Start your program with windows

[Joakim Christiansen]

Code updated For 5.20+
I needed this for a project, and I didn't find any registry functions in PB and I didn't want to use a lib either...
So I did some searching, and found a great page with some registery functions for VB (which is easy to translate to PB):
http://www.skillreactor.org/cgi-bin/index.pl?registry

I just translated what I needed, and made a little example on how you could add and remove your program from startup:

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; Translated from:
; http://www.skillreactor.org/cgi-bin/index.pl?registry

Procedure SaveValue(hKey.l,strPath.s,strValue.s,strData.s)
  Protected hCurKey.l,lRegResult.l
  
	lRegResult = RegCreateKey_(hKey,@strPath,@hCurKey)
	lRegResult = RegSetValueEx_(hCurKey,@strValue,0,#REG_SZ,@strData,Len(strData))
  
	If lRegResult <> #ERROR_SUCCESS
		;there is a problem
	EndIf
  
	lRegResult = RegCloseKey_(hCurKey)
EndProcedure

Procedure DeleteValue(hKey.l,strPath.s,strValue.s)
  Protected hCurKey.l,lRegResult.l
  
	lRegResult = RegOpenKey_(hKey,@strPath,@hCurKey)
	lRegResult = RegDeleteValue_(hCurKey,@strValue)
	lRegResult = RegCloseKey_(hCurKey)
EndProcedure

SaveValue(#HKEY_CURRENT_USER,"Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run","MyProgram",Chr(34)+ProgramFilename()+Chr(34))
;DeleteValue(#HKEY_CURRENT_USER,"Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run","MyProgram")

EDIT:
Or a simpler way, didn't test it yet but it should work:

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Procedure StartWithWindows(State.b)
  Protected Key.l = #HKEY_CURRENT_USER ;or #HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE for every user on the machine
  Protected Path.s = "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" ;or RunOnce if you just want to run it once
  Protected Value.s = "MyProgram" ;Change into the name of your program
  Protected String.s = Chr(34)+ProgramFilename()+Chr(34) ;Path of your program
  Protected CurKey.l
  If State
    RegCreateKey_(Key,@Path,@CurKey)
    RegSetValueEx_(CurKey,@Value,0,#REG_SZ,@String,Len(String))
  Else
    RegOpenKey_(Key,@Path,@CurKey)
    RegDeleteValue_(CurKey,@Value)
  EndIf
  RegCloseKey_(CurKey)
EndProcedure

[rsts]

Needed something like this and here it is

Works fine.

Thanks for the submission.

cheers

[jqn]

Hi,
Download "Autoruns" from http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html

and see some others REG KEYS for auto-start.

[MikeB]

Perhaps I'm missing something, but wouldn't it be easier to just put a shortcut to your program in “C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\” or substitute a given user for “All Users”.

[Henrik]

#HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce"

make your program be one of the first programs running after windows start.

[netmaestro]

That's good work JC, thanks for sharing it!

[rsts]

Perhaps I'm missing something, but wouldn't it be easier to just put a shortcut to your program in “C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\” or substitute a given user for “All Users”.

Except on my system it would be "r:" and on my wife's "e:", etc. And "r:" is not where I install programs, so it's not even the executable path.

This seemed to be just as easy and works fine.

cheers

[MikeB]

Perhaps I'm missing something, but wouldn't it be easier to just put a shortcut to your program in “C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\” or substitute a given user for “All Users”.

Except on my system it would be "r:" and on my wife's "e:", etc. And "r:" is not where I install programs, so it's not even the executable path.

This seemed to be just as easy and works fine.

cheers

I don't see what difference that would make, you put the shortcut wherever the “Documents and Settings” is and make it to wherever the program is. My startup is in “C:\” and the programs are usually in “F:\”, always works.

[rsts]

Perhaps I'm missing something, but wouldn't it be easier to just put a shortcut to your program in “C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\” or substitute a given user for “All Users”.

Except on my system it would be "r:" and on my wife's "e:", etc. And "r:" is not where I install programs, so it's not even the executable path.

This seemed to be just as easy and works fine.

cheers

I don't see what difference that would make, you put the shortcut wherever the “Documents and Settings” is and make it to wherever the program is. My startup is in “C:\” and the programs are usually in “F:\”, always works.

Well, I guess I'm missing something because I can't see how one way is easier than the other

cheers

[SoulReaper]

Just done some looking and you can find which drive windows is installed too and program files by doing the following...

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ProgramFiles.s=Space(#MAX_PATH) 
GetEnvironmentVariable_("PROGRAMFILES", ProgramFiles.s, #MAX_PATH)
Debug ProgramFiles.s

Windows_Location.s=Space(#MAX_PATH) 
GetEnvironmentVariable_("WINDIR", Windows_Location.s, #MAX_PATH)
Debug Windows_Location.s

Regards
Kevin

[ts-soft]

For PB4 a bit shorter

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Debug GetEnvironmentVariable("WINDIR")
Debug GetEnvironmentVariable("PROGRAMFILES")

[SoulReaper]

@ts-soft

Thankyou for the Pointer

[Joakim Christiansen]

You may also need

Code: Select all

Procedure.s GetSpecialFolderPath(CSIDL.l)
  Protected Path.s = Space(#MAX_PATH), Library = OpenLibrary(#PB_Any,"shell32.dll")
  If Library
   CallFunctionFast(GetFunction(Library,"SHGetSpecialFolderPathA"),0,@Path,CSIDL,0)
   CloseLibrary(Library)
  EndIf
  ProcedureReturn Path
EndProcedure

since it will work with all the #CSIDL_ constants.