Reading and Writing and Deleting from registry

[psychotomus]

I need to read and write from the registry as well as deleting entrys. Anyone got a simple example on how to do it.

I also need to know which encryption method I should use to store passwords in the registry?

[Kal-El]

Mentalis has a good example.

[psychotomus]

Doesn't show how to create sub-directorys in the registry. Do I just add the / for the path?

like

RegCreateKeyEx HKEY_CURRENT_USER, "Sim-Chat", 0, "REG_DWORD", REG_OPTION_NON_VOLATILE, KEY_ALL_ACCESS, ByVal 0&, Result, Ret
 
RegCreateKeyEx HKEY_CURRENT_USER, "Sim-Chat/Users", 0, "REG_DWORD", REG_OPTION_NON_VOLATILE, KEY_ALL_ACCESS, ByVal 0&, Result, Ret

guess i'll give it a try. bbl. =)

[Kal-El]

Use this..."\"...not "/".
Other thing..I recommend in order to write REG_DWORD values to use this code style example:

Public Function WriteRegDWORD(ByVal h_Key As Long, ByVal lpcszPath As String, ByVal lpcszField As String, ByVal dwData As Long) As Boolean
Dim hKey As Long
Dim bRet As Boolean
If RegCreateKeyEx(h_Key, lpcszPath, 0, 0, REG_OPTION_NON_VOLATILE, KEY_ALL_ACCESS, 0, hKey, 0) <> ERROR_SUCCESS Then
    WriteRegDWORD = False
Else
    If RegSetValueEx(hKey, lpcszField, 0, REG_DWORD, dwData, Len(dwData)) = ERROR_SUCCESS Then
        bRet = True
    Else
        bRet = False
    End If
    RegCloseKey hKey
End If
WriteRegDWORD = bRet
End Function

To use something like this:

WriteRegDWORD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, "Software\Joel", "dwValueToWrite", 69

Remember: this is an example..change it according to your needs.

[psychotomus]

Thanks Kal. Great example.

[psychotomus]

I keep getting a type mismatch and can't figure out why. I copyed your function line for line =). any ideas why? I also have all constants and api functions correct.

If chkSavePassword.Value = vbChecked Then
        If WriteRegDWORD(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, "Software\Sim-Chat\Users\" & MyUserName & "\Login", "Password", txtPassword.Text) = False Then
            MsgBox "error"
        End If
    Else
        If WriteRegDWORD(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, "Software\Sim-Chat\Users\" & MyUserName & "\Login", "Password", "") = False Then
            MsgBox "error"
        End If
    End If

[psychotomus]

got it fixed ;]

[psychotomus]

We'll I thought I had it. Now I cant insert value's into the Keys. =(

[psychotomus]

nevermind. got that fixed now too. kek

[psychotomus]

Now I can't read my values.

Function RegQueryStringValue(ByVal hKey As Long, ByVal strValueName As String) As String
    Dim lResult As Long, lValueType As Long, strBuf As String, lDataBufSize As Long
    Dim strData As Integer
    'retrieve nformation about the key
    lResult = RegQueryValueEx(hKey, strValueName, 0, lValueType, ByVal 0, lDataBufSize)
    If lResult = 0 Then
        If lValueType = REG_SZ Then
            'Create a buffer
            strBuf = String(lDataBufSize, Chr$(0))
            'retrieve the key's content
            lResult = RegQueryValueEx(hKey, strValueName, 0, 0, ByVal strBuf, lDataBufSize)
            If lResult = 0 Then
                'Remove the unnecessary chr$(0)'s
                RegQueryStringValue = Left$(strBuf, InStr(1, strBuf, Chr$(0)) - 1)
            End If
        ElseIf lValueType = REG_BINARY Then
            'retrieve the key's value
            lResult = RegQueryValueEx(hKey, strValueName, 0, 0, strData, lDataBufSize)
            If lResult = 0 Then
                RegQueryStringValue = strData
            End If
        ElseIf lValueType = REG_DWORD Then
            'retrieve the key's value
            lResult = RegQueryValueEx(hKey, strValueName, 0, 0, strData, lDataBufSize)
            If lResult = 0 Then
                RegQueryStringValue = strData
            End If
        End If
    End If
End Function

my lValueType is a DWORD. returns a #.

[Kal-El]

When reading values you must use RegOpenKeyEx.

[psychotomus]

Function ReadRegDWORD(path As String) As Long


RegOpenKeyEx HKEY_CURRENT_USER, path, 0, KEY_ALL_ACCESS, ReadRegDWORD

End Function

I must be missing something here. keeps returning 0 when i use
ReadRegDWORD ("Software\Sim-Chat\Users\" & cmbUserName.Text & "\Login\Password") Where Password is the DWORD and not a Key

if I use
ReadRegDWORD ("Software\Sim-Chat\Users\" & cmbUserName.Text & "\Login")
it returns a #

[Kal-El]

No, sir....RegOpenKeyEx is only step one of three:
RegOpenKeyEx
RegQueryValueEx
RegCloseKey
See an example.
Also try google sometime

[psychotomus]

1 last question. swear =)

WHen it inserts the data into the registry. it encrypts it and when I receive it, it doesnt decrypt it. How am I suppose to decrypt it?

[Kal-El]

Ok..

Windows encrypts registry values for security reasons..but using the advapi functions like RegQueryValueEx, you shouldn't botther decrypt them your self.

If you want to encrypt entries you'll have to write your own algorithm for encrypt and decrypt.

[psychotomus]

no. what i'm saying is when I insert a value into the registry, it encrypts it. but when I use RegQueryValueEx. it returns the encrypted entry, it doesn't decrypt it.

[Kal-El]

no. what i'm saying is when I insert a value into the registry, it encrypts it. but when I use RegQueryValueEx. it returns the encrypted entry, it doesn't decrypt it.

Wait! That's no true!
You must getting wrong values or something went wrong...

[Mxjerrett]

Wow you guys are doing it the hard way. All you need to use is this code. Put this in the declarations section

Dim SScript
Set SScript = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

To write to the registry

SScript.RegWrite "KEY", "DATA"

To read:

label1.caption=SScript.RegRead("KEY")

(I do not take credit for this code. Jazz00006 posted this on another site)

[psychotomus]

Wow you guys are doing it the hard way. All you need to use is this code. Put this in the declarations section

Dim SScript
Set SScript = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

To write to the registry

SScript.RegWrite "KEY", "DATA"

To read:

label1.caption=SScript.RegRead("KEY")

(I do not take credit for this code. Jazz00006 posted this on another site)

where at does it write that data at in the registry?

[Mxjerrett]

SScript.RegWrite "KEY", "DATA" writes it to the registry. Replace KEY with the location and DATA with the data you want to supply.

[psychotomus]

where at in the registry i am asking?

[Mxjerrett]

Where ever you specify. You replace KEY with where you want it and wallah, your data is displayed in the registry, where ever you told it to.