LOAD statement

(Windows only)

Creates application defaults, involving colors, fonts, environment variables, etc., or loads existing defaults, to a graphical or character application.

Specifically, the LOAD statement:

• Creates registry keys and initialization file entries
• Creates new initialization files
• Loads entries from the registry or from an existing initialization file

For more information on application defaults, see the chapter on colors and fonts in OpenEdge Development: Programming Interfaces.

Syntax

LOAD environment
  [ DIR directory ]
  [ APPLICATION ]
  [ NEW ]
  [ BASE-KEY { key-name | "INI" } ]
  [ NO-ERROR ]

environment

A CHARACTER expression that evaluates to one of the following:

• The name of a registry key to create
• The name of an initialization file to create
• The name of an existing registry key
• The name of an existing initialization file

DIR directory

A CHARACTER expression that evaluates to the directory path of one of the following:

• An existing initialization file
• An initialization file to create

If you omit this option, LOAD looks for an existing initialization file, or creates a new initialization file, in the working directory. The pathname can contain Unicode characters. See OpenEdge Development: Internationalizing Applications for more information about Unicode.

APPLICATION

Has no effect; supported only for backward compatibility.

NEW

Creates a new registry key or a new initialization file. If the key or file already exists, LOAD overwrites its data.

BASE-KEY key-name| "INI"

Bypasses the standard search rules.

If you specify BASE-KEY key-name, LOAD looks for or creates the environment in the registry only under base key key-name.

If you specify BASE-KEY "INI" (the quotes are required), LOAD looks for or creates only the initialization file environment.

NO-ERROR

Suppresses ABL errors or error messages that would otherwise occur and diverts them to the ERROR-STATUS system handle. If an error occurs, the action of the statement is not done and execution continues with the next statement. If the statement fails, any persistent side-effects of the statement are backed out. If the statement includes an expression that contains other executable elements, like methods, the work performed by these elements may or may not be done, depending on the order the AVM resolves the expression elements and the occurrence of the error.

To check for errors after a statement that uses the NO-ERROR option:

• Check the ERROR-STATUS:ERROR attribute to see if the AVM raised the ERROR condition.
• Check if the ERROR-STATUS:NUM-MESSAGES attribute is greater than zero to see if the AVM generated error messages. ABL handle methods used in a block without a CATCH end block treat errors as warnings and do not raise ERROR, do not set the ERROR-STATUS:ERROR attribute, but do add messages to the ERROR-STATUS system handle. Therefore, this test is the better test for code using handle methods without CATCH end blocks. ABL handle methods used in a block with a CATCH end block raise ERROR and add messages to the error object generated by the AVM. In this case, the AVM does not update the ERROR-STATUS system handle.
• Use ERROR-STATUS:GET-MESSAGE( message-num ) to retrieve a particular message, where message-num is 1 for the first message.

If the statement does not include the NO-ERROR option, you can use a CATCH end block to handle errors raised by the statement.

Some other important usage notes on the NO-ERROR option:

• NO-ERROR does not suppress errors that raise the STOP or QUIT condition.
• A CATCH statement, which introduces a CATCH end block, is analogous to a NO-ERROR option in that it also suppresses errors, but it does so for an entire block of code. It is different in that the error messages are contained in a class-based error object (generated by the AVM or explicitly thrown), as opposed to the ERROR-STATUS system handle. Also, if errors raised in the block are not handled by a compatible CATCH block, ON ERROR phrase, or UNDO statement, then the error is not suppressed, but handled with the default error processing for that block type.
• When a statement contains the NO-ERROR option and resides in a block with a CATCH end block, the NO-ERROR option takes precedence over the CATCH block. That is, an error raised on the statement with the NO-ERROR option will not be handled by a compatible CATCH end block. The error is redirected to the ERROR-STATUS system handle as normal.
• If an error object is thrown to a statement that includes the NO-ERROR option, then the information and messages in the error object will be used to set the ERROR-STATUS system handle. This interoperability feature is important for those integrating code that uses the traditional NO-ERROR technique with the newer, structured error handling that features error objects and CATCH end blocks.

Example

See the USE statement reference entry for an example.

Notes

• If you specify LOAD environment, LOAD searches for a registry key and for an existing initialization file, and tries to load one or the other. The search logic, which assumes that environment has the format path\rootname.extension (where path and extension are optional) and that version is the current OpenEdge version, is as follows:
  • Search the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER for path\rootname.extension.

    If found, load it.

  • Else search the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER for SOFTWARE\PSC\PROGRESS\version\path\rootname.extension.

    If found, load it.

  • Else search the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER for SOFTWARE\path\rootname.extension.

    If found, load it.

  • Else search the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER for rootname.

    If found, load it.

  • Else search the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER for SOFTWARE\PSC\PROGRESS\version\rootname.

    If found, load it.

  • Else search the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER for SOFTWARE\rootname.

    If found, load it.

  • Else search the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE for path\rootname.extension.

    If found, load it.

  • Else search the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE for SOFTWARE\PSC\PROGRESS\version\path\rootname.extension.

    If found, load it.

  • Else search the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE for SOFTWARE\path\rootname.extension.

    If found, load it.

  • Else search the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE for rootname.

    If found, load it.

  • Else search the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE for SOFTWARE\PSC\PROGRESS\version\rootname.

    If found, load it.

  • Else search the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE for SOFTWARE\rootname.

    If found, load it.

  • Else search for the initialization file path\rootname.extension.

    If found, load it.

  • Else, error.
• If you specify LOAD environment BASE-KEY key-name, where key-name is the name of a registry base key, LOAD loads the registry key key-name\environment.

  Registry base keys are as follows:

  • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
  • HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (Win95 and NT 4.0)
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER
  • HKEY_DYN_DATA (Win95 and NT 4.0)
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
  • HKEY_USERS
• If you specify LOAD environment BASE-KEY "INI," LOAD loads the initialization file environment.
• If you specify LOAD environment NEW, LOAD creates a new key in the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER and names the new key environment.
• If you specify LOAD environment NEW BASE-KEY key-name, LOAD creates a new key in the registry under key-name and names the new key environment.
• If you specify LOAD environment NEW BASE-KEY "INI," LOAD creates a new initialization file and names it environment.ini.
• To change the application environment, load defaults using the LOAD statement, make them current using the USE statement, then access them using the GET-KEY-VALUE and PUT-KEY-VALUE statements.

See also

GET-KEY-VALUE statement, LOAD statement, PUT-KEY-VALUE statement, UNLOAD statement, USE statement