEventLog, // handle to event log
LPCTSTR lpBackupFileName // name of backup file
);


Parameters

hEventLog

Identifies the event log to be cleared. This handle is returned by the OpenEventLog function.

lpBackupFileName

Points to the null-terminated string specifying the name of a file in which a current copy of the event logfile will be placed. If this file already exists, the function fails.
The backup filename may contain a server name to save the backup file on a remote server.
If the lpBackupFileName parameter is NULL, the current event logfile is not backed up.



Return Values

If the function succeeds, the return value is nonzero. The specified event log has been backed up (if lpBackupFileName is not NULL) and then cleared.
If the function fails, the return value is zero. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

Remarks

The ClearEventLog function fails if the event log is empty.
After this function returns, any handles that reference the cleared event log cannot be used to read the log.
If the backup filename specifies a remote server, the event log handle must identify a log on the local computer. You cannot back up an event logfile from a remote server to a file on a remote server (even if the backup file and the original log are on the same server).
The ClearEventLog function is used to optionally back up an existing logfile of the module represented by hEventLog. The function backs up the logfile to another file, and then clears the existing logfile. The caller must have write permission for the path specified, and must also have permission to move the current logfile. If a file already exists with the same name as lpBackupFileName, ClearEventLog fails.

See Also

OpenEventLog