Use AutoHotKey to Create Hot-Keys for eBoostr, Automate Testing, and more...

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Use AutoHotKey to Create Hot-Keys for eBoostr, Automate Testing, and more...

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Started 2 years ago by byteboss
Latest reply from mradr

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byteboss
Member

I hope this software recommendation isn't considered off-topic here. Although AutoHotKey can automate many aspects of your computer usage, I think eBoostr Beta testers here might also find it useful to automate USB Flash Drive Testing and to create Hot-Keys for use in their testing. AutoHotKey is a Free Scripting Utility with Macro Recorder for Windows. It can be downloaded from http://www.autohotkey.com

The site has a very active forum, and members have posted there thousands of scripts they have written (some of which you're sure to find useful). I'll also be promoting eBoostr on the AutoHotKey Site as I think the AutoHotKey users can benefit from this utility.

AutoHotkey is a free, open-source utility for Windows. With it, you can:

* Automate almost anything by sending keystrokes and mouse clicks.

* You can write a mouse or keyboard macro by hand or use the macro recorder.

* Create hotkeys for keyboard, joystick, and mouse. Virtually any key, button, or combination can become a hotkey.

* Expand abbreviations as you type them. For example, typing "btw" can automatically produce "by the way".

* Create custom data-entry forms, user interfaces, and menu bars. See GUI for details.

* Remap keys and buttons on your keyboard, joystick, and mouse.

* Respond to signals from hand-held remote controls via the WinLIRC client script.

* Convert any script into an EXE file that can be run on computers that don't have AutoHotkey installed.

* Getting started might be easier than you think. Check out the quick-start tutorial.

Posted 2 years ago #
mradr
Member

I've used this program befor. My AV thought it was a virus at one point, and I didn't have the need for it at that point, so I just got rid of it. Really, I don't see it helping much with testing, or helping much with anything really... others may find it handy.

Posted 2 years ago #
byteboss
Member

AutoHotKey is one of those utilities that grows on you as you learn more about how to use it. It's not a program that you can install, play with for ten minutes, and think you understand all it can do for you. In such cases, you won't even scratch the surface of it's capabilities. It's actually more of a programming language than a simple scripting utility. The quickest way to learn all the wonderful ways it can be used is to visit the Scripts and Functions forum on the site, download some that look interesting, and run them. Here is a list of just a few of the scripts I've downloaded:

20 Handy Clipboards.ahk
Add and Remove Explorer Context Menu Commands.ahk
Adding a Thousands Separator to Large Numbers.ahk
AHK RegEx Tester v2.1.ahk
AHK Unit Converter.ahk
Ahk Window Spy 1.3.3.ahk
Auto Copy Selected Text to Clipboard.ahk
AutoClip v4.ahk
Basic Encryption 2.7.ahk
Clipboard History Monitor.ahk
Clipboard Search & Replace v1.40.ahk
ColorZoomer.ahk
CountDown - Countdown timer with sound alert.ahk
Deluxe Clipboard.ahk
Detect File Changes.ahk
Detecting Key and Mouse Clicks.ahk
Detecting Single, Double, & Triple Clicks on AHK Script Tray Icon.ahk
Disable Drag-n-Drop.ahk
Dynamic SplashText.ahk
FavoriteFoldersGui.ahk
Find & Replace Buddy.ahk
Find Files with Time Stamps between two Dates.ahk
Firefox Profile Backuper v01.ahk
Folder Change Monitor.ahk
FolderSpy v.96.ahk
Hex To String Function.ahk
HotString GUI.ahk
Internet Connection Check.ahk
Lan Clipboard Sharing.ahk
Laszlo's Encrypt-Decrypt Functions with GUI.ahk
Macro Recorder.ahk
Netstat 2.ahk
Network Clipboard.ahk
Remapping via the registry in Windows NT4, 2000, XP or Later.txt
Send To Dialog Window (Add it to Registry).ahk
Small and Fast Text File Encryptor.ahk
StopWatch.ahk
SuperSynchronizer, synchronize directories with exclusions.ahk
Tail - Return the last k lines of file.ahk
TexTabs 45L Simple ClipText Utility.ahk
Unit Converter.ahk

By the way, these scripts can be compiled into Stand-Alone Executables (.exe files).
They can then be run on computers that don't have AutoHotKey installed as Stand-Alone Executables (no installation required).

If your the type of person that has no interest in learning any programming language, then you won't get near as much out of this utility as your use of it will be limited to using the macro recorder. On the other hand, if you like to have the computer make intelligent decisions on it's own, automatically perform repetitive tasks, assign a series of keyboard entries and mouse clicks to a single HotKey, and add functionality to some of the programs you use every day (just to name a few of the things it can do for you), then you will find this program a must-have on all your computers.

Posted 2 years ago #
mradr
Member

<-programming for almost 10 years now.

More or less its just a another programming lang.. I find VB basic much more easy to use then this, but you get alot more support when programming at their foums, while VB you'll have to look for a fourm and or buy a book. Let me step back when I say, I don't find it usefull.. I "feel" its not really usefull for the avg. Joe out there. Basicly, you'll have to learn something new called a programming lang. that lets the computer know how to do something. I have a feeling most people will be asking alot of how tos then not want to learn it do to a learn curv.

Now, if you wanting to learn something like this, I too would say go for it! It's really easy and it gets you into the basic of programming. There was alot of support last I was there and it lets you do programming that you can use everyday to help you out (even though thats been a while... 7 years? for me..).

Posted 2 years ago #
byteboss
Member

Well, we each should follow the course that meets our needs and that we are most comfortable with. For me, I kind of had the opposite experience from you. Several years ago I wanted to write a small utility that utilized the windows clipboard and I looked at VB. But I was really turned off by it; the method needed and amount of code required seem terribly cumbersome. And with AutoHotKey, accessing the windows clipboard required only one short line of code. I also prefer to end up with stand-alone executables, and VB required every computer to have it's runtimes available on them. Also, since I'm not a professional programmer and only write programs for my own use (and only when the need arises), the active forum on the AutoHotKey site "was" and "still is" a great resource for getting help and snippets of code. I know AutoHotKey has evolved a lot in the last 7 years, and VB probably has done so too, so I may not have the same criticisms of VB's latest version. But we are where we are today, and neither one of us is likely to change.

As for AutoHotKey not being for the average "Joe", I'm sure that can be said of any programing language. AutoHotKey's Macro Recorder is much like the Macro Recorder built into Microsoft Excel that produces VBA Code. It too produces code showing you exactly how to go about doing some things, but both macro recorders have limitations. To add GUI's, decision making capabilities, menus, looping, data manipulation, Message Boxes, Input Boxes, etc. you have to learn the syntax and add it manually. It can be a very rewarding experience, but it's not for everyone.

I personally feel that everyone could benefit from learning how to create "HotStrings" and "HotKeys" with this utility. They are very easy to make. And even if they learn nothing more than how to assign strings or a series of Key Presses to them, they will benefit from using this program. But then, I'm more of a computer Geek than most folks, so I probably don't understand the average "Joe".

By the way, I do remember the time when AVG antivirus reported a FASLE Positive on the AutoHotKey engine containing a virus. But they eventually fixed that bug in their antivirus software.

Posted 2 years ago #
mradr
Member

Oh no, I was just giving a example of one of the programming langs. I used. I didn't find VB all that good myself either, I was just talking about support and saying AutoHotKey had good support for new people coming in, unlike VB did for a forum... or no forum.. they did have a book, but I could never follow it (I guess thats why I never did the projects in the book at school, but always got the A in the class, lol) I find C++ and python to be perty good my self.

As for AutoHotKey, this way of learning is call object programming. Instead of writing line of line of code, its broken down to just a few or in many cases, just a line of code. This makes the learning curve to little or none in most cases, so its really a nice start. Down side is the lang. that uses it... usally isn't as powerfull as the more harder to learn ones are.

"By the way, I do remember the time when AVG antivirus reported a FASLE Positive on the AutoHotKey engine containing a virus. But they eventually fixed that bug in their antivirus software."
I was using Avast at the time. Yea i'm glad they fix that, it was sorta of annoying when it would go off and say "You may have virus..." even tho I knew better and it wasn't. At the time too... I was using it... to hac... nvm... XD I wasn't a good fair player when I was younger lol.

Posted 2 years ago #

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