SaveSetting Statement

Saves or creates an application entry in the Windows registry or (on the Macintosh) information in the application's initialization file.

Syntax

SaveSetting appname, section, key, setting

Parts

• appname: Required. String expression containing the name of the application or project to which the setting applies.
• section: Required. String expression containing the name of the section in which the key setting is being saved.
• key: Required. String expression containing the name of the key setting being saved.
• setting: Required. Expression containing the value to which key is being set.

Remarks

• Registry Location: On Windows, SaveSetting writes to the registry under the path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\appname\section\key
• String Values: The setting argument is always stored as a string value in the registry.
• Creating Entries: If the specified key setting doesn't exist, SaveSetting creates it.
• Creating Sections: If the specified section doesn't exist, SaveSetting creates it.
• Application Name: The appname is typically the name of your application. Multiple applications can use the same registry location by using the same appname.
• Section Organization: Use sections to organize related settings. For example, you might have a "Startup" section and a "Display" section.
• Type Conversion: Numeric values and other data types are automatically converted to strings when saved.
• Security: Settings are stored per user (HKEY_CURRENT_USER), not per machine.
• GetSetting Function: Use the GetSetting function to retrieve values saved with SaveSetting.
• DeleteSetting Statement: Use DeleteSetting to remove registry entries created by SaveSetting.

Examples

Save a Simple Setting

SaveSetting "MyApp", "Startup", "Left", 100
SaveSetting "MyApp", "Startup", "Top", 100

Save User Preferences

SaveSetting "MyApp", "Preferences", "BackColor", vbBlue
SaveSetting "MyApp", "Preferences", "FontName", "Arial"
SaveSetting "MyApp", "Preferences", "FontSize", 12

Save Form Position on Close

Private Sub Form_Unload(Cancel As Integer)
SaveSetting App.Title, "Position", "Left", Me.Left
SaveSetting App.Title, "Position", "Top", Me.Top
SaveSetting App.Title, "Position", "Width", Me.Width
SaveSetting App.Title, "Position", "Height", Me.Height
End Sub

Save Boolean Settings

' Save a boolean as a string
SaveSetting "MyApp", "Options", "AutoSave", CStr(chkAutoSave.Value)

Save with Variables

Dim userName As String
userName = txtUserName.Text
SaveSetting "MyApp", "User", "LastUser", userName

Save Multiple Related Settings

Sub SaveWindowSettings()
Dim appName As String
appName = App.Title

SaveSetting appName, "Window", "Maximized", Me.WindowState = vbMaximized
SaveSetting appName, "Window", "Visible", Me.Visible
SaveSetting appName, "Window", "Caption", Me.Caption
End Sub

Common Patterns

Using App.Title for Application Name

' Ensures consistent application name across all settings
SaveSetting App.Title, "Database", "ConnectionString", connStr

Organizing Settings by Feature

' Group related settings in sections
SaveSetting "MyApp", "Display", "Theme", "Dark"
SaveSetting "MyApp", "Display", "Language", "English"
SaveSetting "MyApp", "Network", "Port", 8080
SaveSetting "MyApp", "Network", "Timeout", 30

Important Notes

• Platform Differences: On Windows, settings are stored in the registry. On other platforms, behavior may vary.
• String Storage: All values are stored as strings, so you may need to convert them back when retrieving with GetSetting.
• Registry Cleanup: Use DeleteSetting to remove settings when they're no longer needed.
• Error Handling: SaveSetting can fail if the registry is locked or permissions are insufficient.

See Also

• GetSetting function (retrieve saved settings)
• GetAllSettings function (retrieve all settings from a section)
• DeleteSetting statement (delete registry entries)

References

• SaveSetting Statement - Microsoft Docs