Registry Keys Component Type

This component type is used to represent registry keys and their associated values.

Browsing

When you browse for a registry key component, the browser provides a list of registry keys from the main registry roots on the target system. The main registry roots include HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CURRENT_USER, HKEY_USERS, and HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG. These items appear in the order that they are presented in the registry.

You can select an individual key for check in. Selecting a key will check in that key and all of its children. Double clicking on a key will recursively check down the registry until a value is found. The name of the value is displayed but not its contents. Values can be individually exported.

Exported/Internal File Format

Registry keys are exported into an XML file.

Differences Between Registry Key Versions

During a snapshot, the current state of registry key (and its children) is exported into an XML file. During a difference check, the registry key is re-exported and compared against the original XML file. The standard XML difference comparator is used to generate differences between these files.

Installing a Registry Key

The XML file that represents the registry is read and imported into the target system using an execJava step. Any keys for which values already exist in the target system are overwritten.

Uninstalling a Registry Key

The execJava implementation takes the root of the exported key, and deletes all keys and values beneath it. If the root is a value, it will be deleted.

Error Conditions