INI Files

How to Use the Windows Registry to Save Data Table Records

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, GUI (Graphical User Interface) Pop-ups, INI Files, Intermediate Level, Loops, Saving Files, Windows Registry , , , ,

Saving To-Do List Data Items in the Windows Registry Allows Interactive Realtime Updates from the GUI ListView Control

ToDoListReg

The GUI ListView control acts like a data table (i.e. interactive rows and columns). The ListView control includes a number of functions for adding, inserting, modifying and deleting rows and columns,—plus, even more functions for sorting and selecting rows, as well as, retrieving data. I’ve used the AutoHotkey ListView control for a to-do list (shown at right), an address book,  a calorie counting app and listings of icon images embedded in files. (I consider all of these apps educational tools or starting points for AutoHotkey scripting—not final products.)

The AutoHotkey ListView control operates in the same manner as Windows File Explorer—automatically sorting on clicked column headers with editing available in the first field of the selected row on a second click. When included in a GUI (Graphical User Interface), the control adds a great deal of flexibility to any data table display, but it does not automatically save the data. You must write that code yourself. Continue reading →

Updating the INI Data Table File (AutoHotkey Legal ListView Part 4)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, AutoHotkey GUIs, Data Files, GUI (Graphical User Interface) Pop-ups, INI Files, Intermediate Level, Labels, Menus, Windows scripting ,

While It Only Takes One Line of Code to Update the INI Data File, You Must Take Into Account the INI File’s Encoding. Plus, DIY Implementation of the Other Cool ListView Features

Last time, I added code to the LegalListView.ahk script to edit and update the ListView window. This time, I add one line of code to update the same data in the LegalListView.ini file.

By updating the data table file with the edits made via LegalListView.ahk, we save any changes for future use. Continue reading →

Use the ListView GUI Control to Find Duplicate Entries in Data Table Files (AutoHotkey Legal ListView Part 2)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, AutoHotkey GUIs, Data Files, Forcing Expressions, GUI (Graphical User Interface) Pop-ups, If statements, INI Files, Intermediate Level, Loops, Sorting Data, Windows scripting , , ,

ListView Control Functions in a Loop Work Quickly Locate Repetitious Data

In my last blog, “ListView GUI Control for Viewing Data Table Files (AutoHotkey Legal ListView Part 1)“, I introduced using the ListView GUI control to view and correct a data table file—in this case, an INI file (LegalInput.ini). While sorting and viewing a data table in the ListView control offers many benefits, the most power comes from the 11 built-in functions available for manipulating the control and editing data.

All GUI controls (e.g. Edit, Text, MonthCal, etc.) offer options you can call with the initial Gui, Add command. ListView (and its sister TreeView) include similar options plus special functions for directly manipulating the control. Last time, we used LV_Add() to load the data table rows into the ListView control. This time, we use the LV_GetCount() function (the number of ListView rows) to limit the total number of iterations in a loop, LV_Modify() to focus on each table row in sequential order, and LV_GetText() to retrieve and store data in the row. Continue reading →

ListView GUI Control for Viewing Data Table Files (AutoHotkey Legal ListView Part 1)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, AutoHotkey GUIs, Data Files, GUI (Graphical User Interface) Pop-ups, INI Files, Intermediate Level, Sorting Data, Windows scripting , , , , ,

The Powerful ListView GUI (Graphical User Interface) Control Offers Advanced Features for Reading and Sorting Data Tables, Plus How to Make a ListView GUI Control Resizable

Recently, I wrote about how to use a data table to create Hotstrings using the Input command, then, after discovering that I can’t remember all the Hotstring combinations, showed how to build lookup menus from the same data table. Later, I used the same menu technique to demonstrate how to insert Latin legal terms in italics. I made a promise to create a Legal Lingo ListView GUI (Graphical User Interface) pop-up but, before I could undertake the task, other topics intervened. The time has come for me to deliver on my commitment. Continue reading →

Put Your Emoji Hotstrings in a Pop-up Menu (AutoHotkey Trick)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Clipboard Routine, Data Files, Emojis, Icons, INI Files, Input Command (Hotstrings), Intermediate Level, Loops, Menus, Regular Expressions (RegEx), Web Pages, Windows Clipboard , , , ,

Unless Endowed with a Photographic 📷 Memory, Who Can Memorize All the Activating Texts ✍ for Over 1000 Emoji 😀 Hotstrings? Use This Menu 🍱 Technique to Find and Insert Emojis 😀 Taken Directly from Your Hotstring Script

Who wouldn’t want all the emojis available at their fingertips? The last blog “Add Emoji Characters to Any Windows Document (AutoHotkey Hotstrings)” does just that. However, with the exception of the icons you use all the time, you won’t find remembering the activating strings easy. We need a quick lookup table to remind us of the activating strings for each image. Even better, why not a pop-up menu which both gives us the Hotstring keys and inserts the emoji? Fortunately, we can do this with a short AutoHotkey routine which searches the original EmojiInsert.ahk Hotstring file for our favorite characters.

Continue reading →

More Hotstring Tricks Using the Input Command and a Data Table (AutoHotkey Legal Lingo Tips)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Data Files, Hotstrings, INI Files, Input Command (Hotstrings), Loops, Menus, Windows scripting , , , ,

The AutoHotkey Input Command Makes It Easy to Use the LegalInput.ini Data Table in Multiple Ways

A few weeks back I demonstrated how to build an INI data table for driving AutoHotkey scripts. I used the INI file format (LegalInput.ini) because it includes one index for quickly looking up records. In the file, I created four-character codes for accessing records which include the English legal definition, the Latin term, and a description (if any).

Legal Input Lex Scripta

While essential to the AutoHotkey feature discussed last time, you’ll find the INI file structure incidental to the technique discussed in this blog. You can use an INI file either for its index or as a standard data table with no special capabilities. As demonstrated in this piece, you’ll find a number of different ways to take advantage of a data table—without requiring an INI file. An INI file gives you a convenient means for quickly accessing data, but (especially for short files) you’ll discover numerous other methods for extracting the information you want. Continue reading →

Input Command Creates Temporary Hotstrings from Data Table (AutoHotkey INI File Technique)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Data Files, Hotstrings, INI Files, Input Command (Hotstrings), Intermediate Level, Send Command ,

By Using an INI Table of Legal Terms, We Construct Instant Hotstrings with the AutoHotkey Input Command

I recently received questions about using AutoHotkey for professional terminology in medical transcription. While features in many word processors such as Microsoft Word allow the building of special auto-correct dictionaries, they only work within Word. Since AutoHotkey works anywhere on a Windows computer, it’s only natural to want your own specialized technical lexicon. However, for the newbie, the question turns into “Where do I start?” Continue reading →

Use BoundFunc Object [Func.Bind()] to Pass GUI Control Data (An AutoHotkey GUI Revelation)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Functions, GUI (Graphical User Interface) Pop-ups, INI Files, Intermediate Level, Labels, Script Structure, Version 2.0, Windows scripting ,

Added as a Special Feature to AutoHotkey V1.1, You Can Quickly Bind Unique Data to GUI Controls for Passing to Functions—It’s Even Easier in V2.0. Add This One to Your Bag of AutoHotkey Tricks!

Sometimes in my explorations, I come across an unexpected gem. I dig into many aspects AutoHotkey merely because they exist—having no idea how a technique might affect my scriptwriting. Whenever I uncover a feature that switches on a light, I must admit I get a little excited. Interestingly, if I had not been rummaging through AutoHotkey V2.0, I may not have ever understood the significances of this latest revelation for GUI pop-up windows in V1.1 scripts.

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GraphicSoundsIn a GUI (Graphical User Interface) pop-up window, passing the right data to a gLabel subroutine (or function) from a GUI control can get complicated. A couple of the more common methods includes calling the Gui, Submit command to store control values or using a technique for capturing control information, such as the MouseGetPos command or the special gLabel alternative function:

 CtrlEvent(CtrlHwnd, GuiEvent, EventInfo, ErrLevel:="")

While I can usually find a way to solve the data passing problem, I often find the answer awkward. Continue reading →

Write Less Code with Database Driven Apps (AutoHotkey Script Design)

Jack Dunning Arrays, AutoHotkey, AutoHotkey GUIs, Children's Educational Apps, Functions, GUI (Graphical User Interface) Pop-ups, INI Files, Intermediate Level, Loops, Version 2.0, Windows scripting , , , , ,

Use Simple Database Files to Both Write AutoHotkey Code and Create Flexible Scripts

GraphicSoundsIn the last blog, I introduced a simple AutoHotkey app I call PictureSounds.ahk. When the user clicks on an image, AutoHotkey seeks the name of the sound file in an INI lookup table, then plays it. The script uses the image file name as the INI file Key. After loading a series of images, the script plays a different sound for each image. (It even plays videos!)

Using the INI file as a lookup table saved me from writing a different subroutine (or at least If condition) for each Picture control in the GUI window. Now, I show how to use that same data file to write the command code lines for adding the images to the pop-up files. Continue reading →

Building a Lookup Table with an INI File (AutoHotkey Reference Tip)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Children's Educational Apps, INI Files, Intermediate Level, Reference, Regular Expressions (RegEx), Version 2.0, Web Pages, Windows scripting , , ,

In AutoHotkey, You Can Use an INI File as a Database for Relating Lookup Table Items

Admittedly, AutoHotkey lacks sophisticated database tools for storing, sorting, and reporting sets of information. While you can piece together commands to create pretty good database file systems, AutoHotkey does not hold a candle to specialized data handling software packages which use SQL and other high-powered relational tools. However, AutoHotkey does support a simple form of a database called an INI file with built-in commands which make it easy to read and write data. These features give us a method for building a lookup table to relate our AutoHotkey Version 1.1 commands to 2.0 functions references. Continue reading →