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configuring ODBC DSN with a python script

Robert Brewer fumanchu at amor.org
Fri Feb 6 12:23:24 EST 2004 
omission9 wrote:
> "Robert Brewer" <fumanchu at amor.org> wrote in message 
> news:<mailman.1260.1076005686.12720.python-list at python.org>...
> > Jani Yusef wrote:
> > > I am building an application which, unfortunately, 
> > > *must* use an access db...
> > > how do I configure the ODBC dsn without having the
> > > user open up the ODBC control panel which will in
> > > all honesty just scare and confuse them. ;)
> > 
> > I opined:
> > > the thought crosses my mind that ODBC entries are merely a lump 
> > > of registry keys--you might just create or even copy those 
> > > programatically. That would be my first attempt.
> > 
> > and omission9 added:
> > > Below is some code which more or less implements this...
> > 
> > Great work! I knew *someone* must have tried that before. :)
> > 
> > > One thing is that the system dsn created works perfectly 
> fine but for
> > > whatever reason doesn't show up in the odbc control 
> panel. I am not
> > > very well versed in Windows specific programming so am 
> not sure why
> > > that is but would like to know why. Anybody know why that is?
> > 
> > First guess: you need an entry in
> > HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ODBC\ODBC.INI\ODBC Data Sources
> OK, at the risk of strating to get a little OT.......
> That looks to be correct but when I go to modify ODBC Data Sources as
> I have with the other reg keys I get an access denied error. Any idea
> about that?

I don't think it's off-topic, really. It'd be nice IMO to have a stable
chunk of code to do this--it won't ever make the Library, but it'd be
great to have a complete solution on PyPI.

Regarding the error, that's a Windows NT/2k, etc permissions issue. Use
regedt32 to examine permissions on registry keys; on my 2k SP4 laptop,
the default for that key is that only Administrators and SYSTEM may
write that key. One commonly-adopted solution would be to require that
only Administrators install your package. Alternately, you could create
the keys in HKEY_CURRENT_USER instead of LOCAL_MACHINE. Personally, I
would give the deployer the option, either in a config file, or by
direct query during install, depending on the application.


Robert Brewer
MIS
Amor Ministries
fumanchu at amor.org
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