Saving Files

Finalizing an AutoHotkey Script

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, AutoHotkey Resources, FileSelectFile, GoTo Command, GUI (Graphical User Interface) Pop-ups, Hotstring() Function, Menu Bars, Saving Files, Windows Registry, Windows scripting ,

While No One Actually Ever Completes an AutoHotkey Script, Some People Get Much Closer Than Others

Last June I started a series of blogs on “Finishing and Polishing AutoHotkey Scripts.” (Ironically, I never finished either the script or the series of blogs.) I wrote six articles aimed at making a script more flexible and user-friendly. Once I had added a menu bar to the GUI window, my chosen menu items provided a map to the ultimate finished product. In the course of that work, I introduced a number of methods for enhancing the program.

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Use Alternative Filename Extensions for Special Format Files (Part Five: Finishing AutoHotkey GUI Scripts)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Data Files, FileSelectFile, Hotstrings, Menu Bars, Progress Bar, Saving Files, Windows scripting , , ,

While Changing the Saved Filename Extension in the InstantHotstring.ahk Script Helps Protect Original AutoHotkey Files, the Technique Offers Additional Benefits…Plus, a No-Wait Progress Bar for Instant-Saves

Over the course of the past few blogs, I added protection to files containing AutoHotkey code by both including a one-line file header and changing the saved filename extension to .hsf. These steps have resolved my concern about overwriting any AutoHotkey scripts—from which I may have extracted Hotstrings and loaded them into the “under-construction” InstantHotstringMenuBar.ahk app. At times, I thought that adding the two techniques might be overkill but now I’ve come to realize that using an alternative extension provides benefits that may prove even more useful than my initial attempt at protecting .ahk files.

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Use the GoTo Command to Traverse Long Subroutines (Part Four: Finishing AutoHotkey GUI Scripts)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, FileSelectFile, GoTo Command, GUI (Graphical User Interface) Pop-ups, Hotstrings, Loops, Menu Bars, Saving Files, Script Structure, Windows scripting , , ,

Sometimes the GoTo Command Makes Life Easier without Creating Perverse Effects

This next portion of the InstantHotstring.ahk menubar implementation did not go as I had expected. I thought that I would break up the routine launched by the Save Hotstrings button into separate subroutines or functions, then call each as appropriate for the corresponding Save/Append Hotstrings menu items (as seen in the image). I didn’t look forward to it because I knew it could get a little confusing. Some items would require multiple subroutine calls while others would need to just run—depending upon the menu selections made by the user.

I didn’t want to write redundant subroutines, but separating the various features of the complete routine required more than merely adding Return commands to encapsulate the code. I finally ask myself, “Why not insert AutoHotkey Labels into the main Save routine and use the GoTo command to jump my way through the decision points?”

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Sensing AutoHotkey Editing Changes for Instant Save (Part Three: Finishing AutoHotkey GUI Scripts)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Data Files, FileSelectFile, GUI (Graphical User Interface) Pop-ups, Hotstrings, Menu Bars, Saving Files, Windows scripting , ,

By Detecting Modifications in Edit Data We Know When to Activate Instant-Save Routines

Any change too active Hotstrings appends an asterisk (*) to the current open filename and enables the Save option.

In the last blog (“GUI Menu Bar “Save” Item Complications (Part Two: Finishing AutoHotkey GUI Scripts)“), I discussed the need to add a special header to a unique type of data file—InstantHotstring generated Hotstrings. This header helps to differentiate between AutoHotkey .ahk files—which you may not want to overwrite—and files generated by the InstantHotstring.ahk script.

When adding a Save option (instant-save using the CTRL+S key combination) to the menu bar, many Windows apps concatenate an asterisk (*) to the file name in the title bar—alerting the user to changes. In this blog, I add a similar change-detecting feature which both displays the appended asterisk and enables an instant-save routine.

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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 →

Auto-Install Data and Text Files Embedded in .AHK Scripts (AutoHotkey Tip)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Data Files, Hotstrings, Saving Files, Windows scripting ,

While the AutoHotkey FileInstall Command Works Great When Packaging External Files inside Compiled EXE Files, You Can Also Package and Extract Data and Text Files with Uncompiled AHK Script Files

coverepub-250In Chapter Six and Chapter Thirty-eight of the book AutoHotkey Applications, I discuss using the FileInstall command when combining various types of support files (e.g. jpg, wav, ini) into one compiled EXE file. Upon loading the app for the first time, a double-click of the left mouse button extracts the embedded files and places each at its proper location on the drive. After downloading an AutoHotkey app, this command alleviates the need to keep track of each external file required by the package. However, the FileInstall command only works for compiled EXE files.

Due to the ever-present risk from computer viruses, it gets harder and harder to send and download EXE files. Both Web and computer security systems give user warnings—if they don’t outright block all EXE files. The safest and easiest way to share AutoHotkey apps is through the text-based .ahk script files which contain only human-readable code. (Users can later compile the script themselves.) If you want to include more files than merely the AutoHotkey script, you can package all the pieces inside a ZIP file for later unzipping. But, if you want to include a text-based data or ReadMe.txt file for the AutoHotkey app which automatically extracts into the working folder, then you can use the following technique—no FileInstall command required.

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Use the FileSelectFile Command to Save Instant Hotstrings to an AutoHotkey File

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, AutoHotkey GUIs, DropDownList Control, FileSelectFile, GUI (Graphical User Interface) Pop-ups, Saving Files, Windows scripting , , , ,

After Taking the Time to Create Hotstrings with the InstantHotstring.ahk Script, It Only Makes Sense to Save the Code to an AutoHotkey File for Future Use

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This blog is part of a series of articles discussing how to create instant Hotstrings using the Hotstring() function.

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Ultimately, after writing and activating a number of Hotstrings with the InstantHotstrings.ahk script, we want to save them in an AutoHotkey file. That frees us from recreating the set of auto-replacements the next time we need them. Plus, rather than always loading the Hotstrings into the app, we can run the .ahk file directly with AutoHotkey. Continue reading →