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

[Guido van Rossum]

> Im not convinced that we need either a) a new implementation, or b) a new
> API.
> 
> I would propose that we use the existing registry access functions from
> win32api - as I didnt code them, Im not suggesting this due to my own ego.
> The reasons for my beliefs are:
> 
> * The new API does not add any new value.  The only changes I can see are
> that OpenKey() has had a reserved value dropped and QueryValue() has an
> extra redundant result.  Indeed the new API does not appear a new API at
> all, so should be clearly stated if indeed it is (and in which case, exactly
> what the changes are) or be documented as a pythonic wrapping of the
> existing win32 registry API.  Further, there is some useful functionality
> dropped.
> 
> * Well tested.  There are some obscure rules and code that experience has
> shown we need.  It would be a shame to reinvent those wheels.  It has taken
> a few years to get it "just right", and this was an implementation by people
> who know their stuff!
> 
> Why not take the existing code as it stands (which _does_ include an
> auto-closing key) and add a new .py wrapper?  At least Python will have a
> "complete, but low-level" registry API, and a higher level "easier to use,
> but maybe not complete" layer implemented in Python.

Sounds good to me.

> Indeed, Guido has stated that the existing win32api functions would be
> suitable for the core.  However, the issue is the "coding style" - and I
> admit that if I knew exectly what that meant I would make the change - eg,
> if it only means renaming the identifiers it would be trivial - however, it
> would also appear to be excessively anal, so Im sure there is more to it
> than that :-)

I only vaguely recollect what caused me to object against the coding
style, but I think it was a lot of little things: // comments, lines
longer than 78 chars, unusual indentation style.  It was also somehow
requiring C++ (everything in the core is plain C).  I tried to do a
style conversion myself, but found it very painful -- plus there were
some dependencies on other files or modules that seemed to require me
to pull in a lot of other things besides win32api.c.  However, the
registry functions are only a tiny piece of win32api -- they could
probably be cut out of win32api and moved into something I would
tentatively call win32reg (unless that's already an existing name),
which could then be cleaned up much easier than all of win32api.

I still think that it can be done, but evidently it takes someone
besides me and Mark to do it.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)