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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-22T20:38:29+00:00

Since I need to format pretty XML using MSXML, I am using the trick

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Since I need to format “pretty” XML using MSXML, I am using the trick referenced here to add indentation to my code. Since all I want is to save a file, I open an IStream using SHCreateStreamOnFile(). The file gets saved, I can open it in a text editor and the XML content is there. Then I call Release() on the IStream interface so that the IStream and the file handle get closed.

Or so I tought, however Process Explorer tell me that my process still has a reference to my file once my save function exits (despite the release). I tried calling Release() a second time, but still no result, the handle doesn’t get closed. All Google and MSDN could tell me was that I should call Release… But it isn’t clear if Release() releases only the COM object or the file handle also.

So, is there a special way to force the close of a file handle created by SHCreateStreamOnFile()? Or is there a better way to obtain an IStream on a file? Do I need to call Release() on the IMXWriter, ISAXXMLReader and IStream in a specific order?

Thank you in advance.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    ildjarn was right, I was passing it to an object that didn’t get deleted, because I didn’t knew that QueryInterface incremented the reference count ( I tought it was kind of a “COM” way of casting a pointer ). Releasing that object released the file at the same time.

    A beginner mistake from someone not used to COM programming.

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