#Directives

Pressing GUI Buttons with a Single Keystroke (AutoHotkey Tip)

Jack Dunning #Directives, AutoHotkey, AutoHotkey GUIs, Forcing Expressions, GUI (Graphical User Interface) Pop-ups, Hotkeys, If statements, Labels, Windows scripting , , , ,

Sometimes We Find It Easier to Hit a Key Rather Than Click a Button

An AutoHotkey forum user posted a question about using Hotkeys to activate buttons in a GUI window. He wanted to hit the numbers 1, 2, 3, or 4, rather than clicking the individual buttons—but only for the active GUI window.

hotkeycover200While I discuss similar isolation of Hotkeys to specific active windows in my Hotkeys book, this blog provided another opportunity to show how to add more functionality to your GUIs without infringing upon other programs or Hotkeys. I attempted to make the script as simple as possible by using a number of AutoHotkey tricks. Continue reading →

Calculating Timespans in Years, Months, Days in AutoHotkey, Part 2 (Understanding the HowLong() Function)

Jack Dunning #Directives, AutoHotkey, AutoHotkey GUIs, Cool Scripts, GUI (Graphical User Interface) Pop-ups, If statements, Mouse Tricks, Windows Utilities , , ,

Taking a Close Look at the HowLong() Function for Calculating Years, Months, and Days

In this blog, I discuss in its entirety the most recent AutoHotkey code for the HowLongYearsMonthsDays.ahk script (introduced in my last blog). I’ve broken it up into snippets in order to explain the purpose of each piece. To get a complete copy of the script check out HowLongYearsMonthsDays.ahk at the “ComputorEdge Free AutoHotkey Scripts” page or for a barebones version (without comments and inactive code) see “Function Calculating Timespan in Years, Months, and Days” at the AutoHotkey Forum. This blog reviews the nuts and bolts of calculating the timespan between two dates.

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Calculating Timespans Between Dates in Years, Months, Days (AutoHotkey Function)

Jack Dunning #Directives, AutoHotkey, AutoHotkey GUIs, Functions, Windows scripting, Windows Utilities , , , , ,

Calculating the Years, Months, and Days Between Two Points in Time Takes More Than Simple Mathematics

Years ago, I wrote an AutoHotkey timespan calculation function for keeping track of my grandkids ages. (I wrote about it in my Digging Deeper Into AutoHotkey e-book and you can find the original function in the GrandKids.ahk scripts.) Developing the function was a bit of a mindbender. As I remember, I just plowed through the project finding my way by trial-and-error. When I recently reviewed the script, I had a heck of a time figuring out what I had done. I know that I explained the steps in the book, but the script (even with the few comments) remained a mystery to me.

As I thought about it, I soon realized that I might write a better function if I changed how I viewed the problem. Continue reading →

Beginning Tips for Writing AutoHotkey Scripts

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Beginning, Book Updates, Functions, GoSub Command, GoTo Command, GUI (Graphical User Interface) Pop-ups, Hotkeys, Hotstrings, Labels, Menus, Programming, Script Structure, Windows scripting , , , ,

Exploring the Existential Mysteries of AutoHotkey Code and How It’s Often Misunderstood

AutoHotkeyInsightsI’ve just published my latest book, Beginning Tips for Writing AutoHotkey Script, which endeavors to clear up some of the mystery surrounding the way AutoHotkey works. You’ll find grasping how AutoHotkey processes AHK scripts a tremendous help. Quite a bit of the confusion encountered by novice AutoHotkey scriptwriters occurs through misunderstandings about the manner in which everything (life, the universe, and AutoHotkey scripts) fits together. I wrote the book with that muddiness in mind. Continue reading →

How AutoHotkey Reads Scripts (AutoHotkey Script Structure)

Jack Dunning #Directives, AutoHotkey, AutoHotkey GUIs, Beginning, Hotkeys, Labels, Programming, Script Structure, Windows scripting , , ,

Understanding the Layout of an AutoHotkey Script Helps When Writing and Debugging Applications

The Problem with AutoHotkey Script Design

If you’re anything like me, then you probably jump straight into writing a script without reading the online documentation. Experienced programmers don’t have much problem with this, although even they occasionally find themselves scratching their heads about a particular piece of code which seemingly gets ignored by AutoHotkey. Continue reading →

New Hotkey Book! (AutoHotkey Tips and Tricks)

Jack Dunning #Directives, AutoHotkey, Beginning, Children's Educational Apps, Forcing Expressions, Graphic Editing Tools, Hotkeys, Intermediate Level, Menu, System Tray, Reference, Scan Codes, Tooltip Pop-ups, Virtual Key Codes, Window Spy, Windows Clipboard, Windows scripting , , , , , , , , ,

AutoHotkey Techniques and Best Practices E-Book for Automating Your Windows Computers with Hotkey Combinations—Includes Something for Everyone!

Whether you’re a noobie to AutoHotkey scripts or an advanced programmer, of all my books, AutoHotkey Hotkeys may be the most important for new little-known tricks and useful ideas. It’s not that the other books don’t cover significant features of AutoHotkey, but this book includes some of the most practical tips for adding power to your scripts. I didn’t plan it that way. Continue reading →

Tips for Smoothing Out AutoHotkey Scripts with #If, Tooltip, and Quick Release Hotkeys (Beginning Hotkeys Part 19)

Jack Dunning #Directives, AutoHotkey, Beginning, Hotkeys, Tooltip Pop-ups, Windows scripting , , , , ,

Enhancing the MousePrecise.ahk AutoHotkey Script with the #If Directive, the Tooltip Command, and a Quick Release Hotkey

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AutoHotkey Solutions for Windows Clipboard Limitations (AutoHotkey Clipboard Tips)

Jack Dunning #Directives, AutoHotkey, Cool Scripts, Editing Tools, Hotkeys, Windows Clipboard, Windows scripting , , , , , ,

Sometimes It’s Just Easier To Set Up a Temporary Hotkey for Inserting Text in Documents, Web Pages, or Forms, Plus a Quick Reminder of a Couple of Cool Clipboard-like AutoHotkey Apps (ClipJump and PhraseOMatic)

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AutoHotkey Script for Precision Hotkey Mouse Movement in Windows Graphics Programs (Beginning Hotkeys Part 15)

Jack Dunning #Directives, AutoHotkey, Graphic Editing Tools, Hotkeys, Mouse Tricks , ,

This Short AutoHotkey App Adds Pixel Level Precision to Mouse Cursor Movement in Any Windows Graphics Program. Plus, Best Practices When Creating Hotkeys and More.

From time to time I use various Windows graphics programs. I regularly open Irfanview as my default image reader and occasionally use the built-in Windows Snipping Tool for screen capture. But my favorite graphics program is the free Paint.Net image and photo editing software for PCs. I usually design Web ads and cleanup embedded images with Paint.Net. However, there is one annoying factor when working with virtually any graphics software. Using a mouse for selection and alignment tends to be inaccurate and sloppy. It’s very difficult to move the mouse cursor with pixel level exactness—at least not without massively magnifying the image size.

Continue reading →