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40 Comments
- standsolid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8If you're a Windows administrator haven't tried Auto-It, you're seriously missing out.
I was able to roll out a corporate update to 200+ non-network connected employees with updates to their OS, antivirus, and office periodically by building an autorun CD using Auto-It. (Many users had no other computer except for the one the company provided, and had no prior computer experience).
It also allowed me to make little programs for the domain to do specific tasks on each computer so our programmers didn't have to go to each computer such as installing an OCX they forgot to put in their installer.
It is a nice and forgiving language which allows you to quickly build one-off apps like my update CD.
Highly recommended. - spartan018, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7while this may have only innocent intentions in mind, this could also be used to automate money making in MMOs.
- FreakTrap, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I've been using it since v1 - and I have to say it is The Best...
It can compile your scripts into exe files, so if you want to use it on a large number of machines, you don't have to install it on every one of them - only compile it and run the exe...
Also, the window spy program is great for developing the macros. I remember using it back when I played Lineage II to create my first bot ;). With the window spy, I didn't have to take screen shots and find the location and color of your health bar and stuff, I could just use this to find them quickly... - Insolence, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I LOVE this language, and have been using it for years.
Great community and great help file. It only takes minutes to get started. - xerox, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Seems like something I will have to try out, but I hope it lives up to its promises.
- Phantom784, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3In Linux, you can to pretty much everything through the command line, so this woudn't be as useful. In windows, however, there are lots of common tasks you have to use the gui for, making this much more useful on windows. A Linux version would be cool though.
- TopBanana, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I wouldn't bother learning this language, with MS 'Monad' just around the corner.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/hubs/msh.mspx - sTo0z, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I use this quite a bit at work, very useful indeed. Coupled with the Unattended network installer, makes reinstalling machines a breeze.
- int19h, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I have used this several times in connection with work, for automating away typical office-worker tasks. It works great, you can compile the scripts to .exe-files and if you make something great, your co-workers will love you. I really wish we had something as good as this for Linux (or GNU/Linux / BSD / *nux, if you're so inclined).
- aemaeth7, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I recall a few years ago this program was mainly used for fish botting in the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI. I don't know where it has headed since then, but obviously it has prospered since, since it is still around.
- msgyrd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2One major difference is an application in OSX has to support Automator scripting, whereas AutoIt is application independant. AutoIt basically emulates a user by way of a script, the application can't tell the difference between AutoIt or a real person.
- bitcloud, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I use "autohotkey" all the time. It's simpler to write quick scripts than AutoIt, but is built on AutoIt's original code.
AutoIt is still much better, but beginners (or people without patience) will find basic automation a lot easer/quicker to write in AHK - knight17, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This thing is great
- jtxx000, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Something like Bash or DCOP?
- promacros, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2http://www.Autohotkey.com is another macro language just like AU3
- ProtonageNet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Robot class can do that too... read the docs... screen capture can be implemented to do bitmap differentials which means it can look for known bitmaps (images) on screen and give you a location (x,y) of where the highest match of that given image is on the screen.
But that takes a lot more knowledge about programming and java. This little scripting language looks like it's designed for developers to create simple tasks fast -- which is pretty cool. - msgyrd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2No, Bash and AutoIt don't really do the same thing. DCOP comes close, but is dependant on having KDE applications and KDE installed. While Bash can perform many automated tasks at the command line, it can't handle GUI very well.
For example (a very unsafe example, btw), you could have an AutoIt script open Firefox, type in your bank's URL, wait for the screen to load, enter your login information, navigate the webpage and download your transaction data spreadsheet, all automatically. AutoIt handles "visual tasks" just as easily as text ones. - bigtomrodney, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That's exactly how I always used it, though that was back in the NT days (which where I worked was until quite recently).
But when rolling out 2000 and XP it became less important, as the machine was built once and sysprepped and user settings were a combination of Default User and domain policy. Before that this saved me a lot of work though, - chiklit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Anybody know how this compares to VistaTask?
- msgyrd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm not sure about all MMOs, but WoW will detect this program running in the background nowadays.
As for the robot class in Java, that would only work for things where the location or key combo was know beforehand, AutoIt allows you to scan the screen for colors and changes, which allows for much more power in a smaller script. - timusca, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I wonder how this compares to Automator on Mac OS X. No scripting involved and thousands of applications for it.
- jonnyd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@spartan018
yeah, just like any scripting language
This sounds a lot like AutoHotKeys, which is pretty handy and can be recorded as a macro rather than scripting (which saves me a little bit of time with smaller automated tasks). Last I used AutoHotKeys, though, you couldn't make pretty GUIs like you can with this. - bchow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Just adding another "vote" for the competing Autohotkey,
which works just as well and has good forum support to
help you get started, too. - Ciebergasm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This may have been mentioned, but this language was used in alot of Diablo botting programs. I always thought it was quite a cool tool; however, back when I was playing Diablo, I was also like 11 and couldn't do much with it...
- tdel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Been using this for years, this program is a great "glue" to automate installs. MSI's are great, but they don't always provide the choices or "experience" that we wanted to provide to our clients.
Great for stubborn stains also! - msgyrd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Yeah, after briefly looking at the docs, it looks like Java could handle the same thing, but you're going to need some proficiency with Java.
- AviDardik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I used it to create a software-only KVM switch.
Check out the guide on: http://www.avidardik.com/2006/03/28/a-guide-to-building-a-software-kvm-switch/
(This guide even made it to Lifehacker at its time.)
This software IS a real gem. - msgyrd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1AutoIt has been around for a considerable amount of time and has worked out many of the bugs that Powershell will likely run into.
- geremymeyers, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I do a lot of enterprise scripting on a Windows network, and find its a bit clumsy for my taste. I prefer vbsripts, but it has bailed me out in quite a few situations. I did a mass uninstall of anti-virus on a ton of workstations, and it came it quite handy doing uninstalls of "home editions" of software that weren't installed via an msi.
- p00ky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0have a look at Zenity:
http://freshmeat.net/projects/zenity
too lazy to create a link... - engunneer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Autohotkey also natively runs most autoit scripts (though maybe only autoit v2). I have used autohotkey for tons of tasks and it is quite powerful. I recommend Autohotkey over autoit, but i am probably biased
- ArcticCelt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"this could also be used to automate money making in MMOs."
This could also be used to automate Digging stories with a small farm of old computers. You can buy 20 old PIII 500 computers for around 200$ from old corporate liquidators. Even better install many virtual PCs on the same computer. :( - andyhuey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is pretty useful for some typical Windows admin tasks. I pretty much stopped using WinBatch (http://www.winbatch.com/) when I discovered AutoIt a couple of years ago. I still use Kixtart (http://www.kixtart.org/) too, and of course, Python and Perl!
- Somniis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I used this a lot before I switched to Linux. It's very easy to learn and, with the GUI stuff added, easier for people who use it to tweak it. (vs. tweaking variables and what-not in the script, for the non-technical savvy)
- ikenefick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0We're seeing quite a few malicious program written in this easy to get the hang of scripting language. Let the user beware before downloading eroneous applications developed in this programming language.
- CJM32, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0digg and dug
http://promoteme.behindthe8.com - SatanicPengiuns, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0If its useful in MMO's depends if it works with directx input, alot of macro recorders and programs like this dont work with directx games.
- ProtonageNet, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Why not just use the Robot class in Java?
Docs >> http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/api/java/awt/Robot.html - int19h, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1It does.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1little programs like mass keyloggers ?:D
Well it's a shame you need to use scripts in window$, I bet the m$ will find out a new "icon + double click" way for this s00n.
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