Technical Notes on Options

Registry

All AQT options are held in the Windows registry in the registry key "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\Cardett\Options".

For AQT v8, most of the options were held in registry values List1 and List3. For AQT v9, v10 and v11, the settings are held as one registry value per option. This makes it easier to manage the settings through the registry.

An option only appears in the registry when it has a value different from the default.

Moving Options between Machines

This can be done in either of the following ways:

• using regedit, go to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Cardett\AQT\Options" then click on File > Export. This will create a *.reg file. Copy this to the target machine then double-click it to load these settings into registry on that machine.
• in the AQT Options window, click on File > Export all Options to export the options to a file. On the target machine, the options can be loaded with File > Import options.

Loading Options on AQT Startup

AQT can load an options file when it starts. The file must be called aqtoptions.txt, and located in the the same directory as the AQT executable (eg. C:\Program Files\Advanced Query Tool v10). This file must be in the same format as created by File > Export from the Options window.

This provides an easy way for system administrators to deploy a set of options to their users.

Unless the locked option is used, the user will be able to change the options during their AQT session; these will not be saved but will be set back to the values in aqtoptions.txt the next time AQT starts.

To lock an option, add the locked keyword after the option. When this is specified, the user will not be able to change the option.

Example:

ReadOnlyMode=y;locked

Specifying an Option when AQT starts

You can set an option on the command which starts AQT. You may include either in a bat file which starts AQT, or in the shortcut which starts AQT.

Locking an Option

System administrators can "lock" an option by placing an entry for it in "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Cardett\AQT\Options".

Once an option is locked, it will appeared "grayed-out" in the Options window - the user will not be able to change it. AQT provides no mechanism to manage the options in this part of the registry - this can only be done by the use of regedit and importing / exporting registry values.

Internal Name

Each option has an internal name, which is the name AQT uses when storing the option in the registry, and used in the export and import files.

The easiest way to see the internal name, is to (in the Options window):

• set an option to a value
• save your options with Ctrl+S
• click on File > View non-default options. This will show you your options (which are not set to their default values). You will be able to see the internal names for the options.

Alternatively (from the Options window):

• click on File > Show internal option names
• when this is set, when your mouse hovers over an option it will show you the internal name for the option. Note that there are a few options (such as text boxes) this does not work for.