Using C++ to Merge .reg files - c++

Question

Hey, I am simply trying to merge a .reg file into my registry using a very basic c++ program.
The code is as follows:
#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <string>
#include <fstream>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <windows.h>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
string file = "regedit.exe new.reg";
const char* ctv = file.c_str();
system(ctv);
system("PAUSE");
return 0;
}
I've also tried using these system commands:
ShellExecute(GetDesktopWindow(), "open", "new.reg", NULL, NULL, SW_SHOWNORMAL);
system("reg import new.reg");
system("regedit/s new.reg");
system("new.reg");
but they work no better.
The very interesting thing is that if I go to Start, Run, and type in "regedit.exe new.reg"
The registry WILL update; just not when I run the .exe program.
Any thoughts?

Answer 1

Check out programmatically merge .reg file into win32 registry and additionally import .reg files using win32 or other libraries.
See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms724889%28VS.85%29.aspx as well which might help.
RegLoadKey Function
Creates a subkey under HKEY_USERS or
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and loads the data
from the specified registry hive into
that subkey.
Applications that back up or restore
system state including system files
and registry hives should use the
Volume Shadow Copy Service instead of
the registry functions.
Just FYI, here is the piece of code from the linked open-source project which handles imports:
void CMainFrame::ImportRegistryFiles(CString csFileName)
{
CStdioFileEx sfRegFile;
TRY
{
sfRegFile.Open(LPCTSTR(csFileName),CFile::modeRead | CFile::typeText);
}
CATCH( CFileException, e )
{
CString csError = _T("");
csError.Format(_T("File could not be opened: %s"), e->m_cause);
MessageBox(csError,_T("Import Error"), MB_OK|MB_ICONERROR);
return;
}
END_CATCH
CNtRegistry ntReg;
ntReg.InitNtRegistry();
//
DWORD dwRegType = 0;
int nDataStarts = 0;
CTokenEx tok;
UCHAR ucData[8192];
CString csValueName = _T("");
CString csFullKey = _T("");
CString csData = _T("");
BOOL bNextLine = FALSE;
BOOL bKeyFound = FALSE;
BOOL bHiddenKey = FALSE;
CString csLine = _T("");
while (sfRegFile.ReadString(csLine)) {
//
if (csLine.Left(3) == _T("[HK")) {
//
csLine.TrimLeft("[");
csLine.TrimRight("]");
CStringArray csaKeyPath;
CString csFullPath = GetRegistryPath(csLine,csaKeyPath);
if (csFullPath.Right(1) == "*") {
// User wants to create a "Hidden" Key ...
bHiddenKey = TRUE;
}
if (!ntReg.KeyExists(csFullPath)) {
//
csFullKey = csaKeyPath.GetAt(0);
for (int n=1; n<csaKeyPath.GetSize(); n++) {
//
csFullKey += _T("\\");
csFullKey += csaKeyPath.GetAt(n);
if (n == (csaKeyPath.GetSize()-1) && csFullKey.Right(1) == "*") {
CString csTmp = csFullKey;
csFullKey = csTmp.Left(csTmp.GetLength()-1);
if (!ntReg.CreateHiddenKey(csFullKey)) {
//
sfRegFile.Close();
return;
}
}
else if (!ntReg.SetKey(csFullKey,TRUE,TRUE)) {
//
sfRegFile.Close();
return;
}
theApp.m_clsTV->TraverseTree(csFullKey);
}
}
else {
//
if (!ntReg.SetKey(csFullPath,TRUE,TRUE)) {
//
sfRegFile.Close();
return;
}
theApp.m_clsTV->TraverseTree(csFullKey);
}
bKeyFound = TRUE;
nDataStarts = 0;
dwRegType = REG_NONE;
csData = _T("");
}
else if ((csLine.Left(2) == _T("#=") ||
csLine.Left(1) == _T("=") ||
csLine.Left(1) == _T("\"")) &&
bKeyFound) {
//
memset(ucData,0,8192);
dwRegType = BreakdownLineInfo(csLine, csValueName, nDataStarts);
#if _MSC_VER >= 1400
csLine.Trim(); // _VC80_
#else
csLine.TrimLeft();
csLine.TrimRight();
#endif
csData = csLine.Mid(nDataStarts);
if (csLine.Right(1) == _T("\\")) {
bNextLine = TRUE;
csData.TrimRight(_T("\\"));
}
else {
// SetValue in Registry
bNextLine = FALSE;
#if _MSC_VER >= 1400
csData.Trim(); // _VC80_
#else
csData.TrimLeft();
csData.TrimRight();
#endif
csData.TrimRight(_T("\""));
BOOL bError = FALSE;
switch (dwRegType) {
case REG_SZ:
bError = ntReg.WriteString(csFullKey,csValueName,csData);
break;
case REG_EXPAND_SZ:
//
{
CString csNewData = _T("");
CString csTmpData = _T("");
int nCtr = 0;
tok.Split(csData,_T(","));
for (int n=0; n<tok.m_csaAddIt.GetSize(); n++) {
int nDec = theApp.Hex2Dec(tok.m_csaAddIt.GetAt(n));
if (nDec != 0) {
csNewData.Format(_T("%c"),nDec);
csNewData += csTmpData;
}
}
bError = ntReg.WriteExpandString(csFullKey,csValueName,csNewData);
}
break;
case REG_DWORD:
case REG_DWORD_BIG_ENDIAN:
{
DWORD dwData = theApp.Hex2Dec(csData);
bError = ntReg.WriteDword(csFullKey,csValueName,dwData);
}
break;
case REG_MULTI_SZ:
//
{
CStringArray csaData;
CString csNewData = _T("");
CString csTmpData = _T("");
int nCtr = 0;
tok.Split(csData,_T(","));
for (int n=0; n<tok.m_csaAddIt.GetSize(); n++) {
int nDec = theApp.Hex2Dec(tok.m_csaAddIt.GetAt(n));
if (nDec != 0) {
csNewData.Format(_T("%c"),nDec);
csNewData += csTmpData;
}
else {
if ((n+1) < tok.m_csaAddIt.GetSize()) {
int nDec2 = theApp.Hex2Dec(tok.m_csaAddIt.GetAt(n+1));
if (nDec2 == 0 && csNewData != _T("")) {
csaData.Add(csNewData);
csNewData = _T("");
}
}
}
}
bError = ntReg.WriteMultiString(csFullKey,csValueName,csaData);
}
break;
case REG_BINARY:
case REG_LINK:
case REG_RESOURCE_LIST:
case REG_FULL_RESOURCE_DESCRIPTOR:
case REG_RESOURCE_REQUIREMENTS_LIST:
case REG_QWORD:
//
{
int nCtr = 0;
tok.Split(csData,_T(","));
for (int n=0; n<tok.m_csaAddIt.GetSize(); n++) {
int nDec = theApp.Hex2Dec(tok.m_csaAddIt.GetAt(n));
ucData[nCtr++] = nDec;
}
UINT uiLength = (UINT)nCtr+1;
bError = ntReg.WriteValue(csFullKey, csValueName, ucData, (ULONG)uiLength, dwRegType);
}
break;
}
}
}
else {
//
memset(ucData,0,8192);
if (bNextLine) {
//
#if _MSC_VER >= 1400
csLine.Trim(); // _VC80_
#else
csLine.TrimLeft();
csLine.TrimRight();
#endif
if (csLine.Right(1) != _T("\\")) {
//
bNextLine = FALSE;
#if _MSC_VER >= 1400
csData.Trim(); // _VC80_
#else
csData.TrimLeft();
csData.TrimRight();
#endif
csData.TrimRight(_T("\""));
BOOL bError = FALSE;
csData += csLine;
// SetValue in Registry
switch (dwRegType) {
case REG_SZ:
bError = ntReg.WriteString(csFullKey,csValueName,csData);
break;
case REG_EXPAND_SZ:
//
{
CString csNewData = _T("");
CString csTmpData = _T("");
int nCtr = 0;
tok.Split(csData,_T(","));
for (int n=0; n<tok.m_csaAddIt.GetSize(); n++) {
int nDec = theApp.Hex2Dec(tok.m_csaAddIt.GetAt(n));
if (nDec != 0) {
csTmpData.Format(_T("%c"),nDec);
csNewData += csTmpData;
}
}
bError = ntReg.WriteExpandString(csFullKey,csValueName,csNewData);
}
break;
case REG_DWORD:
case REG_DWORD_BIG_ENDIAN:
{
DWORD dwData = theApp.Hex2Dec(csData);
bError = ntReg.WriteDword(csFullKey,csValueName,dwData);
}
break;
case REG_MULTI_SZ:
//
{
CStringArray csaData;
CString csNewData = _T("");
CString csTmpData = _T("");
int nCtr = 0;
tok.Split(csData,_T(","));
for (int n=0; n<tok.m_csaAddIt.GetSize(); n++) {
int nDec = theApp.Hex2Dec(tok.m_csaAddIt.GetAt(n));
if (nDec != 0) {
csTmpData.Format(_T("%c"),nDec);
csNewData += csTmpData;
}
else {
if ((n+1) < tok.m_csaAddIt.GetSize()) {
int nDec2 = theApp.Hex2Dec(tok.m_csaAddIt.GetAt(n+1));
if (nDec2 == 0 && csNewData != _T("")) {
csaData.Add(csNewData);
csNewData = _T("");
}
}
}
}
bError = ntReg.WriteMultiString(csFullKey,csValueName,csaData);
}
break;
case REG_BINARY:
case REG_LINK:
case REG_RESOURCE_LIST:
case REG_FULL_RESOURCE_DESCRIPTOR:
case REG_RESOURCE_REQUIREMENTS_LIST:
case REG_QWORD:
//
{
int nCtr = 0;
tok.Split(csData,_T(","));
for (int n=0; n<tok.m_csaAddIt.GetSize(); n++) {
int nDec = theApp.Hex2Dec(tok.m_csaAddIt.GetAt(n));
ucData[nCtr++] = nDec;
}
UINT uiLength = (UINT)nCtr+1;
bError = ntReg.WriteValue(csFullKey, csValueName, ucData, (ULONG)uiLength, dwRegType);
}
break;
}
}
else {
csData += csLine;
#if _MSC_VER >= 1400
csLine.Trim(); // _VC80_
#else
csLine.TrimLeft();
csLine.TrimRight();
#endif
csData.TrimRight(_T("\\"));
}
}
else {
bKeyFound = FALSE;
}
}
}
}