GetAllSettings Function

Returns a list of key settings and their respective values (originally created with SaveSetting) from an application's entry in the Windows registry.

Syntax

GetAllSettings(appname, section)

Parameters

• appname - Required. String expression containing the name of the application or project whose key settings are requested.
• section - Required. String expression containing the name of the section whose key settings are requested.

Return Value

Returns a Variant containing a two-dimensional array of strings. The first dimension contains the key names, and the second dimension contains the corresponding values.

Remarks

• GetAllSettings returns an uninitialized Variant if either appname or section does not exist.
• The returned array is zero-based with two columns: column 0 contains key names, column 1 contains values.
• Works with the Windows registry (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\appname\section).
• On Windows, settings are stored in: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\appname\section.
• Use SaveSetting to write values that GetAllSettings can retrieve.
• Use GetSetting to retrieve individual settings.
• Use DeleteSetting to remove settings from the registry.
• GetAllSettings is Windows-specific and relies on the registry.

Typical Uses

• Loading application configuration settings
• Retrieving user preferences
• Reading saved window positions and sizes
• Loading multiple related settings at once
• Migrating settings between versions
• Exporting application configuration

Basic Usage Examples

' Retrieve all settings for a section
Dim allSettings As Variant
Dim i As Long

allSettings = GetAllSettings("MyApp", "Preferences")

If IsEmpty(allSettings) Then
Debug.Print "No settings found"
Else
For i = LBound(allSettings, 1) To UBound(allSettings, 1)
Debug.Print allSettings(i, 0) & " = " & allSettings(i, 1)
Next i
End If

' Check if settings exist
Dim settings As Variant
settings = GetAllSettings("MyApp", "WindowPosition")

If Not IsEmpty(settings) Then
' Settings exist, process them
MsgBox "Found " & (UBound(settings, 1) + 1) & " settings"
End If

' Load and apply settings
Dim appSettings As Variant
appSettings = GetAllSettings("MyApp", "Options")

If Not IsEmpty(appSettings) Then
Dim j As Long
For j = 0 To UBound(appSettings, 1)
Select Case appSettings(j, 0)
Case "Theme"
ApplyTheme appSettings(j, 1)
Case "Language"
SetLanguage appSettings(j, 1)
End Select
Next j
End If

Common Patterns

1. Load All Application Settings

Sub LoadApplicationSettings()
Dim settings As Variant
Dim i As Long

settings = GetAllSettings("MyApp", "General")

If IsEmpty(settings) Then
' No settings found, use defaults
SetDefaultSettings
Else
For i = LBound(settings, 1) To UBound(settings, 1)
ProcessSetting settings(i, 0), settings(i, 1)
Next i
End If
End Sub

Sub ProcessSetting(keyName As String, value As String)
Select Case keyName
Case "AutoSave"
chkAutoSave.Value = IIf(value = "True", 1, 0)
Case "SaveInterval"
txtInterval.Text = value
Case "BackupEnabled"
chkBackup.Value = IIf(value = "True", 1, 0)
End Select
End Sub

2. Restore Window Position

Sub RestoreWindowPosition(formName As Form)
Dim settings As Variant
Dim i As Long

settings = GetAllSettings(App.Title, "WindowPos")

If Not IsEmpty(settings) Then
For i = LBound(settings, 1) To UBound(settings, 1)
Select Case settings(i, 0)
Case "Left"
formName.Left = CLng(settings(i, 1))
Case "Top"
formName.Top = CLng(settings(i, 1))
Case "Width"
formName.Width = CLng(settings(i, 1))
Case "Height"
formName.Height = CLng(settings(i, 1))
Case "WindowState"
formName.WindowState = CInt(settings(i, 1))
End Select
Next i
End If
End Sub

3. Load User Preferences

Function LoadUserPreferences() As Collection
Dim settings As Variant
Dim prefs As New Collection
Dim i As Long

settings = GetAllSettings(App.Title, "UserPreferences")

If Not IsEmpty(settings) Then
For i = LBound(settings, 1) To UBound(settings, 1)
prefs.Add settings(i, 1), settings(i, 0)
Next i
End If

Set LoadUserPreferences = prefs
End Function

' Usage
Sub ApplyUserPreferences()
Dim prefs As Collection
Set prefs = LoadUserPreferences()

If prefs.Count > 0 Then
On Error Resume Next
txtFontSize.Text = prefs("FontSize")
cboTheme.Text = prefs("Theme")
chkShowToolbar.Value = IIf(prefs("ShowToolbar") = "True", 1, 0)
On Error GoTo 0
End If
End Sub

4. Export Settings to File

Sub ExportSettingsToFile(filename As String)
Dim settings As Variant
Dim fileNum As Integer
Dim i As Long

settings = GetAllSettings(App.Title, "Settings")

If IsEmpty(settings) Then
MsgBox "No settings to export"
Exit Sub
End If

fileNum = FreeFile
Open filename For Output As #fileNum

Print #fileNum, "[Settings]"

For i = LBound(settings, 1) To UBound(settings, 1)
Print #fileNum, settings(i, 0) & "=" & settings(i, 1)
Next i

Close #fileNum
MsgBox "Settings exported successfully"
End Sub

5. Display Settings in ListBox

Sub PopulateSettingsList(lst As ListBox)
Dim settings As Variant
Dim i As Long

lst.Clear
settings = GetAllSettings(App.Title, "Configuration")

If IsEmpty(settings) Then
lst.AddItem "(No settings found)"
Else
For i = LBound(settings, 1) To UBound(settings, 1)
lst.AddItem settings(i, 0) & " = " & settings(i, 1)
Next i
End If
End Sub

6. Validate Settings

Function ValidateSettings(appName As String, section As String) As Boolean
Dim settings As Variant
Dim i As Long
Dim isValid As Boolean

settings = GetAllSettings(appName, section)

If IsEmpty(settings) Then
ValidateSettings = False
Exit Function
End If

isValid = True

For i = LBound(settings, 1) To UBound(settings, 1)
' Validate each setting
If Not IsValidSetting(settings(i, 0), settings(i, 1)) Then
Debug.Print "Invalid setting: " & settings(i, 0)
isValid = False
End If
Next i

ValidateSettings = isValid
End Function

Function IsValidSetting(keyName As String, value As String) As Boolean
' Implement validation logic
IsValidSetting = True

Select Case keyName
Case "Port"
IsValidSetting = IsNumeric(value) And CLng(value) > 0 And CLng(value) < 65536
Case "Timeout"
IsValidSetting = IsNumeric(value) And CLng(value) > 0
Case "Enabled"
IsValidSetting = (value = "True" Or value = "False")
End Select
End Function

7. Compare Settings Between Sections

Sub CompareSettings(section1 As String, section2 As String)
Dim settings1 As Variant
Dim settings2 As Variant
Dim i As Long

settings1 = GetAllSettings(App.Title, section1)
settings2 = GetAllSettings(App.Title, section2)

Debug.Print "Comparing " & section1 & " vs " & section2
Debug.Print String(50, "=")

If IsEmpty(settings1) Then
Debug.Print section1 & " has no settings"
ElseIf IsEmpty(settings2) Then
Debug.Print section2 & " has no settings"
Else
For i = LBound(settings1, 1) To UBound(settings1, 1)
Debug.Print section1 & "." & settings1(i, 0) & " = " & settings1(i, 1)
Next i

Debug.Print ""

For i = LBound(settings2, 1) To UBound(settings2, 1)
Debug.Print section2 & "." & settings2(i, 0) & " = " & settings2(i, 1)
Next i
End If
End Sub

8. Migrate Settings to New Version

Sub MigrateSettings(oldSection As String, newSection As String)
Dim settings As Variant
Dim i As Long

' Get all settings from old section
settings = GetAllSettings(App.Title, oldSection)

If IsEmpty(settings) Then
Debug.Print "No settings to migrate"
Exit Sub
End If

' Save to new section
For i = LBound(settings, 1) To UBound(settings, 1)
SaveSetting App.Title, newSection, settings(i, 0), settings(i, 1)
Next i

Debug.Print "Migrated " & (UBound(settings, 1) + 1) & " settings"
End Sub

9. Create Settings Dictionary

Function GetSettingsDictionary() As Object
Dim settings As Variant
Dim dict As Object
Dim i As Long

Set dict = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
settings = GetAllSettings(App.Title, "Config")

If Not IsEmpty(settings) Then
For i = LBound(settings, 1) To UBound(settings, 1)
dict.Add settings(i, 0), settings(i, 1)
Next i
End If

Set GetSettingsDictionary = dict
End Function

' Usage
Sub UseSettingsDictionary()
Dim settings As Object
Set settings = GetSettingsDictionary()

If settings.Exists("ServerURL") Then
Debug.Print "Server: " & settings("ServerURL")
End If
End Sub

10. Bulk Settings Editor

Sub EditAllSettings(appName As String, section As String)
Dim settings As Variant
Dim i As Long
Dim newValue As String

settings = GetAllSettings(appName, section)

If IsEmpty(settings) Then
MsgBox "No settings found"
Exit Sub
End If

For i = LBound(settings, 1) To UBound(settings, 1)
newValue = InputBox("Enter new value for: " & settings(i, 0), _
"Edit Setting", settings(i, 1))

If newValue <> "" Then
SaveSetting appName, section, settings(i, 0), newValue
End If
Next i
End Sub

Advanced Usage

1. Settings Manager Class

' Class: SettingsManager
Private m_AppName As String
Private m_Section As String
Private m_Settings As Variant

Public Sub Initialize(appName As String, section As String)
m_AppName = appName
m_Section = section
RefreshSettings
End Sub

Public Sub RefreshSettings()
m_Settings = GetAllSettings(m_AppName, m_Section)
End Sub

Public Function GetValue(keyName As String, _
Optional defaultValue As String = "") As String
Dim i As Long

If IsEmpty(m_Settings) Then
GetValue = defaultValue
Exit Function
End If

For i = LBound(m_Settings, 1) To UBound(m_Settings, 1)
If m_Settings(i, 0) = keyName Then
GetValue = m_Settings(i, 1)
Exit Function
End If
Next i

GetValue = defaultValue
End Function

Public Function SettingExists(keyName As String) As Boolean
Dim i As Long

If IsEmpty(m_Settings) Then
SettingExists = False
Exit Function
End If

For i = LBound(m_Settings, 1) To UBound(m_Settings, 1)
If m_Settings(i, 0) = keyName Then
SettingExists = True
Exit Function
End If
Next i

SettingExists = False
End Function

Public Property Get SettingCount() As Long
If IsEmpty(m_Settings) Then
SettingCount = 0
Else
SettingCount = UBound(m_Settings, 1) + 1
End If
End Property

2. Settings Backup and Restore

Type SettingsBackup
AppName As String
Section As String
Settings As Variant
BackupDate As Date
End Type

Function BackupSettings(appName As String, section As String) As SettingsBackup
Dim backup As SettingsBackup

backup.AppName = appName
backup.Section = section
backup.Settings = GetAllSettings(appName, section)
backup.BackupDate = Now

BackupSettings = backup
End Function

Sub RestoreSettings(backup As SettingsBackup)
Dim i As Long

If IsEmpty(backup.Settings) Then
MsgBox "No settings to restore"
Exit Sub
End If

' Clear existing settings first
DeleteSetting backup.AppName, backup.Section

' Restore backed up settings
For i = LBound(backup.Settings, 1) To UBound(backup.Settings, 1)
SaveSetting backup.AppName, backup.Section, _
backup.Settings(i, 0), backup.Settings(i, 1)
Next i

MsgBox "Settings restored from " & Format(backup.BackupDate, "yyyy-mm-dd hh:nn:ss")
End Sub

3. Settings Encryption/Decryption

Function GetEncryptedSettings(appName As String, section As String, _
password As String) As Variant
Dim settings As Variant
Dim decrypted() As String
Dim i As Long

settings = GetAllSettings(appName, section)

If IsEmpty(settings) Then
GetEncryptedSettings = Empty
Exit Function
End If

ReDim decrypted(LBound(settings, 1) To UBound(settings, 1), 0 To 1)

For i = LBound(settings, 1) To UBound(settings, 1)
decrypted(i, 0) = settings(i, 0)
decrypted(i, 1) = DecryptString(settings(i, 1), password)
Next i

GetEncryptedSettings = decrypted
End Function

Function DecryptString(encrypted As String, password As String) As String
' Simple XOR encryption for demonstration
Dim i As Long
Dim result As String
Dim keyChar As Integer

result = ""

For i = 1 To Len(encrypted)
keyChar = Asc(Mid(password, ((i - 1) Mod Len(password)) + 1, 1))
result = result & Chr(Asc(Mid(encrypted, i, 1)) Xor keyChar)
Next i

DecryptString = result
End Function

4. Multi-Section Settings Loader

Function LoadMultipleSections(appName As String, _
sections() As String) As Collection
Dim allSettings As New Collection
Dim i As Long
Dim sectionSettings As Variant

For i = LBound(sections) To UBound(sections)
sectionSettings = GetAllSettings(appName, sections(i))

If Not IsEmpty(sectionSettings) Then
allSettings.Add sectionSettings, sections(i)
End If
Next i

Set LoadMultipleSections = allSettings
End Function

' Usage
Sub LoadAllAppSettings()
Dim sections() As String
Dim allSettings As Collection
Dim section As Variant

sections = Split("General,Display,Network,Security", ",")
Set allSettings = LoadMultipleSections(App.Title, sections)

For Each section In allSettings
Debug.Print "Section has " & (UBound(section, 1) + 1) & " settings"
Next
End Sub

5. Settings Change Detection

Type SettingsSnapshot
Settings As Variant
Timestamp As Date
End Type

Private m_LastSnapshot As SettingsSnapshot

Function TakeSnapshot(appName As String, section As String) As SettingsSnapshot
Dim snapshot As SettingsSnapshot

snapshot.Settings = GetAllSettings(appName, section)
snapshot.Timestamp = Now

TakeSnapshot = snapshot
End Function

Function DetectChanges(appName As String, section As String) As Boolean
Dim currentSettings As Variant
Dim i As Long
Dim changed As Boolean

currentSettings = GetAllSettings(appName, section)

' Check if both are empty
If IsEmpty(m_LastSnapshot.Settings) And IsEmpty(currentSettings) Then
DetectChanges = False
Exit Function
End If

' Check if one is empty
If IsEmpty(m_LastSnapshot.Settings) Or IsEmpty(currentSettings) Then
DetectChanges = True
Exit Function
End If

' Check if different sizes
If UBound(m_LastSnapshot.Settings, 1) <> UBound(currentSettings, 1) Then
DetectChanges = True
Exit Function
End If

' Compare values
changed = False
For i = LBound(currentSettings, 1) To UBound(currentSettings, 1)
If currentSettings(i, 0) <> m_LastSnapshot.Settings(i, 0) Or _
currentSettings(i, 1) <> m_LastSnapshot.Settings(i, 1) Then
changed = True
Exit For
End If
Next i

DetectChanges = changed
End Function

6. Settings Validation Framework

Type ValidationRule
KeyName As String
DataType As String  ' "String", "Integer", "Boolean", "Date"
MinValue As Variant
MaxValue As Variant
Required As Boolean
End Type

Function ValidateAllSettings(appName As String, section As String, _
rules() As ValidationRule) As Collection
Dim settings As Variant
Dim errors As New Collection
Dim i As Long, j As Long
Dim found As Boolean
Dim settingValue As String

settings = GetAllSettings(appName, section)

' Check each rule
For i = LBound(rules) To UBound(rules)
found = False

If Not IsEmpty(settings) Then
For j = LBound(settings, 1) To UBound(settings, 1)
If settings(j, 0) = rules(i).KeyName Then
found = True
settingValue = settings(j, 1)

' Validate data type and range
If Not ValidateValue(settingValue, rules(i)) Then
errors.Add "Invalid value for " & rules(i).KeyName
End If
Exit For
End If
Next j
End If

If Not found And rules(i).Required Then
errors.Add "Missing required setting: " & rules(i).KeyName
End If
Next i

Set ValidateAllSettings = errors
End Function

Function ValidateValue(value As String, rule As ValidationRule) As Boolean
Select Case rule.DataType
Case "Integer"
If Not IsNumeric(value) Then
ValidateValue = False
Else
Dim intVal As Long
intVal = CLng(value)
ValidateValue = (intVal >= rule.MinValue And intVal <= rule.MaxValue)
End If
Case "Boolean"
ValidateValue = (value = "True" Or value = "False")
Case Else
ValidateValue = True
End Select
End Function

Error Handling

Function SafeGetAllSettings(appName As String, section As String) As Variant
On Error GoTo ErrorHandler

Dim settings As Variant
settings = GetAllSettings(appName, section)

SafeGetAllSettings = settings
Exit Function

ErrorHandler:
Debug.Print "Error retrieving settings: " & Err.Description
SafeGetAllSettings = Empty
End Function

Common issues: - Empty return value: Section or application does not exist in registry - Registry access denied: Insufficient permissions to read registry - Invalid section name: Special characters or invalid path

Performance Considerations

• GetAllSettings reads from the Windows registry, which is relatively fast
• For frequently accessed settings, consider caching the results
• Reading all settings at once is more efficient than multiple GetSetting calls
• Registry access can be affected by antivirus software
• Consider using INI files or XML for cross-platform compatibility

Best Practices

1. Always check for Empty before using the returned array
2. Use meaningful section names to organize settings logically
3. Cache settings in memory if accessed frequently
4. Validate settings after retrieval
5. Provide defaults when settings don't exist
6. Document registry structure for your application
7. Consider cleanup - use DeleteSetting when settings are no longer needed

Comparison with Other Functions

GetAllSettings vs GetSetting

' GetAllSettings - Retrieve all settings at once
Dim allSettings As Variant
allSettings = GetAllSettings("MyApp", "Config")

' GetSetting - Retrieve one setting at a time
Dim value As String
value = GetSetting("MyApp", "Config", "Theme", "Default")

GetAllSettings vs File-Based Storage

' GetAllSettings - Windows registry
settings = GetAllSettings(App.Title, "Settings")

' File-based - INI file or XML (more portable)
' Requires custom parsing code

Limitations

• Windows-specific (uses Windows registry)
• Limited to HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive
• String values only (need to parse numbers, dates, etc.)
• Registry size limits (though rarely hit in practice)
• No built-in encryption or security
• Requires appropriate registry permissions
• Not suitable for large amounts of data
• Two-dimensional array only (fixed structure)

Registry Location

Settings are stored at:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\appname\section

Related Functions

• GetSetting - Returns a single key setting from the registry
• SaveSetting - Saves or creates an application entry in the registry
• DeleteSetting - Deletes a section or key setting from the registry
• Environ - Returns the string associated with an operating system environment variable
• Command - Returns the command-line arguments