Working with the Windows Registry

[teh_sAbEr]

Hi everybody. I'm trying to write a script that'll change desktop
wallpaper every time its run. Heres what I've gotten so far:

#random wallpaper changer!
import _winreg
from os import walk
from os.path import exists
from random import randint

#first grab a registry handle.
handle = _winreg.OpenKey (_winreg.HKEY_C URRENT_USER,'Co ntrol Panel
\Desktop',_winr eg.KEY_SET_VALU E)

def GenerateListOfW allpapers():
targetDir = 'C:\Documents and Settings\Enrico Jr\My Documents\Jr
\'s Wallpapers'
fileNames = []
filePaths = []
if exists(targetDi r):
#proceed to make the list of files
for x,y,z in walk(targetDir) :
for name in z:
fileNames.appen d(name)
for item in fileNames:
filePaths.appen d(targetDir + '\\' + item)
return filePaths

def RandomlySelectW allpaper(filePa ths):
index = randint(0,len(f ilePaths)-1)
RandomlySelecte dWallpaper = filePaths[index]
return RandomlySelecte dWallpaper #it should be a string...

#now to edit the wallpaper registry key
newWallpaper = RandomlySelectW allpaper(Genera teListOfWallpap ers())
print "Registry Handle Created."
print "Random wallpaper selected."
_winreg.SetValu eEx(handle,'Con vertedWallpaper ',
0,_winreg.REG_S Z,newWallpaper)
print "New wallpaper value set."

The problem is, every time I run it, I get an "Access Denied" error
when it tries to execute
_winreg.SetValu eEx(), even though i've opened the key with the
KEY_SET_VALUE mask like it said in the help docs. Could there be
another problem or a better way to do this?

[s0suk3@gmail.com]

Re: Working with the Windows Registry

On Jun 25, 9:48 pm, teh_sAbEr <teh.sa...@gmai l.comwrote:

Hi everybody. I'm trying to write a script that'll change desktop
wallpaper every time its run. Heres what I've gotten so far:
>
#random wallpaper changer!
import _winreg
from os import walk
from os.path import exists
from random import randint
>
#first grab a registry handle.
handle = _winreg.OpenKey (_winreg.HKEY_C URRENT_USER,'Co ntrol Panel
\Desktop',_winr eg.KEY_SET_VALU E)
>
def GenerateListOfW allpapers():
targetDir = 'C:\Documents and Settings\Enrico Jr\My Documents\Jr
\'s Wallpapers'
fileNames = []
filePaths = []
if exists(targetDi r):
#proceed to make the list of files
for x,y,z in walk(targetDir) :
for name in z:
fileNames.appen d(name)
for item in fileNames:
filePaths.appen d(targetDir + '\\' + item)
return filePaths
>
def RandomlySelectW allpaper(filePa ths):
index = randint(0,len(f ilePaths)-1)
RandomlySelecte dWallpaper = filePaths[index]
return RandomlySelecte dWallpaper #it should be a string...
>
#now to edit the wallpaper registry key
newWallpaper = RandomlySelectW allpaper(Genera teListOfWallpap ers())
print "Registry Handle Created."
print "Random wallpaper selected."
_winreg.SetValu eEx(handle,'Con vertedWallpaper ',
0,_winreg.REG_S Z,newWallpaper)
print "New wallpaper value set."
>
The problem is, every time I run it, I get an "Access Denied" error
when it tries to execute
_winreg.SetValu eEx(), even though i've opened the key with the
KEY_SET_VALUE mask like it said in the help docs. Could there be
another problem or a better way to do this?

Note the line

#first grab a registry handle.
handle = _winreg.OpenKey (_winreg.HKEY_C URRENT_USER, 'Control Panel
\Desktop', _winreg.KEY_SET _VALUE)

OpenKey() takes four arguments: (1) The Registry key handle or one of
the predefined constants, (2) the string containing the subkey to
open, (3) the 'res' (which I don't know what is :), and the 'sam',
which is the access mask (KEY_SET_VALUE, in this case). You are only
passing three arguments, so the access mask is going to the 'res'
argument instead of the 'sam' argument. Pass instead 0 as the res:


handle = _winreg.OpenKey (_winreg.HKEY_C URRENT_USER,
'Control Panel\Desktop',
0,
_winreg.KEY_SET _VALUE)

Regards,
Sebastian

[Larry Bates]

Re: Working with the Windows Registry

teh_sAbEr wrote:

Hi everybody. I'm trying to write a script that'll change desktop
wallpaper every time its run. Heres what I've gotten so far:
>
#random wallpaper changer!
import _winreg
from os import walk
from os.path import exists
from random import randint
>
#first grab a registry handle.
handle = _winreg.OpenKey (_winreg.HKEY_C URRENT_USER,'Co ntrol Panel
\Desktop',_winr eg.KEY_SET_VALU E)
>
def GenerateListOfW allpapers():
targetDir = 'C:\Documents and Settings\Enrico Jr\My Documents\Jr
\'s Wallpapers'
fileNames = []
filePaths = []
if exists(targetDi r):
#proceed to make the list of files
for x,y,z in walk(targetDir) :
for name in z:
fileNames.appen d(name)
for item in fileNames:
filePaths.appen d(targetDir + '\\' + item)
return filePaths
>
def RandomlySelectW allpaper(filePa ths):
index = randint(0,len(f ilePaths)-1)
RandomlySelecte dWallpaper = filePaths[index]
return RandomlySelecte dWallpaper #it should be a string...
>
#now to edit the wallpaper registry key
newWallpaper = RandomlySelectW allpaper(Genera teListOfWallpap ers())
print "Registry Handle Created."
print "Random wallpaper selected."
_winreg.SetValu eEx(handle,'Con vertedWallpaper ',
0,_winreg.REG_S Z,newWallpaper)
print "New wallpaper value set."
>
The problem is, every time I run it, I get an "Access Denied" error
when it tries to execute
_winreg.SetValu eEx(), even though i've opened the key with the
KEY_SET_VALUE mask like it said in the help docs. Could there be
another problem or a better way to do this?

Common error. You have to open the key so that it can be written as follows:

reg = _winreg.HKEY_CU RRENT_USER
key = r'Control Panel\Desktop'
handle = _winreg.OpenKey (reg, key, 0, _winreg.KEY_WRI TE)


Note: be careful with backslashes (\) in non-raw strings they will be
interpreted as escaped sequences. You were lucky because \D doesn't
represent anything escaped. You should either use r's\gg\gg' or use double
backslashes 's\\gg\\gg'.

-Larry

[drobinow@gmail.com]

Re: Working with the Windows Registry

On Jun 25, 10:48 pm, teh_sAbEr <teh.sa...@gmai l.comwrote:

Hi everybody. I'm trying to write a script that'll change desktop
wallpaper every time its run. Heres what I've gotten so far:
>
#random wallpaper changer!
import _winreg
from os import walk
from os.path import exists
from random import randint
>
#first grab a registry handle.
handle = _winreg.OpenKey (_winreg.HKEY_C URRENT_USER,'Co ntrol Panel
\Desktop',_winr eg.KEY_SET_VALU E)
>

You're missing the third parameter to OpenKey. Try:
handle = _winreg.OpenKey (_winreg.HKEY_C URRENT_USER,
'Control Panel\Desktop', _0, winreg.KEY_SET_ VALUE)

The problem is, every time I run it, I get an "Access Denied" error
when it tries to execute
_winreg.SetValu eEx(), even though i've opened the key with the
KEY_SET_VALUE mask like it said in the help docs. Could there be
another problem or a better way to do this?

[teh_sAbEr]

Re: Working with the Windows Registry

Great! It works properly now but I have one more question, would
anyone know how to get the changes to take effect immediately? Like
some sort of Python way to force the desktop to reload? AFAIK the only
way that'll happen is if I use the Display Properties dialog box. The
Registry value is changed properly, its just I don't think the changes
will take effect until I restart.

[Tim Roberts]

Re: Working with the Windows Registry

teh_sAbEr <teh.saber@gmai l.comwrote:

>Hi everybody. I'm trying to write a script that'll change desktop
>wallpaper every time its run. Heres what I've gotten so far:
>
>#random wallpaper changer!
>import _winreg
>from os import walk
>from os.path import exists
>from random import randint
>
>#first grab a registry handle.
>handle = _winreg.OpenKey (_winreg.HKEY_C URRENT_USER,'Co ntrol Panel
>\Desktop',_win reg.KEY_SET_VAL UE)
>
>def GenerateListOfW allpapers():
targetDir = 'C:\Documents and Settings\Enrico Jr\My Documents\Jr
>\'s Wallpapers'

You are fortunate that your name is not "Tim" or "Ian" or "Nathan", because
this would not have worked as you have written it.

You either need to double the backslashes:
... 'C:\\Documents and Settings\\Enric o...'
or use forward slashes:
... 'C:/Documents and Settings/Enrico...'
or use the "r" modifier:
... r'C:\Documents and Settings\Enrico ...'

However, as a general practice, it's probably better to get the special
directories from the environment:
targetDir = os.environ['USERPROFILE'] + '\\My Documents\\Jr\' s
Wallpapers'

Remember that it's not called "Documents and Settings" on Vista...
--
Tim Roberts, timr@probo.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.