GetSetting Function

Returns a registry key setting value from the Windows registry.

Syntax

GetSetting(appname, section, key[, default])

Parameters

appname (Required): String expression containing the name of the application or project whose key setting is requested. On Windows, this is a subkey under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings.
section (Required): String expression containing the name of the section where the key setting is found.
key (Required): String expression containing the name of the key setting to return.
default (Optional): Expression containing the value to return if no value is set in the key setting. If omitted, default is assumed to be a zero-length string ("").

Return Value

Returns a String containing the value of the specified registry key. If the key doesn't exist and no default is provided, returns an empty string.

Remarks

The GetSetting function retrieves settings from the Windows registry that were previously saved using the SaveSetting statement. The settings are stored in the application's subkey under: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\appname\section - If the registry key doesn't exist, GetSetting returns the default value (or "" if no default specified) - GetSetting only works with the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry hive - For more advanced registry access, use Windows API functions like RegOpenKeyEx and RegQueryValueEx - The appname, section, and key parameters are case-insensitive - GetSetting is designed to work with SaveSetting, DeleteSetting, and GetAllSettings - On non-Windows platforms, behavior may vary or be unsupported

Typical Uses

Application Configuration: Retrieve user preferences and application settings
User Preferences: Load window positions, sizes, and UI state
Recent Files: Get most recently used files or paths
Database Connections: Retrieve connection strings and server names
Feature Toggles: Load feature flags and experimental settings
Localization: Get language and regional preferences

Basic Usage Examples

' Example 1: Get a simple setting with default
Dim userName As String
userName = GetSetting("MyApp", "User", "Name", "Guest")
' Example 2: Get window position
Dim formLeft As String
formLeft = GetSetting("MyApp", "Window", "Left", "0")
' Example 3: Get setting without default
Dim lastFile As String
lastFile = GetSetting("MyApp", "Recent", "File1")
' Example 4: Get database connection
Dim connString As String
connString = GetSetting("MyApp", "Database", "ConnectionString", "")

Common Patterns

' Pattern 1: Load form position and size
Private Sub Form_Load()
    Me.Left = CLng(GetSetting("MyApp", "MainForm", "Left", "0"))
    Me.Top = CLng(GetSetting("MyApp", "MainForm", "Top", "0"))
    Me.Width = CLng(GetSetting("MyApp", "MainForm", "Width", "6000"))
    Me.Height = CLng(GetSetting("MyApp", "MainForm", "Height", "4500"))
End Sub
' Pattern 2: Check if setting exists
Function SettingExists(app As String, section As String, key As String) As Boolean
    Dim marker As String
    marker = String$(10, "X")
    SettingExists = (GetSetting(app, section, key, marker) <> marker)
End Function
' Pattern 3: Get with type conversion
Dim showTips As Boolean
showTips = CBool(GetSetting("MyApp", "Options", "ShowTips", "True"))
' Pattern 4: Get recent file list
Dim i As Integer
Dim recentFiles() As String
ReDim recentFiles(1 To 10)
For i = 1 To 10
    recentFiles(i) = GetSetting("MyApp", "Recent", "File" & i, "")
    If recentFiles(i) = "" Then Exit For
Next i
' Pattern 5: Get connection info
Dim server As String, database As String
server = GetSetting("MyApp", "Database", "Server", "localhost")
database = GetSetting("MyApp", "Database", "Name", "MyDB")
' Pattern 6: Get user preference with validation
Dim fontSize As Integer
fontSize = CInt(GetSetting("MyApp", "UI", "FontSize", "10"))
If fontSize < 8 Or fontSize > 72 Then fontSize = 10
' Pattern 7: Get setting in With block
With Form1
    .BackColor = CLng(GetSetting("MyApp", "Colors", "Background", "16777215"))
End With
' Pattern 8: Conditional loading
If GetSetting("MyApp", "Options", "AutoSave", "False") = "True" Then
    EnableAutoSave
End If
' Pattern 9: Get multiple related settings
Dim smtp As String, port As String, useTLS As String
smtp = GetSetting("MyApp", "Email", "SMTPServer", "smtp.gmail.com")
port = GetSetting("MyApp", "Email", "Port", "587")
useTLS = GetSetting("MyApp", "Email", "UseTLS", "True")
' Pattern 10: Safe retrieval with error handling
On Error Resume Next
Dim value As String
value = GetSetting("MyApp", "Config", "Setting", "DefaultValue")
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
    value = "DefaultValue"
    Err.Clear
End If
On Error GoTo 0

Advanced Usage Examples

' Example 1: Settings manager class
Public Class AppSettings
    Private Const APP_NAME As String = "MyApplication"
    Public Function GetStringSetting(section As String, key As String, _
                                     Optional defaultValue As String = "") As String
        GetStringSetting = GetSetting(APP_NAME, section, key, defaultValue)
    End Function
    Public Function GetIntegerSetting(section As String, key As String, _
                                      Optional defaultValue As Integer = 0) As Integer
        Dim value As String
        value = GetSetting(APP_NAME, section, key, CStr(defaultValue))
        On Error Resume Next
        GetIntegerSetting = CInt(value)
        If Err.Number <> 0 Then GetIntegerSetting = defaultValue
    End Function
    Public Function GetBooleanSetting(section As String, key As String, _
                                      Optional defaultValue As Boolean = False) As Boolean
        Dim value As String
        value = GetSetting(APP_NAME, section, key, CStr(defaultValue))
        GetBooleanSetting = CBool(value)
    End Function
End Class
' Example 2: Application configuration loader
Private Sub LoadApplicationConfig()
    Dim config As New Collection
    config.Add GetSetting("MyApp", "Paths", "Data", App.Path & "\Data"), "DataPath"
    config.Add GetSetting("MyApp", "Paths", "Export", App.Path & "\Export"), "ExportPath"
    config.Add GetSetting("MyApp", "Paths", "Temp", Environ$("TEMP")), "TempPath"
    config.Add GetSetting("MyApp", "Database", "Server", "localhost"), "DBServer"
    config.Add GetSetting("MyApp", "Database", "Name", "AppDB"), "DBName"
    config.Add GetSetting("MyApp", "Options", "AutoBackup", "True"), "AutoBackup"
    config.Add GetSetting("MyApp", "Options", "BackupInterval", "60"), "BackupInterval"
    Set g_AppConfig = config
End Sub
' Example 3: Multi-user profile system
Public Function LoadUserProfile(userName As String) As UserProfile
    Dim profile As New UserProfile
    Dim section As String
    section = "User_" & userName
    With profile
        .FullName = GetSetting("MyApp", section, "FullName", userName)
        .Email = GetSetting("MyApp", section, "Email", "")
        .Role = GetSetting("MyApp", section, "Role", "User")
        .Theme = GetSetting("MyApp", section, "Theme", "Default")
        .Language = GetSetting("MyApp", section, "Language", "en-US")
        .LastLogin = GetSetting("MyApp", section, "LastLogin", "")
    End With
    LoadUserProfile = profile
End Function
' Example 4: MRU (Most Recently Used) manager
Public Class MRUManager
    Private Const MAX_MRU As Integer = 10
    Private Const APP_NAME As String = "MyApp"
    Private Const SECTION As String = "MRU"
    Public Function GetMRUList() As Collection
        Dim mruList As New Collection
        Dim i As Integer
        Dim item As String
        For i = 1 To MAX_MRU
            item = GetSetting(APP_NAME, SECTION, "Item" & i, "")
            If Len(item) > 0 Then
                mruList.Add item
            Else
                Exit For
            End If
        Next i
        Set GetMRUList = mruList
    End Function
    Public Sub AddMRUItem(filePath As String)
        Dim mruList As Collection
        Dim i As Integer
        Dim item As String
        Set mruList = GetMRUList()
        ' Remove if already exists
        For i = 1 To mruList.Count
            If StrComp(mruList(i), filePath, vbTextCompare) = 0 Then
                mruList.Remove i
                Exit For
            End If
        Next i
        ' Add to top
        mruList.Add filePath, , 1
        ' Save back
        For i = 1 To mruList.Count
            If i > MAX_MRU Then Exit For
            SaveSetting APP_NAME, SECTION, "Item" & i, mruList(i)
        Next i
    End Sub
End Class

Error Handling

GetSetting generally doesn't raise errors, but returns the default value if the setting doesn't exist: - No Error: If the registry key doesn't exist, returns default (or "" if no default) - No Error: If appname, section, or key is empty, returns default value - Type Mismatch: Can occur when converting returned String to another type (e.g., CInt) - Registry Access: On systems where registry access is restricted, may return defaults

' Safe retrieval with type conversion
On Error Resume Next
Dim timeout As Integer
timeout = CInt(GetSetting("MyApp", "Network", "Timeout", "30"))
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
    timeout = 30
    Err.Clear
End If
On Error GoTo 0

Performance Considerations

Registry Access: Each call accesses the Windows registry, which is slower than memory access
Caching: Consider caching frequently used settings in memory
Startup Time: Loading many settings at startup can slow application initialization
Batch Loading: Use GetAllSettings to retrieve all settings in a section at once for better performance

Best Practices

Use Defaults: Always provide sensible default values
Validate Values: Validate retrieved settings before using them
Cache Settings: Load settings once and cache them for the session
Consistent Naming: Use consistent naming conventions for appname, section, and key
Error Handling: Use error handling when converting string values to other types
Cleanup: Use DeleteSetting to remove obsolete settings
Documentation: Document all registry keys used by your application

Comparison with Other Registry Functions

Function	Purpose	Returns
`GetSetting`	Get single registry value	`String`
`GetAllSettings`	Get all values in a section	`Variant` array
`SaveSetting`	Save registry value	N/A (statement)
`DeleteSetting`	Delete registry key/section	N/A (statement)

Platform Compatibility

Windows: Full support, uses HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry hive
Other Platforms: May use alternative storage mechanisms or be unsupported
Registry Location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\appname\section\key

Limitations

Only accesses HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive (use Windows API for other hives)
Returns String type only (requires conversion for other types)
No direct way to check if a key exists (use unique default value trick)
Limited to VB's registry structure (use Windows API for custom locations)
No support for REG_BINARY or other complex registry types
Settings are user-specific, not machine-wide

GetAllSettings: Returns all key settings and their values from a registry section
SaveSetting: Saves or creates an application entry in the Windows registry
DeleteSetting: Deletes a section or key setting from the Windows registry
Environ: Returns the string associated with an environment variable
Command: Returns the argument portion of the command line
App.Path: Returns the path where the application executable is located