Working with Windows Registry

Working with Windows Registry

REG-SZ: "registry_path" "string_value"
REG-DWORD: "registry_path" <number>
REG-DELETE-KEY: "registry_path"
REG-DELETE-VALUE: "registry_path"
REG-KEY-EXIST?
<buffer> GET-REG: "registry_path"

REG-SZ: "registry_path" "string_value"

Adds a string value to a key specified in registry path. (If the key does not exist, it will be created).

Example:

#( test_reg_sz
NoActive
Action:
    REG-SZ: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\test\first" "test string value"
)#

REG-DWORD: "registry_path" <number>

Adds a numerical value to the key specified in registry path. (If this key does not exist, it will be created).

DWORD (double word) is a 32-bit value, 8 hexadecimal digits.

Example:

#( test_reg_dword
NoActive
Action:
    REG-DWORD: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\test\second" 16
)#

There also exists a postfix version of this word (it is convenient to use it when working with variables):

S" HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\test\first" 16 REG-DWORD 
S" HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\test\first" first_var @ REG-DWORD

REG-DELETE-KEY: "registry_path"

Deletes a specified key and all of its subkeys from the registry.

Example:

#( test_reg_delete_key
NoActive
Action:
    REG-DELETE-KEY: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\test"
)#

REG-DELETE-VALUE: "registry_path"

Deletes a specified value from Windows registry. Can be used with both string and numerical values.

Example:

#( test_reg_delete_value
NoActive
Action:
    REG-DELETE-VALUE: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\test\first"
    REG-DELETE-VALUE: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\test\second"
)#

REG-KEY-EXIST? ( a u -- ?)

Postfix word which checks the existance of the specifyed registry key. Returns TRUE (-1) if the key exists and FALSE (0) otherwise.

Example:

#( test_reg_key_exist
NoActive
Action:
    S" HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE" REG-KEY-EXIST?
    IF
        \ do smth useful
    THEN
)#

<buffer> GET-REG: "registry_path"

Gets and records a specified value from the registry into a buffer created by the user.

String values should be placed in arrays, and numerical values in variables.

Examples:

#( test_get_reg
NoActive
CREATE reg_value 256 ALLOT
Action:
    reg_value GET-REG: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\test\first"
    MSG: "We have extracted a string value: %reg_value ASCIIZ>%"
)#

#( test_get_reg1
NoActive
VARIABLE reg_variable
Action:
    reg_variable GET-REG: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\test\second"
    MSG: "We have extracted a numerical value: %reg_variable @%"
)#

Word ASCIIZ> separates address of zero-terminated string into an address and a character count.

Some comments:

1) We would like to point out that editing Windows registry (especially removing keys whose purpose you don't know), is a rather dangerous activity, therefore we suggest that you create a backup copy of the registry.

2) One shouldn't use nnCron to access any entries in HKEY_CURRENT_USER subtree. nnCron is run by "user" SYSTEM and cannot access this branch, because from the viewpoint of user SYSTEM, branches of other users are located in subtree HKEY_USERS. In Win2000/XP, you can use the word NAME2SIDS to access user's branches in subtree HKEY_USERS.