5.5 Searching for Keys

RegEdt32 's search capability is much less capable than RegEdit 's, but it's better than nothing. Where RegEdit can search key names, value names, and value contents, RegEdt32 can search only key names. This is still useful, however, since most of the available documentation covering Registry keys gives you the key names even when value names and contents aren't specified.

When you search the Registry with RegEdt32, the search starts at whatever key you currently have selected and proceeds until one of two things happens: a match is found, or the search hits the end of the Registry. In the former case, RegEdt32 highlights the matching key. In the latter, it displays a dialog telling you that no more instances of the search string can be found.

You get to RegEdt32's Find dialog with the ViewFind Key menu command. The dialog itself is shown in Figure 5.4. It looks, and works, very much like the Find dialogs of other applications you've probably used before, such as Notepad and Wordpad. Here's what its controls do:

• You specify the key name you want to find by typing all or part of it into the "Find what" field. You may also use the standard Windows keyboard shortcuts to cut, copy, or paste Clipboard text into this field.

• The "Match whole word only" and "Match case" checkboxes control how RegEdt32 compares the search string you type against the Registry data. By default, both these checkboxes are off.

• The Up and Down radio buttons control the direction in which RegEdt32 searches: Up searches from the selected key to the root key of the active window, while Down searches from the selected key to the last subkey of the last key of the active root.

Figure 5.4. RegEdt32's Find dialog

Each time RegEdt32 finds a match, it highlights the matching key in the tree pane of the active root key window. You can then use the Find Next button to search for the next instance, or the Cancel button to stop looking.

If you want to find keys and values with maximum flexibility, the excellent Registry Search & Replace utility is probably what you're looking for. It's an easy-to-use, flexible tool for searching the Registry. You can get it at http://www.iserv.net/~sjhswdev/REGSRCH.HTM.