registry_key_exists¶

Status:: ● Development
Category:: Windows System
Function Name:: registry_key_exists

Tests if Windows registry key exists (Windows only).

This test function checks if a specified Windows Registry key exists using the Windows Registry API. It supports all major registry hives and both full and abbreviated hive names.

Parameters¶

Parameter	Type	Description
`key_path`	string	Required. Full registry path including hive (e.g., “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion”).

Usage Example¶

System Registry Key Check¶

tests:
  - name: test_registry_key_exists_system
    function: windows.registry_key_exists
    parameter:
      key_path: 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion'
    description: "Test registry_key_exists with system key"

Custom Application Key Check¶

tests:
  - name: test_registry_key_exists_custom
    function: windows.registry_key_exists
    parameter:
      key_path: 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\TestApp'
    description: "Test registry_key_exists with custom created key"

Non-Existent Key Check¶

tests:
  - name: test_registry_key_does_not_exist
    function: windows.registry_key_exists
    parameter:
      key_path: 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\NonExistentApp'
    description: "Test registry_key_exists with non-existent key"

Variable-Based Registry Paths¶

variables:
  app_registry_key:
    type: string
    value: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\MyCompany\\MyApp"
    description: "Application registry key"

tests:
  - name: test_app_registry_key
    function: windows.registry_key_exists
    parameter:
      key_path: '{{app_registry_key}}'
    description: "Test that application registry key exists"

Short Hive Names¶

tests:
  - name: test_registry_short_hive
    function: windows.registry_key_exists
    parameter:
      key_path: 'HKLM\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion'
    description: "Test registry key with short hive name (HKLM)"

Common Use Cases¶

Software Installation Validation: Verify that software installations created expected registry keys
Configuration Validation: Check that application configuration keys exist in the registry
System State Verification: Ensure required system registry keys are present
Security Policy Validation: Verify that security-related registry keys exist
Application Uninstall Verification: Confirm that registry keys were properly removed during uninstallation

Registry Hive Support¶

Supported Hives (Full Names):

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT - File associations and COM registration
HKEY_CURRENT_USER - Current user settings and preferences
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - System-wide settings and configuration
HKEY_USERS - All user profiles on the system
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG - Current hardware configuration

Supported Hives (Short Names):

HKCR → HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
HKCU → HKEY_CURRENT_USER
HKLM → HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
HKU → HKEY_USERS
HKCC → HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG

Path Format:

Use backslashes (\\) as path separators
Forward slashes (/) are automatically converted to backslashes
Case-insensitive hive names supported

Platform Requirements:

Windows operating system
Python winreg module availability
Appropriate permissions to access registry keys

Return Values¶

Success: Returns success when the specified registry key exists and is accessible
Failure: Returns failure when: - Registry key does not exist - Key path is invalid or malformed
Execution Error: Returns execution error when: - Not running on Windows system - winreg module not available - Permission denied accessing registry key - Invalid registry hive specified - Registry path parsing errors

Example Results¶

# Success case
result: success
details:
  - "registry key exists: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion"

# Failure case - key not found
result: failed
details:
  - "registry key does not exist: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\NonExistentApp"

# Execution error case - wrong platform
result: execution_error
error: "This test only runs on Windows"

# Execution error case - permission denied
result: execution_error
error: "Permission denied accessing registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Security\\Policy"

# Execution error case - invalid hive
result: execution_error
error: "Invalid registry hive: INVALID_HIVE"