Value Entry (Windows Registry)


Definition of VALUE ENTRY in Network Encyclopedia.

What is Value Entry (Windows Registry)?

Value Entry is a data entry in the Microsoft Windows registry. Value entries are contained in keys and are analogous to variables.

 Value Entry in Registry
Value Entry in Registry

They consist of three parts:

  • Name: The name of the value entry (for example, MaintainServerList) 
  • Data type: The type of data stored in the value entry (for example, REG_SZ represents human-readable text) 
  • Value: The actual data contained in the value entry (for example, the string “Auto”) 

In Windows NT, five data types can be used in value entries. These are described in the table on the next page. Windows 2000 supports a few data types in addition to those shown in the table.

NOTE

The maximum size of a registry value in Windows NT is about 1 MB. Applications can define other data types, but the ones shown in the table are the only ones that you can display and modify using the registry editor (regedt32.exe).


Value Entry Data Types in Windows NT

Data TypeDescription
REG_BINARYRaw binary data, usually displayed in the registry editor in hexadecimal format
REG_DWORDData represented by a number that is 4 bytes long and is displayed in the registry editor in binary, hexadecimal, or decimal format
REG_EXPAND_SZAn expandable data string (text that contains a variable that is replaced when called by an application)
REG_MULTI_SZA multiple string, typically used for lists that are in human-readable text with entries separated by NULL characters
REG_SZA sequence of characters in human-readable text, typically used for descriptive information

See also

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