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Editing the Registry
InstallShield 2015
Project: This information applies to the following project types:
The Windows registry is a system-wide database that contains configuration information used by applications and the operating system. The registry stores all kinds of information, including the following:
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Application information such as company name, product name, and version number |
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Path information that enables your application to run |
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Uninstallation information that enables end users to uninstall the application easily without interfering with other applications on the system |
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System-wide file associations for documents created by an application |
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Default settings for application options such as window positions |
Keys, Value Names, and Values
The registry consists of a set of keys arranged hierarchically under the My Computer explorer. Just under My Computer are several root keys. An installation can add keys and values to any root key of the registry. The root keys that are typically affected by installations are:
A key is a named location in the registry. A key can contain a subkey, a value name and value pair, and a default (unnamed) value. A value name and value pair is a two-part data structure under a key. The value name identifies a value for storage under a key, and the value is the actual data associated with a value name. When a value name is unspecified for a value, that value is the default value for that key. Each key can have only one default (unnamed) value.
Note that the terms key and subkey are relative. In the registry, a key that is below another key can be referred to as a subkey or as a key, depending on how you want to refer to it relative to another key in the registry hierarchy.
InstallShield Projects and the Registry
InstallShield includes the Registry view to help you with the task of modifying the end user’s registry. Use this view to create keys and values in much the same way that you use the Windows Registry Editor.
All registry data (except the <Default> registry set in a InstallScript project) must be associated with a component. In installation projects, if the component’s feature is selected for installation, the component’s registry data are set up on the target system.
Caution: It is important not to modify or delete registry keys indiscriminately because the registry is a vital part of the Windows operating system, and the system may fail to function if vital registry keys are altered.
Note: The installer automatically creates certain registry entries based on values that you provide in the General Information view.
Windows Logo Guideline: These “informational keys” are required if you want to meet the requirements for the Windows logo program.
Also, all of a component’s advanced settings are used to register files on the target system.
See Also
Registry View
Special Considerations for Searching the Registry at Run Time