How to clean up internet explorer cookies programmatically?

Question

How to clean up internet explorer cookies programmatically?

Is there some windows API function to do it?

Answer 1

Actually, I got it!

In Windows API you have a function to create cookies called InternetSetCookie, and you use it like this:

InternetSetCookie("http://teste.com", NULL, "name = value; expires = Sat,01-Jan-2020 00:00:00 GMT");

But, if you want to delete the cookie instead of creating it, you just have to set the expiration field somewhere in the past, like this:

InternetSetCookie("http://teste.com", NULL, "name = value; expires = Sat,01-Jan-2000 00:00:00 GMT");

More info about it in Managing Cookies.

Answer 2

Couldn't you just search C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files for files with 'cookie' in the filename?

Here's the Win32 call to get the folder:

BOOL SHGetSpecialFolderPath(
  HWND hwndOwner,
  LPTSTR lpszPath,
  int nFolder,
  BOOL fCreate 
);

Pass CSIDL_COOKIES as the nFolder argument.

Check this link out A Cleanup API for Windows.

You can delete cached cookies via the FindFirstUrlCacheEntry,FindNextUrlCacheEntry and DeleteUrlCacheEntry functions. You can pass 'cookie:' as the first argument (LPCTSTR lpszUrlSearchPattern) to FindFirstUrlCacheEntry.