Many python developers think of registry keys as if they were python keys in a dictionary which is not the case. The windows registry is broken down into the following components:
This is the top level of the registry. They all begin with HKEY.
Hives contain keys. These are basically the folders beneath the hives. They can contain any number of subkeys.
When passing the hivekey values they must be quoted correctly depending on the
backslashes being used (\
vs \\
). The way backslashes are handled in
the state file is different from the way they are handled when working on the
CLI. The following are valid methods of passing the hivekey:
Values or Entries are the name/data pairs beneath the keys and subkeys. All keys have a default name/data pair. It is usually "(Default)"="(value not set)". The actual value for the name and the date is Null. The registry editor will display "(Default)" and "(value not set)".
Example
The following example is taken from the windows startup portion of the registry:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"RTHDVCPL"="\"C:\\Program Files\\Realtek\\Audio\\HDA\\RtkNGUI64.exe\" -s"
"NvBackend"="\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\NVIDIA Corporation\\Update Core\\NvBackend.exe\""
"BTMTrayAgent"="rundll32.exe \"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Intel\\Bluetooth\\btmshellex.dll\",TrayApp"
In this example these are the values for each:
Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key and subkeys: SOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun
Value:
salt.states.reg.
absent
(name, vname=None, use_32bit_registry=False)¶Ensure a registry value is removed. To remove a key use key_absent.
Parameters: |
|
---|---|
Returns: | A dictionary showing the results of the registry operation |
Return type: |
CLI Example:
'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Salt':
reg.absent
- vname: version
In the above example the value named version
will be removed from
the SOFTWARE\Salt
key in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER
hive. If vname
was not passed, the (Default) value would be deleted.
salt.states.reg.
key_absent
(name, use_32bit_registry=False)¶New in version 2015.5.4.
Ensure a registry key is removed. This will remove a key and all value entries it contains. It will fail if the key contains subkeys.
Parameters: |
|
---|---|
Returns: | A dictionary showing the results of the registry operation |
Return type: |
The following example will delete the SOFTWARE\Salt
key and all subkeys
under the HKEY_CURRENT_USER
hive.
Example:
'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Salt':
reg.key_absent:
- force: True
In the above example the path is interpreted as follows:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
is the hiveSOFTWARE\Salt
is the keysalt.states.reg.
present
(name, vname=None, vdata=None, vtype='REG_SZ', use_32bit_registry=False)¶Ensure a registry key or value is present.
Parameters: |
|
---|---|
Returns: | Returns a dictionary showing the results of the registry operation |
Return type: |
The following example will set the (Default)
value for the
SOFTWARE\Salt
key in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER
hive to 2016.3.1
:
Example:
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\SOFTWARE\\Salt":
reg.present:
- vdata: 2016.3.1
The following example will set the value for the version
entry under the
SOFTWARE\Salt
key in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER
hive to 2016.3.1
. The
value will be reflected in Wow6432Node
:
Example:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Salt:
reg.present:
- vname: version
- vdata: 2016.3.1
In the above example the path is interpreted as follows:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER
is the hive
- SOFTWARE\Salt
is the key
- vname
is the value name ('version') that will be created under the key
- vdata
is the data that will be assigned to 'version'