[Python-Dev] Proposal: Registry access for Python on Windows

[Thomas Heller]

I propose to include functions to access the windows registry
into the python 1.6 core.

I have thrown together some code which I will post hopefully
tomorrow, but I would like to hear some comments before.

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winreg - registry access module

Constants:
  HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, HKEY_CURRENT_USER,
  HKEY_USERS - bases of registry
  KEY_READ, KEY_WRITE, KEY_ALL_ACCESS - access rights
  REG_SZ, REG_DWORD, REG_BINARY - typecodes for values

Exception:
  error - raised when a function fails. Will usually contain
    a windows error code and a textual description.

Functions:
  OpenKey (base, subkey, [, rights=KEY_READ]) -> integer
    Opens an existing key with the specified access rights
    and returns an integer handle. The handle must be closed
    by a call to CloseKey().

  CreateKey (base, subkey [, sam=KEY_ALL_ACCESS]) -> integer
    Creates a new subkey or opens an exsiting one
    and returns an integer handle.
    base must be one of the HKEY_ constants or an integer handle.
    The handle must be closed by a call to CloseKey().

  CloseKey (handle)
    Closes a key handle.

  EnumValues (handle, subkey) -> sequence
    Returns a sequence containing name, value, typecode triples
    for each existing value.

  EnumKeys (handle, subkey) -> sequence
    Returns a sequence containing the names of all subkeys.

  QueryValue (handle, subkey) -> tuple
    Returns a tuple containing name, value and typecode.

  SetValue (handle, name, typecode, value)
    Sets the value of a name to value.
    value must be a string for REG_SZ or REG_BINARY,
    an integer for REG_DWORD.

  DeleteValue (handle, valuename)
    Deletes the value.

  DeleteKey (handle, name [,recursive=0)
    Deletes the named key if no subkeys exist. If recursive is
    given as a true value, subkeys are recursively deleted.
    This is done with Reg* calls, NOT with SHDeleteKey and
    SHDeleteEmptyKey functions, so should work under any
    flavor of NT and Win9x.

Note: To use the SetValue and Delete* functions, the key must have
been opened with KEY_WRITE_ACCESS or KEY_ALL_ACCESS.
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Open Questions:
  Is the recursive-flag for DeleteKey() too dangerous?
  Should I switch from an integer handle to a full blown
  python-object, which would call CloseKey() automatically in the
destructor?
  A higher level interface would be nice, but this should probably
implemented
  on top of this module in python.

Comments appreciated!

Thomas Heller
ION-TOF GmbH