solved [TC 11.50] Double-clicking WINCMD.KEY overwrites key in Registry with garbage if KeyPath=$ is set

[petermad]

If I have the registry key in [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Ghisler\Total Commander] -> key - and I have set KeyPath=$ in wincmd.ini, then double-clicking on a WINCMD.KEY file and accepting to install it, results in the Registry key being overwritten with garbage, and no WINCMD.KEY file is written to neither %COMMANDER_PATH% nor %COMMANDER_INI_PATH%

This does not happen if KeyPath=$ is NOT set. TC actually uses the Registry key even without KeyPath=$.

[ghisler(Author)]

I didn't finish this function because KeyPath=$ is no longer needed. I will check whether I can support it.

[ghisler(Author)]

This should be fixed in 11.51 RC1, please test it!

Installing key file in registry by double click when Keyfile=$ was set in wincmd.ini didn't work (invalid data written)

[petermad]

07.01.25 Fixed: Installing key file in registry by double click when Keyfile=$ was set in wincmd.ini didn't work (invalid data written) (32/64)

Confirmed fixed in TC 11.51rc1

If KeyPath=$ is set in wincmd.ini, then double-clicking on a wincmd.key file writes the key to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Ghisler\Total Commander\Key

But it is not written to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Ghisler\Total Commander\Key
and
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Ghisler\Total Commander\Key

If KeyPath=$ is not set in wincmd.ini, then the wincmd.key file is copied to %COMMANDER_PATH% or %COMMANDER_INI_PATH%

That TC now writes the key properly to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Ghisler\Total Commander\Key when KeyPath=$ is set, makes 3rd party tools for adding the key to the registry obsolete

Moderator message from: petermad » 2025-01-17, 13:19 UTC

Moved to "TC fixed bugs" from "TC11.x bug reports (English)"

[white]

Installing key file in registry by double click when Keyfile=$ was set in wincmd.ini didn't work (invalid data written)

There is no such thing as a Keyfile setting.

Tested OK with the KeyPath setting, meaning that the registry value "Key" in registry subkey "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Ghisler\Total Commander" is overwritten with the contents of the license file.

However, this whole feature of installing a license, seems to be undocumented and the user has no clue what happens.

With KeyPath=$ in wincmd.ini, TC installs the license for the current user, in the registry.
With no KeyPath setting in wincmd.ini, TC tries to install the license for all users by putting the license file in the program folder, regardless whether or not a license file is present in the same folder as the ini file.

When the KeyPath settings contains a path to a folder, TC copies the key file to that folder. However, when that folder does not exist, TC does not try to create it, but copies the key file to the same folder as the ini file. This seems inconsistent with the behavior when the path to wincmd.ini does not exist. In that case TC does try to create the folder.

[ghisler(Author)]

There is no such thing as a Keyfile setting.

I have updated history1151.txt now, thanks.

With no KeyPath setting in wincmd.ini, TC tries to install the license for all users by putting the license file in the program folder, regardless whether or not a license file is present in the same folder as the ini file.

Only if the user allows TC to write to its program folder.