cant read the registry

[Acidic]

I am using a module by KayJay that I found in the codebank. Which I've attached

Although I seriously doubt the fault is in there.

I'm trying to access a certain key in the registry. and save to it works using this:

Call SaveSettingString(HKEY_CURRENT_USER, "\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings", "User Agent", cmbUA.Text)

But I have trouble when reading the key using this:

MsgBox GetSettingString(HKEY_CURRENT_USER, "\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings", "User Agent")

it just return a blank string

Why is this happening? Why don't I get what has been saved?

[manavo11]

Has it been saved? Open RegEdit and look.

[Acidic]

yeah. it saves fine, it just doesn't read it

[manavo11]

Have you tried it with another module? There are loads of them floating around... Maybe it is the module the problem...

[Acidic]

I did try another one but that one had other problems. I'll go have another hunt for them

[manavo11]

I keep posting one that people seem to like Search for my username or something

[MartinLiss]

Originally posted by Acidic
I am using a module by KayJay that I found in the codebank. Which I've attached

Although I seriously doubt the fault is in there.

I'm trying to access a certain key in the registry. and save to it works using this:

Call SaveSettingString(HKEY_CURRENT_USER, "\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings", "User Agent", cmbUA.Text)

But I have trouble when reading the key using this:

MsgBox GetSettingString(HKEY_CURRENT_USER, "\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings", "User Agent")

it just return a blank string

Why is this happening? Why don't I get what has been saved?

Set a breakpoint on the first line of code in the GetSettingString function and when the code gets there press F8 to step through the code line by line so that you can look at the variables and see what is happening.

[Acidic]

OK. I've tried that, but my VB skills are too bad to see what's going wrong. I've attached the project so you can have a look

[MartinLiss]

Sorry, but I don't like to fool with projects that modify the registry so I haven't run your project.

Do you know how to set a breakpoint? If so what happens after you set the breakpoint on the first line of code in the GetSettingString function and you press F8?

[rotcrules]

what version of windows are you using?

one thing you might want to try is insted of using a your function use the SaveSettings and GetSettings function see if that works first.

[Acidic]

ok. I set the preakpoint to the getSettingString function in the module
I press F8 once and it goes to the first if statement. This bit is there only to determine if one of the optional parameters are filled in. It isn't so it goes past this making GetSettingString="".

Then into the actual code, lRegResult becomes 2. Then after another F8 it becomes 1010.
Then comes this line:

If lRegResult = ERROR_SUCCESS Then

Obiously it fails that, so it skips the whole block. That's why it doesn't do anything. I'll post the function

Public Function GetSettingString(hKey As Long, strPath As String, strValue As String, Optional Default As String) As String
Dim hCurKey As Long
Dim lValueType As Long
Dim strBuffer As String
Dim lDataBufferSize As Long
Dim intZeroPos As Integer
Dim lRegResult As Long
 
' Set up default value
If Not IsEmpty(Default) Then
  GetSettingString = Default
Else
  GetSettingString = ""
End If
'GetSettingString remains ""
 
' Open the key and get length of string
lRegResult = RegOpenKey(hKey, strPath, hCurKey)
'After that line it =2
lRegResult = RegQueryValueEx(hCurKey, strValue, 0&, lValueType, ByVal 0&, lDataBufferSize)
'And here it = 1010
 
If lRegResult = ERROR_SUCCESS Then
'The it fails that IF missing out the whole thing
  If lValueType = REG_SZ Then
    ' initialise string buffer and retrieve string
    strBuffer = String(lDataBufferSize, " ")
    lRegResult = RegQueryValueEx(hCurKey, strValue, 0&, 0&, ByVal strBuffer, lDataBufferSize)
    
    ' format string
    intZeroPos = InStr(strBuffer, Chr$(0))
    If intZeroPos > 0 Then
      GetSettingString = Left$(strBuffer, intZeroPos - 1)
    Else
      GetSettingString = strBuffer
    End If
 
  End If
 
Else
  ' there is a problem
End If
 
lRegResult = RegCloseKey(hCurKey)
End Function

[Acidic]

Originally posted by rotcrules
what version of windows are you using?

one thing you might want to try is insted of using a your function use the SaveSettings and GetSettings function see if that works first.

I'm using Win98.
Could you give me some quick code to test those two functions. They won't work for my program because I need to edit another string which they can't access. But I could still test them out, just to see if they work.

edit: never mind. I'm using the code from the link in martins code.
2nd edit That code worked fine. But as I said that won't work for this project.

[MartinLiss]

Here is what the API Guide says about the return code from both RegOpenKey and RegQueryValueEx.

If the function succeeds, the return value is ERROR_SUCCESS. 
 
If the function fails, the return value is a nonzero error code defined in WINERROR.H. You can use the FormatMessage function with the FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM flag to get a generic description of the error.

Here is a FormatMessage example.

Const FORMAT_MESSAGE_ALLOCATE_BUFFER = &H100
Const FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM = &H1000
Const LANG_NEUTRAL = &H0
Const SUBLANG_DEFAULT = &H1
Const ERROR_BAD_USERNAME = 2202&
Private Declare Function GetLastError Lib "kernel32" () As Long
Private Declare Sub SetLastError Lib "kernel32" (ByVal dwErrCode As Long)
Private Declare Function FormatMessage Lib "kernel32" Alias "FormatMessageA" (ByVal dwFlags As Long, lpSource As Any, ByVal dwMessageId As Long, ByVal dwLanguageId As Long, ByVal lpBuffer As String, ByVal nSize As Long, Arguments As Long) As Long
Private Sub Form_Load()
    'KPD-Team 1999
    'URL: [url]http://www.allapi.net/[/url]
    'E-Mail: [email][email protected][/email]
    Dim Buffer As String
    'Create a string buffer
    Buffer = Space(200)
    'Set the error number
    SetLastError ERROR_BAD_USERNAME
    'Format the message string
    FormatMessage FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM, ByVal 0&, GetLastError, LANG_NEUTRAL, Buffer, 200, ByVal 0&
    'Show the message
    MsgBox Buffer
End Sub

[Acidic]

Hmm. I'm not sure how to use that code to get a more generic description of the error.

[Acidic]

right. I'm off for the night. I'll keep trying to figure this out tomorrow. Thanks for all the help guys. I know helping a noob is really boring and frustrating.

[MartinLiss]

Try this (which I haven't tested)

Const FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM = &H1000
Private Declare Function GetLastError Lib "kernel32" () As Long
Private Declare Function FormatMessage Lib "kernel32" Alias "FormatMessageA" (ByVal dwFlags As Long, lpSource As Any, ByVal dwMessageId As Long, ByVal dwLanguageId As Long, ByVal lpBuffer As String, ByVal nSize As Long, Arguments As Long) As Long
 
Public Function GetSettingString(hKey As Long, strPath As String, strValue As String, Optional Default As String) As String
Dim hCurKey As Long
Dim lValueType As Long
Dim strBuffer As String
Dim lDataBufferSize As Long
Dim intZeroPos As Integer
Dim lRegResult As Long
[b]    Dim Buffer As String
    'Create a string buffer
    Buffer = Space(200)[/b]
 
' Set up default value
If Not IsEmpty(Default) Then
  GetSettingString = Default
Else
  GetSettingString = ""
End If
'GetSettingString remains ""
 
' Open the key and get length of string
lRegResult = RegOpenKey(hKey, strPath, hCurKey)
[b]    FormatMessage FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM, ByVal 0&, GetLastError, LANG_NEUTRAL, Buffer, 200, ByVal 0&
    'Show the message
    MsgBox Buffer[/b]
'After that line it =2
lRegResult = RegQueryValueEx(hCurKey, strValue, 0&, lValueType, ByVal 0&, lDataBufferSize)
'And here it = 1010
[b]    FormatMessage FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM, ByVal 0&, GetLastError, LANG_NEUTRAL, Buffer, 200, ByVal 0&
    'Show the message
    MsgBox Buffer[/b]
If lRegResult = ERROR_SUCCESS Then
'The it fails that IF missing out the whole thing
  If lValueType = REG_SZ Then
    ' initialise string buffer and retrieve string
    strBuffer = String(lDataBufferSize, " ")
    lRegResult = RegQueryValueEx(hCurKey, strValue, 0&, 0&, ByVal strBuffer, lDataBufferSize)
    
    ' format string
    intZeroPos = InStr(strBuffer, Chr$(0))
    If intZeroPos > 0 Then
      GetSettingString = Left$(strBuffer, intZeroPos - 1)
    Else
      GetSettingString = strBuffer
    End If
 
  End If
 
Else
  ' there is a problem
End If
 
lRegResult = RegCloseKey(hCurKey)
End Function

[MartinLiss]

Originally posted by Acidic
...I know helping a noob is really boring and frustrating.

No, it's not

[Acidic]

OK. All the code you posted I shoved in a module in a new project. I then called the function the same way i did before. and I get this error:
"ByRef Argument Type Mismatch"
and it highlights the button like this:

Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim originalUA As String
originalUA = GetSettingString([COLOR=orange]HKEY_CURRENT_USER[/COLOR] , "\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings", "User Agent")
MsgBox originalUA
End Sub

I then went into the code in the module and changed your private's to public's. Same error though.

[MartinLiss]

The GetSettingString function is defined this way:

Public Function GetSettingString(hKey As Long, strPath As String, strValue As String, Optional Default As String) As String

So it expects that the first parameter it receives will be a Long. Is HKEY_CURRENT_USER defines as a long?

[Acidic]

uuhm. well what should the parameter be?

[MartinLiss]

Public Const HKEY_CURRENT_USER = &H80000001

[Pc_Madness]

Although this thread is abit old, meh!! Was trying to use the code posted above and I found it wouldn't work while I started strPath parameter with a \, removing it solved the problem.

[AvisSoft]

Hi!

I used that registry module too...and found that its not as powerful as the cRegistry module.

You can get the cRegistry module with examples from the following url: http://www.maxvb.com/viewtopic.php?p=2511

Thanks!