Reference

AutoHotkey Tip of the Week: Capture Web Page Addresses (URLs)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Clipboard Routine, EditPaste command, Function Libraries, Reference, Web Pages, Windows Automation, Windows scripting , , , ,

When Browsing the Web This Special Function Copies the Page URL without Any Extra Effort

Normally, you can find a Web page address in the URL bar at the top of the browser. Click in that address field and copy it with CTRL+C. That simple act may make the subject of this blog look redundant. However, when applied to last week’s CopyRegTagWin.ahk script, the GetActiveBrowserURL() function can save numerous keystrokes.

By using the user-defined GetActiveBrowserURL() function, a modified version of the CopyRefTagWin.ahk script can include both the title of the source window and, if from a Web page, its URL. If collecting data for research, this feature makes reconstructing sources much easier—without any extra effort. Continue reading →

AutoHotkey Tip of the Week: Channeling Text to a Tagged Window

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Clipboard Routine, EditPaste command, MsgBox Techniques, Reference, Tooltip Pop-ups, Window Manipulation, Windows Automation, Windows scripting , , , ,

When Collecting Information from Various Sources, Send the Text Directly to an Unseen Text Editing Field

Last time in “Tricks for Tracking and Activating Target Process Windows“, I demonstrated a technique for tagging and tracking a window using its Unique ID. After tagging any window with one Hotkey combination, you can instantly recall it with another. While a pretty cool trick, the question of when would you ever use it arises. This time I offer a practical tool for gathering information from various digital sources (Web pages, documents, e-books, etc.) into one text editor window—without jumping back-and-forth while doing cut-and-paste operations. 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 →

Accessing Web Pages (AutoHotkey Tips)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Beginning, Clipboard Routine, Reference, Version 2.0, Web Pages, Windows Clipboard, Windows scripting , , ,

Find a Consistent Relationship in URLs to Redirect Web Pages

A while back I wrote a script which accessed the AutoHotkey online documentation quickly bringing up information about commands and variables. It took advantage of a hidden index in AutoHotkey.com which loaded key pages. However, as happened at the time, relying upon that index does not guarantee access. As with any Web page, things change.

The online documentation is currently going through some modifications. Possibly, in preparation for future use with the coming AutoHotkey version 2.0, we see a number of new revisions. With those alterations, the secret index has once again disappeared. That means much of my earlier work no longer functions as designed. I’ve decided to completely redo my AutoHotkey reference app with the following goals:

  1. Drop reliance on any hidden index to quickly return AutoHotkey command and variable information.
  2. Add simultaneously support for both AutoHotkey V1.1 commands and the parallel V2.0 functions.
  3. Add support for locating changes in V2.0 not directly correlating with V1.1 commands.

Continue reading →

Recent AutoHotkey Online Documentation Display Problem

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Reference

You May Need to Clear Your Browser Cache to Resolve the Issue

Over the past few days, I experienced a problem with the AutoHotkey Online Documentation pages not displaying properly. The pages appeared corrupted. I suspected a problem with the server which would quickly get corrected. Continue reading →

AutoHotkey Version 2.0—Should I Wait for It?

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, AutoHotkey GUIs, Beginning, Functions, Programming, Reference, Script Structure, Version 2.0, Windows Automation, Windows scripting , , , , , ,

ComputorEdge E-Books

As Signs of the Impending Release of AutoHotkey V2.0 Crop Up in the Online Documentation, Questions Arise About Our Legacy Scripts

I start by admitting that I have no special insight into AutoHotkey V2.0. I’ve had no contact with anyone who has the answers. I base all my thoughts on information freely available in the online documentation, forums, and other AutoHotkey sources. You might consider my words rank speculation—although drawn from my years of working with AutoHotkey V1.1. Since I written so many AutoHotkey books, you could even say that I hold a vested interest in the current version of AutoHotkey. In spite of all that, I offer this blog as an aid to current and future AutoHotkey users in their version decisions.

Continue reading →

More E-Book Bundles for Beginning and Intermediate AutoHotkey Users

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Beginning, Book Updates, Intermediate Level, Programming, Reference, Windows scripting , , ,

New E-Book Bundles for Making Your Journey into AutoHotkey Scripting Easier

JacksLibraryBookDeal250Every programmer suffers moments where he or she achieves a breakthrough and the code actually works. Their first impulse—tell someone…anyone. “Look what I just did!” Alas, they find no one nearby to praise the accomplishment. At least, no one who either understands or cares about their success. Maybe that’s why I write about my AutoHotkey journeys. I need to tell someone when (ironically?) some code I wrote does what it’s supposed to do. Continue reading →

AutoHotkey Tricks E-Book for Kindle Now Free on Amazon

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Beginning, Book Updates, Reference , ,

If You Use the Amazon Kindle, Get Your Copy of AutoHotkey Tricks Directly from Amazon—Free!

AutoHotkey_Tricks_150Already free everywhere else, you can now obtain a copy of AutoHotkey Tricks You Ought To Do With Windows directly from Amazon at no cost. The book offers a number of ways you should use AutoHotkey, but, more importantly, it includes the “Table of Contents” and “Book Index” from each of the other six paid AutoHotkey e-books. It acts as a handy reference for anyone looking for a specific scripting solution. One search of this e-book scans the indexes of all six books in one go.

While AutoHotkey Tricks is always free, the next free giveaway of the Why AutoHotkey? book on Amazon is next Monday, May 1, 2017! Tell a friend!

Tips for Optimizing the Standard AutoHotkey Message Box (MsgBox) Command (AutoHotkey Quick Reference Part Six)

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Cool Scripts, Intermediate Level, MsgBox Techniques, Reference, Web Pages, Windows scripting , ,

AutoHotkey MsgBox Tricks for Adding Power and Flexibility to Your Scripts. If You Want a Simple, Quick Way to Display Data and Execute Action, You’ll Love These Techniques!

As I go back to work on the AutoHotkey Quick Reference script (based upon the hidden index in the AutoHotkey Web site), I ponder what enhancements I should add next. I find fourbuttonmsgboxthat I now regularly activate the lookup Hotkey combination which displays AutoHotkey command, function, or variable formats—often just to check syntax. The usefulness of this reference script motivates me to do more with it. Continue reading →

Why AutoHotkey for Poets?

Jack Dunning AutoHotkey, Cool Scripts, Editing Tools, Hotstrings, Reference, Regular Expressions (RegEx), Web Pages, Windows Clipboard, Windows scripting, Windows Utilities , , , ,

Erstwhile Multifarious Poets Optated for Quill and Parchment. Forthwith, AutoHotkey Propounds the Furtherance of Lyrical Ruminations on Windows Computers.

Okay…I’m not a poet. My mind doesn’t work that way. But that doesn’t mean I can’t see how AutoHotkey might be useful to people who craft the English (or any other) language. Even so, I robotpoetryoccasionally enjoy writing a short rhyming couplet. (I know…constructing rhyming poems has become cliché—at least for real poets.)

In this blog, I offer a couple of AutoHotkey scripts for assisting and inspiring(?) budding wordsmiths. The first includes a set of over 500 Hotstrings for inserting “the most beautiful words in the English language.” The second script draws upon the Web to create a pop-up menu of rhymes. Even if you never intend to write a poem, you might find these AutoHotkey techniques interesting and/or useful. Continue reading →