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Winapi Registry With Delphi

This document discusses how to access the Windows registry directly using Windows API functions instead of Delphi's TRegistry component. It provides code examples to create and open registry keys, and set and get string, integer, and boolean values using functions like RegCreateKeyEx, RegSetValueEx, and RegQueryValueEx. The examples show how to save application settings like form properties to the registry and retrieve them on startup.

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armornick
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239 views

Winapi Registry With Delphi

This document discusses how to access the Windows registry directly using Windows API functions instead of Delphi's TRegistry component. It provides code examples to create and open registry keys, and set and get string, integer, and boolean values using functions like RegCreateKeyEx, RegSetValueEx, and RegQueryValueEx. The examples show how to save application settings like form properties to the registry and retrieve them on startup.

Uploaded by

armornick
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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# How to access the Registry using Windows API

You may, for some reasons not want to use Delphi's TRegistry component but still
want to use the system's registry. This may come in handy when creating
applications for Windows NT/2000/XP. Delphi's TRegistry component may raise an
error when attempting to write a string value to the `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE` key.
Well, the way to get over this is to call the Windows API directly. This is a
little harder than using the TRegistry component, but Delphi users that have some
C/C++ experience shouldn't have any problems. If you like Object Pascal's standard
data types you're going to hate this ;-) Although this may look like a lot of work
it's really fun. When your program saves/reads a lot of data to/from the registry
(like Option dialogs) this may dramatically shorten the time needed for these
operations.

This example will not work on Windows 3.x with Win32s installed because the API
functions used here are native Win32 functions. Check up the function parameters in
the Win32 help.

The API functions we will need:

* RegCreateKeyEx() or RegOpenKeyEx()
* RegCloseKeyE()
* RegSetValueEx()

```delphi
uses
Windows;
...

var
hOpenKey: HKEY;
iI, iSize, iType: Integer;
pcTemp: PChar;
pdI: PDWORD;
...
begin
...
{ This example creates and opens the key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\m3Rlin\Delphi FAQ and saves data in it. If you don't
want to create a key but just open an existing one use the RegOpenKeyEx()
function. }
pdI := nil;
if RegCreateKeyEx(HKEY_CURRENT_USER, 'Software\m3Rlin\Delphi FAQ', 0, nil,
REG_OPTION_NON_VOLATILE, KEY_WRITE, nil, hOpenKey, pdI) = ERROR_SUCCESS then
begin
// Saving a Boolean value
iI := Integer(checkboxMain.Checked);
RegSetValueEx(hOpenKey, 'Boolean Value', 0, REG_DWORD, @iI, SizeOf(iI));
// Saving a Integer value
iI := Integer(MainForm.Height);
RegSetValueEx(hOpenKey, 'Integer Value', 0, REG_DWORD, @iI, SizeOf(iI));
// Saving a string value
RegSetValueEx(hOpenKey, 'String Value', 0, REG_SZ, PChar(MainForm.Caption),
Length(MainForm.Caption) + 1); // The 1 is for the terminating 0 (PChar)
RegCloseKey(hOpenKey); // Close the open registry key
end;
...
{ This example opens the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\m3Rlin\Delphi FAQ and
reads data from it. }
pdI := nil;
if RegOpenKeyEx(HKEY_CURRENT_USER, 'Software\m3Rlin\Delphi FAQ', 0, KEY_READ,
hOpenKey) = ERROR_SUCCESS then
begin
// Reading an Integer value
iType := REG_DWORD; // Type of data that is going to be read
iSize := SizeOf(Integer); // Buffer for the value to read
if RegQueryValueEx(hOpenKey, 'Integer Value', nil, @iType, @iI, @iSize)
= ERROR_SUCCESS then
MainForm.Height := iI;
// Reading a string value
if RegQueryValueEx(hOpenKey, 'String Value', nil, @iType, pcTemp, @iSize)
= ERROR_SUCCESS then
MainForm.Caption := string(pcTemp);
RegCloseKey(hOpenKey);
end;
...
end;
```

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