Get fieldtype settings

Nevermind, i figured it out as like

$query = $this->EE->db->query("SELECT settings FROM exp_fieldtypes WHERE name = 'NAME'");

Hi

The data thats returned by that query, seems to be encrypted, does anyone on know how to unencrypted it?

Is there perhaps a better way to read the global settings of a fieldtype. I know there is the settings() function, but what if Im trying to get the settings from another class/addon, like a plugin for instance?

Thanks

ok, I noticed the equals sign at the end of the string, I got the settings array back by base64 decoding it and then unserializing it.

I wonder what the reason is why its saved like that, serialized and base64 encoded?