[VB6] Registry Hives Enumerator

This is very specific, but maybe will be useful for some registry guy :)

In short:

if you need to build a ton of nested loops for:

just say, you have a task to enumerate:

1) several keys
2) in the same location of HKLM / HKCU / HKU + every SID
3) separately consider WOW6432Node (read value with KEY_WOW64_64KEY flag and without) + exclude one of 'shared' keys (keys that point to the same phisical location in both 64/32-bit modes).

you can fit all in 1 single cycle with this 'Hives Enumerator' class.

Example:

Here is your old code:
Here is how it looks now with my class:

Or you can enum hives without keys. Just don't use HE.AddKeys.

Required:
Some enums to Global module: just to support quick IntelliSense tips.

Dependencies:
modRegVirtualType.bas (included)

Good luck :)
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Live example (attached as demo):

Result:
Above, we requested:
1) for HE_HIVE_HKLM + HE_HIVE_HKU hives.
2) aKey(0) have exception: list HKLM only (see prefix "HKLM\...")
3) HE_SID_ALL
4) WOW + no WOW

We got:
1) only 1 iteration of aKey(0) -> HKLM\Software\Classes\AppID, because it is 'Shared' key. WOW mode is point to the same phisical location, so WOW iteration is skipped.
2) 2 iteration of aKey(1) of HKLM. 1 - WOW, 2 - No WOW.
3) 5 iterations of aKey(1) of HKU. 1 - .Default SID, 2 - S-1-5-19, 3 - S-1-5-20, where:
- HKU\.Default\Software\Classes\CLSID is not 'redirected' key, that's why only 1 iteration
- S-1-5-19 and S-1-5-20 ARE 'redirected' keys, that's why +2 iterations for each (WOW, no WOW)

Note: that class doesn't check and skip keys that are not exist (it is responsibility of caller).
E.g. if I'll create:
- HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-19\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\CLSID
and remove:
- HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-19\Software\Classes\CLSID
class will produce 2 iterations (with .Redirected = 'true', and with 'false').

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Detailed description of the class:

Common scheme of the cycle:
Stages of using:

I. Required initialization:

Set global rule for iterator:
where every arg. is a sum of bits, available from Intellisense, e.g.:
[Hives]

What properties are affected:
- .Hive
- .HiveName
- .HiveNameAndSID
- .KeyAndHive
- .UserName

[SIDs]
What properties are affected:
- .HiveNameAndSID
- .KeyAndHive
- .UserName
- .IsSidSystem
- .IsSidUser
- .IsSidDefault properties.

[WOW_Modes]
What properties are affected:
- .Redirected

2. Optional. Supply key (keys).

a) Supply array of keys:
What properties are affected:
- .Key
- .KeyAndHive
- .SharedKey
- .KeyIndex

b) Supply single key (or keys one by one with several .AddKey calls)

What properties are affected:
- .Key
- .KeyAndHive
- .SharedKey
- special excludes for hives.
where:
[Key] is a key in any of 2 formats:
1) Key
2) Hive\Key

It's can be:
In case, you prepended concrete "Hive" to key it will be treated as an exclude from global rule (e.g., HE.Init HE_HIVE_ALL): for such key, enumerator will return only concrete hive (HKLM in example above).

[opt_PostPlaceholder] - optional. Any text. Enumerator will append it to the .Key. You can use it in your cycle e.g., to replace with a data that was not known to you at the time of class initialization (e.g. to replace manually "{CLSID}" by real CLSID in different parts of key for different keys).


II. Beginning of enumeration.

III. Using of properties.

HE.Hive - hive handle (constant)
HE.Key - string, representing the key only, e.g. 'Software\Microsoft'
HE.Redirection - boolean, representing WOW mode (false - native key, true - 32-bit key).
HE.KeyAndHive - string, "Hive\Key"
HE.HiveName - string, short name of hive, e.g. "HKLM"
HE.HiveNameAndSID - string, e.g. "HKU\S-1-5-19"
HE.UserName - string:
- for HKLM - "All users"
- for HKCU - current user's name
- for HKU\S-1-5-19 - "Local service"
- for HKU\S-1-5-20 - "Network service"
- for HKU\.Default - "Default user"
- for HKU\S-some another SID - user's name of that SID
HE.KeyIndex - index of array passed to the class used in current iteration, e.g. need, if you track several linked arrays by its index, like array of keys + array of these keys' description and want to get description by index for current iteration (see first example above - for sDes() array it will be sDes(HE.KeyIndex) ).
HE.SharedKey - boolean. To know if this key have a 'shared' type, e.g. need, if you know that this key1 linked to another key2, so if key1 is 'Shared' and key2 is not, now you know e.g. that you need to pay attention on both WOW modes of key2.
HE.IsSidService - boolean. TRUE, if current iteration is on 'HKU\S-1-5-19' or, 'HKU\S-1-5-20'
HE.IsSidUser - boolean. TRUE, if current iteration is on 'HKU\S-Some custom logged user'
HE.IsSidDefault - boolean. TRUE, if current iteration is on 'HKU\.Default'

Methods:

PrintAll - test reason. To show in debug. window all properties of all iterations. Try play with it :)


IV. Optional steps.

Repeat enum.

If you need repeat enumeration again with the same settings:

Erase / fresh enum:

Just use .Init again with the same or new settings.
It will erase all data supplied before. No need to terminate the class.

Attached Files

• HivesEnumerator.zip (22.5 KB)