RegCreateKey

RegCreateKey

The RegCreateKey function creates the specified key. If the key already exists in the registry, the function opens it. This function is provided for compatibility with Windows version 3.1. Win32-based applications should use the RegCreateKeyEx function.

LONG RegCreateKey(

HKEY hKey,	// handle of an open key
LPCTSTR lpSubKey,	// address of name of subkey to open
PHKEY phkResult	// address of buffer for opened handle
);

Parameters

hKey

Identifies a currently open key or any of the following predefined reserved handle values:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
HKEY_USERS

The key opened or created by this function is a subkey of the key identified by hKey.

lpSubKey

Points to a null-terminated string specifying the name of a key that this function opens or creates. This key must be a subkey of the key identified by the hKey parameter.

If hKey is one of the predefined keys, lpSubKey may be NULL. In that case, the handle returned by using phkResult is the same hKey handle passed in to the function.

phkResult

Points to a variable that receives the handle of the opened or created key.

Return Values

If the function succeeds, the return value is ERROR_SUCCESS.

If the function fails, the return value is a nonzero error code defined in WINERROR.H. You can use the FormatMessage function with the FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM flag to get a generic description of the error.

Remarks

An application can use the RegCreateKey function to create several keys at once. For example, an application can create a subkey four levels deep at the same time as the three preceding subkeys by specifying a string of the following form for the lpSubKey parameter:

subkey1\subkey2\subkey3\subkey4

The key identified by the hKey parameter must have been opened with KEY_CREATE_SUB_KEY access (KEY_WRITE access includes KEY_CREATE_SUB_KEY access).

If the lpSubKey parameter is the address of an empty string, the function opens and then passes back the key identified by the hKey parameter.