Free AutoHotkey Scripts and Apps for Learning Script Writing and Generating Ideas

(AutoHotkey Download Index)

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AutoHotkey Script Download Index

AutoHotkey Script Roundup by Jack Dunning

Note: Get an introduction to AutoHotkey with the overview e-book, AutoHotkey Tricks You Ought to Do with Windows FREE!

Note: AutoHotkey is an offshoot of the free Windows utility language AutoIt. While both are very similar  in features and capability, there are significant differences in both form and function. For more information see the Web page "AutoHotkey Versus AutoIt: A Comparison and Review of the Free Windows Scripting Languages".

• Always-On-Top—Plus Window Transparency

For the most recent version of the script (AHKVer2Ref.ahk), select a V1.1 command and use the Hotkey combination CTRL+ALT+J. Currently, a message box pops up displaying key information for both V1.1 and V2.0. (Shown at right for the MsgBox command.) Use the MsgBox buttons to load V1.1 or V2.0 pages. For more information see  "Building a Lookup Table with an INI File (AutoHotkey Reference Tip)."

1. US date format using text name of the month first (i.e. January 23, 2018 or Jan 23, 2018).
2. British date format using text name of the month second (i.e. 23 January 2018 or 23 Jan 2018).
3. US numeric date formats with month first and day of the month more than 12 (i.e. 1/23/2018, 1-23-18, etc.).
4. British numeric date formats month second and day of the month more than 12 (i.e. 23/1/2018, 23-1-18, etc.).

This menu displays a selection of emojis in the category "Animals."

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The function and subroutine create an action menu of replacement options when activating the Hotstring. Call the function using the Hotstring Execute Option (X) in the form:

:x*?:b``::HotstringMenu("🦄 | Unicorn &1
     ,🐀 | Rat &2,🐁 | Mouse &3
     ,🐂 | Ox &4,🐃 | Water Buffalo &5
     ,🐄 | Cow &6,❓ | Red &7
     ,❔ | White &8")

• AutoHotkey Hotstring Menus for Text Replacement Options November 4, 2019
• Hotstring Menu Techniques for Inserting Symbols and Emojis November 11, 2019

included in the chapter on "Stealing AutoHotkey Scripts" in the e-book AutoHotkey Tricks You Ought To Do With Windows.

The AutoHotkey script I call HideWindow.ahk was found on the AutoHotkey scripts page. (I'm not sure who originally wrote it.) This HideWindow app quickly makes a window disappear, WIN+H (+H), and even removes the active Taskbar icon making it almost impossible to find the hidden window. It's not minimized, but hidden. Great for hiding inappropriate activities from the boss. The hidden window continues to run the program (whatever it is) in the background. Right-click on the AutoHotkey icon in the System Tray and select if from the menu to bring it back.

script.

1. The function trims both DateTime stamps removing the time portion. This makes any date comparisons less susceptible to error.
2. The calculation for the previous month uses the AutoHotkey Format() function rather than my original SubStr() function kludge to left pad single digit months with a zero.
3. The #If directive converts the mouse scroll wheel to Up/Down arrows whenever over an AutoHotkey GUI pop-up window. This facilitates using the mouse wheel to increment the fields in the DateTime GUI controls without resorting to the cursor arrows.
4. October 10, 2018 — The input variables now swaps when the first date occurs later than the second date. This allows calculation regardless of the date order.
   

• ImageList.zip referenced in the AutoHotkey Applications e-book.

The AutoHotkey script ImageList.ahk and compiled file ImageList.exe display the

InstantHotkey.ahk and InstantHotkey.exe, and included in the AutoHotkey Applications e-book.

The InstantHotkey script quickly sets up Hotkey combinations temporarily for adding repeated and/or long lines of text to any current Windows document or Web editing field. This is handy for those situations where you know that you will be using a particular term or set of terms a number of times. The window to set up the Hotkey opens immediately when the script is loaded. After the combination is set, it can be changed by right-clicking on the icon in the System Tray and selecting ShowHotkey. Hovering over the same icon will display the current Hotkey combination setting.

October 2017—The new version of the app InstantHotkeyTwoDeep.ahk allows multiple GUI pop-ups to run in the same script without loading new instances. This script also adds features to the System Tray icon right-click menu for both accessing each Instant Hotkey GUI as well as inserting the text without the need to use a Hotkey combination. Two-deep refers to the demonstration of how AutoHotkey can track variable values by saving the name of a variable containing data in another variable. Evaluate the top variable to get the target variable name, then evaluate that variable to get the result—two-deep. Plus, the script includes a trick for tracking Hotkey results by converting Hotkey combinations into a valid variable for storing data.

The InstantHotkeyLoop.ahk version of the script replaces the Hotkey variable conversion functions with a Loop for locating the correct Hotkey insertion text. This eliminates the problem with invalid characters in variable names.

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• KeyPad.zip If you have a Windows laptop computer without a number keypad or want to use the click of a mouse rather than your fingers to punch numbers, then you're going to like this one. A person who goes by the forum name sveco has produced a short AutoHotkey script which places a number keypad on a Windows computer screen (see Figure below left). The beauty of this app is that it never takes the focus away from your working document. When you click on the keypad, it does not become active and will send the input to your last active window.

You can use it with any active window to input numbers or use the cursor keys. For the right person, this could be just the ticket. The only issues was that the keypad on a keyboard doesn't necessary sync with the pop-up, but if you don't have a keyboard numeric keypad, it's no problem.

You don't need to know AutoHotkey to use this app. I've compiled it and posted both the KeyPad.ahk and the KeyPad.exe files in a ZIP file at the AutoHotkeydownload site. Download the compressed ZIP file,

Gui, +LastFound +AlwaysOnTop +ToolWindow +Border +E0x08000000

Gui, Show, x1350 y87 h260 w215 NoActivate

^!k::Gui, Show, x1350 y87 h260 w215 NoActivate

•

• MousePrecise.ahk

Activate the Input command with the CTRL+ALT+WIN key combination and press the
number key appearing next to the text to insert the data item into the selected field or
press the corresponding Hotkey ALT+1 through ALT+2 for direct paste.

PathCheck.ahk and PathCheck.exe

The PathCheck script is merely a message box which displays the paths represented by the AutoHotkey variables A_UserName, A_MyDocuments, and A_AppData respectively.

The QuickLinksscript sets up a pop-up menu system with a special QuickLinks folder of your favorite shortcuts whether programs or Web pages. It may be a suitable replacement for the missing Start Menu in Windows 8, although I use it regularly in Windows 10 as a quick way to open working pages on the Web and many programs. For the main version of QuickLinks, once loaded, the menu is accessed with the Hotkey combination WIN+Z, ALT+comma, or CTRL+right mouse click. In another basic (without latest feature) version, QuickLinksTray, the menu structure is added to the System Tray icon right-click menu. The QuickLinks.zip file now includes QuickLinks.ahk QuickLinks.exe, QuickLinksTray.ahk, QuickLinksTray.exe, plus, a number of other example files including ShortcutAnaliyze.ahk for viewing the innards of a shortcut (.lnk) file.

September 26, 2017 Win+Z, Alt+, (comma), and CTRL+right-click all open the QuickLinks menu. I personally use XButton1 (left extra mouse button) to activate the menu, but I needed to override the built-in setting in the software for my mouse by adding one of the other Hotkey combinations.

This updated version of QuickLinks includes a number of new features.

1. Icons are added to the menu in different ways.

First, you find the function, AddIcon(TopMenu,SubMenu), for adding icons to the top-level folders and specific shortcuts on the second level.

Second, specific IfInString command lines change/insert specific types of icons.

Third, program icons are drawn directly from EXE files.

Fourth, you can manually change shortcut icon (.lnk) in Windows (File) Explorer which then automatically appear in the menu. This does not work for Web links (.url).

Caution: If you have previously setup personalized icon statements in your version of QuickLinks.ahk, be sure to copy and transfer that icon setting code to this version. Otherwise, they may be overwritten. (In other words, backup your old copy of QuickLinks.ahk before overwriting it.)

• RecipeTree.zip contains a number of versions of RecipeTree.ahk which are included in the AutoHotkey Applications e-book.

A six-part series demonstrating an alternative application using the TreeView AutoHotkey GUI control.

This AutoHotkey script uses a fairly advanced technique for attaching TreeView branches to GUI Edit control data fields by saving variable names within variables.

Reminder.ahk and Reminder.exe

The Reminder script has gone through many iterations and has more to come—although I'm not sure when. I use it to tell me to take out the trash on the right day and other quick temporary reminders. It is called up with the Hotkey combination CRTL+WIN+R plus the most recent version has a Set Reminder option in the System Tray icon right-click menu.

The various versions of the files (some compiled into EXE files) have been included for people who are reading the related articles. They are now combined in the Reminder.zip file. The following is a list of the articles in order in which they deal with the different versions of the Reminder script:

Explanations of the Appointment Reminder script are incorporated in more detail in one section of the e-book Digging Deeper Into AutoHotkey and extended in Chapters Thirty-two and Thirty-three in the e-book AutoHotkey Applications. I encourage anyone to tailor the script for personal use—possibly adding a multiple reminder capability and a repetitive reminder feature. I plan to do that myself when the time is right.

Various versions of the Reminder script can be downloaded in Reminder.zip at the ComputorEdge

SayWhat.ahk and SayWhat.exe included in the AutoHotkey Applications e-book.

This SayWhat script is a demonstration of how easy it is to use the text reading capability of Windows with AutoHotkey. Once the script is loaded a "Speak to Me!" window will open. Type in any text and click "Talk!" The default Windows voice reads the text out loud.

ScreenDimmer.ahk and ScreenDimmer.exe is included in Chapter Eight of the AutoHotkey Applications e-book.

Demonstrates the AutoHotkey Slider control in a GUI which dims the computer screen. The second section adds an AutoHotkey Statusbar control which can reset the screen control, plus a one-click pop-up in the System Tray.

• SmartGUI Creator — A tool for quick GUI window code creation.

SmartGUI.zip contains SmartGUI.exe, calc.ahk, and Manual.htm. The code generation utility for creating WYSIWYG Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) was written by Rajat, a prolicfic writer of excellent AutoHotkey scripts. It can be a tremendous time saver when designing the layout of your controls. For more information get the article "Writing AutoHotkey Code Fast with SmartGUI Creator."

(Download Index)

• StateInsert.zip (StateInsert.ahk) The online AutoHotkey documentation for the Input command includes an excellent example of how it can be used for expanding abbreviations. Modifying that example creates temporary Hotstrings for inserting all 50 states plus the District of Columbia into any documents by typing the two-letter postal code. (Included in "Chapter Sixteen: Create Instant Temporary AutoHotkey Hotstrings with the Input Command" of the Beginning AutoHotkey Hotstrings e-book.)

(Download Index)

• StripReturns.zip "A Short Script for Removing Embedded Misplaced New Line Characters" This fixes the problem when paragraphs don't wordwrap. (Included in "Chapter Twenty-eight: Fixing Broken Word Wraps" of the AutoHotkey Applications e-book.) (StripReturns.ahk and StripReturns.exe)

(Download Index)

• SynonymLookup.zip including

I've completely rewritten this script to create a useful tool for building a menu of synonyms from a Thesaurus.com Web page. (See image at right.) After selecting any word in your document, use the Hotkey combination CTRL+ALT+L to generate a menu of alternative word options. Make a menu selection and AutoHotkey inserts the new word in place of the original selected term.

See "Build Your Own Dream Thesaurus Word Replacement Tool."

April 27, 2018 Update: Did your SynonymLookup app stop working? Thesaurus.com changed their page format so I changed the Regular Expression in this latest version. I used the link in the page which needed some adjustments so you may occasionally see some strange characters. Plus, you might also get antonyms, but that shouldn't cause too much stress. You'll need to download the current version if you are using a version older than this date.

Since the script only downloads the source code for the Web page, it's fast and easy without any Web ads. Since it draws the menu items from the Thesaurus.com page, the script requires an Internet connection to work. Click the first menu item (e.g. •PAGE, in bold with a bullet) to load the target Web page in your default browser.

The original short beginning AutoHotkey script SynonymLookupOrig.ahk demonstrates how to use the Windows Clipboard to quickly access reference sites on the Web. In this case, after hitting the Hotkey combination CTRL+ALT+L, Thesaurus.com opens in the default browser using the word highlighted in any text to find synonyms. (Referenced in the blog "Why AutoHotkey for Writers, Bloggers, and Editors?")

The ZIP file includes both the new AHK script and the compiled EXE file which runs on any Windows PC even without AutoHotkey installed. (SynonymLookup.ahk and SynonymLookup.exe)

(Download Index)

• TalkingText.zip contains TalkingText.ahk, TalkingText.exe and the folders audio-alphabet (WAV files for each letter of the alphabet in a womans' voice) and Sounds (WAV files for sounds of eight different animals plus a train).

Coming soon! Find a discussion of this recently updated script in the upcoming living book A Motley Assortment of AutoHotkey Tips (October 2018).

Hotstrings activate the WAV file for each corresponding letter key and speak the letters in a womans' voice. Spelling certain animal names invokes the sound of that animal after a space bar or period is pressed. This script offers alternative Hotstring approaches to the children's eductional script NumbersSpeak.ahk available above.

(Download Index)

• ToDoList.zip contains ToDoList.ahk and ToDoList.exe included in Chapter Nine and Chapter Ten of the AutoHotkey Applications e-book.

This ToDoList.ahk script creates a one-column ListView window which displays text items in a list of tasks. This text list is saved to a text file (ToDoList.txt) in the same folder as the script. (That way, if you exit the app or your computer crashes, you will still have your complete "to-do list" available the next time you logon.) With a right-click on ListView, items can be edited or deleted. A closed To Do List window can be reopened with CTRL+ALT+T or with the right-click menu from the System Tray icon.

To add new items, enter the text into the editing field at the bottom of the window and click "Add to list:" on the left side at the bottom of the window. Select Edit from the right-click menu to put the item text into the editing field at the bottom. Click Update to save changes. Click the heading "Items To Do" to reverse the order of the items. Each item can be checked when completed or deleted with the right-click menu.

(Download Index)

• ToDoList Color.zip Chapter Thirty-six "Adding Color to ListView Rows" of the AutoHotkey Applications e-book.

This script is a newer version of the ToDoList script (ToDoList Color.ahk) above. It demonstrates how to add color to the individual ListView rows, then turn each on and off with the CheckBox.

(Download Index)

• WindowList.ahk for finding lost windows, included in Chapter Thirteen of the Digging Deeper Into AutoHotkey e-book.

The idea for the WindowList script was inspired by a reader wanting to bring lost (off-screen) windows back in view. This script makes a dropdown menu of all the open windows (CTRL+WIN+L to activate after load). The list is filtered to avoid Windows system windows. When a window is selected from the menu, it is activated and positioned on top near the upper left-hand corner of the screen.

(Download Index)

• WindowMove.ahk included in the e-book Digging Deeper Into AutoHotkey.

The WindowMove script is a demonstration app similar to Aero Snap. After activating the Hotkey combination CTRL+WIN+M, the script creates a

I put together this quick tool I call WindowProbe.ahk for capturing some of the same AutoHotkey information displayed by Window Spy, but in a different format. WindowProbe uses a tooltip help pop-up to display vital information as you move the mouse cursor around the screen (as shown at right).

The Hotkey combination CRL++T (^#T) toggles the tooltip message on and off. Since you may want to capture this information for use in an AutoHotkey script, the CTRL+F12 key combination saves the codes in the Windows Clipboard. After capturing in the Clipboard, it can be pasted into any text document or file in this format:

Unique ID: ahk_id 0x1b051c<
Title: WindowProbe.ahk - Notepad
Class: ahk_class Notepad
Control: Edit1
Active Control: Edit1

(Download Index)

• WindowRollup.zip (WindowRollup.ahk) included in the chapter on "Stealing AutoHotkey Scripts" in the e-book AutoHotkey Tricks You Ought To Do With Windows.

The WindowRollup script is designed to semi-minimize active windows making it easier to see what's behind them and quickly access running programs on the Windows Desktop. The difference with this WindowRollup app from the previous HideWindow script is that rather than hiding or minimizing an open window, it reduces the window size to the title bar (or close to it)—making it possible to keep a good number of active windows on the Desktop without them interfering with each other.

The app works as a toggle using the CTRL+Z Hotkey combination. (I changed the Hotkey from the original +Z because I was using +Z for my QuickLinks menu app. I discuss how to make this change in the Hotkeys in the chapter "A Beginner's Guide to Stealing AutoHotkey Apps." I note that you may not want to use CTRL+Z for the Hotkey combination, since it is also the Undo Hotkey in many programs. This app will block other CTRL+Z functions. It's easy to change the Hotkey to something else by following the same steps in the e-book. The app called "Window Shading" was written by Rajak and the source is available through the AutoHotkey Scripts Showcase site.

(Download Index)

• WinToolTipToggle.zip contains WinToolTipToggle.ahk and WinToolTipToggle.exe included in the AutoHotkey Applications e-book.

The WinToolTipToggle script is a demonstration of AutoHotkey changing a Windows Registry entry. In this case, the script toggles Windows Tooltips, the little labels that appear when you hover the mouse over a filename or icon. The option appears in a message window when the script is loaded.

More AutoHotkey Script Snippets

The scripts posted on the the ComputorEdge AutoHotkey download site are not all of the snippets I've published. Many only appear in the  the e-books. For an extensive review of the more involved AutoHotkey scripts shown here see the e-book, AutoHotkey Applications.

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Get this AutoHotkey overview e-book, AutoHotkey Tricks You Ought to Do with Windows!

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The third edition with more chapters, tips and an index to the AutoHotkey commands found in the book is available in e-book format from Amazon (and other formats—EPUB and PDF— at the ComputorEdgeBooks Web site linked below). Jack's A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey, Absolutely the Best Free Windows Utility Software Ever!: Create Power Tools for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 (preferred, EPUB format for iPad, Android, and computers; MOBI for Amazon Kindle; and PDF for printing) offers a gentle approach to learning AutoHotkey. (Also available from Amazon for the Kindle and Kindle software on other devices.)

Building Power Tools for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8, AutoHotkey is the most powerful, flexible, free Windows utility software available. Anyone can instantly add more of the functions that they want in all of their Windows programs, whether installed on their computer or while working on the Web. AutoHotkey has a universality not found in any other Windows utility—free or paid.

Originally based upon the series of articles in ComputorEdge, Jack takes you through his learning experience as he explores writing simple AutoHotkey scripts for adding repetitive text in any program or on the Web, running programs with special Hotkeys or gadgets, manipulating the size and screen location of windows, making any window always-on-top, copying and moving files, and much more. Each chapter builds on the previous chapters.

For an EPUB (iPad, NOOK, etc.) version of A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey click here!

For a PDF version for printing on letter size paper for inclusion in a standard notebook of A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey click here!

(Get the Spanish language version of A Beginner’s Guide to AutoHotkey—Guía Básica de AutoHotkey—from Amazon.)

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Jack's second AutoHotkey book, Digging Deeper Into AutoHotkey (preferred, EPUB format for iPad, Android, and computers; MOBI for Amazon Kindle; and PDF for printing) is comprised of updated, reorganized and indexed columns from ComputorEdge is now available. Since the columns were not all written in a linear fashion, the book has been reorganized and broken up into parts by topic. The book is not for the complete beginner since it builds on the information in A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey. However, if a person is reasonably computer literate, they could go directly to this book for ideas and techniques without the first book. (Also available from Amazon for the Kindle and Kindle software on other devices.)

For an EPUB (iPad, NOOK, etc.) version of Digging Deeper into AutoHotkey click here!

For a PDF version for printing on letter size paper for inclusion in a standard notebook of Digging Deeper into AutoHotkey click here!

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Jack's third AutoHotkey book AutoHotkey Applications (preferred, EPUB format for iPad, Android, and computers; MOBI for Amazon Kindle; and PDF for printing) is an intermediate level book of ideas and applications based primarily on the AutoHotkey GUI command. The book emphasizes practical applications. The book is not for the complete beginner since it builds on the information in the other two books. However, if a person is reasonably computer literate, they could go directly to this book for ideas and techniques without the other books. There is an extensive index to the ideas and techniques covered in the back of the book. (Also available from Amazon for the Kindle and Kindle software on other devices.)

For an EPUB (iPad, NOOK, etc.) version of AutoHotkey Applications click here!

For a PDF version for printing on letter size paper for inclusion in a standard notebook of AutoHotkey Applications click here!

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As a convenience for people who don’t want to dig through the Web for individual tips, but would like to learn some cool AutoHotkey Hotstring tricks, the e-book Beginning AutoHotkey Hotstrings is now available on the ComputorEdge E-Books site and through Amazon. If e-books are not your thing, then it might be worth your time to peruse some of the blogs included in this book and linked at “Beginning AutoHotkey Hotstring Techniques” found under the “AutoHotkey Topics and Series” tab in the top menu bar. They just might inspire your next AutoHotkey script.

Beginning Hotstrings explores the potential of the basic AutoHotkey Hotstring option and how they can aid anyone who uses word processors, text editors, or Web input fields on Windows computers. It's surprising how this one small area of AutoHotkey can add power to your computer through Hotstring menus and the enigmatic Input commmand.

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This Beginner's Guide to Using Regular Expressions in AutoHotkey is not a beginning level AutoHotkey book, but an introduction to using Regular Expressions in AutoHotkey (or most other programming languages). To get the most from this book you should already have a basic understanding of AutoHotkey (or another programming language). Regular Expressions (RegEx) are a powerful way to search and alter documents without the limitations of most of the standard matching functions. At first, the use of RegEx can be confusing and mysterious. This book clears up the confusion with easy analogies for understanding how RegEx works and examples of practical AutoHotkey applications. "Regular Expressions in AutoHotkey" will take you to the next level in AutoHotkey scripting while adding more flexibility and power to your Windows apps. (This book is also available at Amazon.com)