Jack’s AutoHotkey Blog

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September 24, 2017

Finding Windows Icons for AutoHotkey Menus (Quick Tip)

September 22, 2017

Spice Up AutoHotkey Menus with Icons (AutoHotkey Tip)

September 1, 2017

Sometimes it doesn’t matter where you put things in an AutoHotkey script. Sometimes it does, “How AutoHotkey Reads Scripts (AutoHotkey Script Structure).”

August 25, 2017

Quickly add program and documents shortcuts to your QuickLinks app using QuickLinks.

August 18, 2017

Let’s eliminate Hotkeys entirely with the QuickLinks script.

August 3, 2017

Want a script which sets up any Windows program or script for auto-load at Windows startup? Try this technique found in EitherMouse.ahk.

July 17, 2017

Get the e-book Why AutoHotkey? Free at Amazon!

July 7, 2017

Check out the AutoHotkey app EitherMouse for lefties and/or multiple mice.

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Finding Windows Icons for AutoHotkey Menus (Quick Tip)

A Useful AutoHotkey Script for Quickly Identifying Icons Embedded in Other Windows Files

In the last blog, I demonstrated how to add icons to the QuickLinks.ahk menus. The use of the tiny graphics makes it easier to pick out particular menu options. But, you need to know where to look for icons. Once found, you can easily add an icon to your menus directly from a Windows file (e.g. EXE, DLL, etc) without creating new image files.

Spice Up AutoHotkey Menus with Icons (AutoHotkey Tip)

Using the Right Images Make Your AutoHotkey Menus Both Prettier and More Useful

It’s easy enough to put together a plain vanilla AutoHotkey pop-up menu without any icons. The sample QuickLinks script creates a menu from favorites Windows shortcuts in the QuickLinks folder. However, a stripped down menu looks pretty boring and makes individual items harder to find.

How AutoHotkey Reads Scripts (AutoHotkey Script Structure)

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.

Automatically Add Windows Shortcuts to the QuickLinks App (AutoHotkey Tip)

Rather than Manually Creating Windows Shortcuts for QuickLinks.ahk, Use the AutoHotkey FileCreateShortcut Command

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Recently, while working with the QuickLinks.ahk script, I’ve encountered so many AutoHotkey learning points involving a number of different techniques that I plan to spend the next few blogs discussing the various possibilities. If you regularly use QuickLinks, then you’ll likely want to fashion it to your needs. While most of the tailoring gets done by working directly with the target folders, you’ll find times when changing the code works best. Rather than attempting to deliver a final product for final download, I offer instruction on how to add various features to your version of QuickLinks.ahk and leave the work up to you. The example shown in the image below reflects the changes I’ve made to my personal copy and do not appear in the posted version.

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One of the characteristics I like most about the QuickLinks.ahk script is its simplicity. It operates on a basic backbone which includes two loops (the files and folders Loop command). The first loop works through the folders found in the QuickLinks directory creating the top level menu. The second loop adds the individual links in each folder to each main menu item.

Eliminate Hotkeys with AutoHotkey Menus (AutoHotkey Tip)

Why Memorize a Bunch of Hotkey Combinations When Using an AutoHotkey Pop-up Menu Does the Trick?

A while back I talked about adding hard-to-remember AutoHotkey Hotkeys to the System Tray icon right-click menu. This saved me from needing to recall too many key combinations. As I worked on my last blog about creating the auto-startup script, I realized that I was again testing too many Hotkey combinations. Numerous combos activated other Windows or program functions. Since we can so easily set up AutoHotkey Hotkeys, we often go keyboard shortcut crazy—later finding that they interfere with others actions. Plus, remembering the various combinations doesn’t get any easier.

It dawned on me that I wanted an easier way to launch various AutoHotkey scripts without depending upon Hotkeys at all. This brought me back to my QuickLinks menu app.

Automatically Launch Apps at Windows Startup (AutoHotkey Tip)

Discover Autohotkey Tricks By Perusing Code In Other Scripts, Plus How to Load Any Windows Program at Startup

Many users find it easy to manually setup a program to auto-launch whenever they log onto Windows, but creating a shortcut and placing the new file into the Windows Startup folder requires a number of steps. With AutoHotkey, the same actions take just one command.

“Why AutoHotkey?” E-Book Now Available Free on Amazon and Apple iTunes

Don’t Know Why You Should Use AutoHotkey with Your Windows Computer? Download the Free Book Why AutoHotkey?

 

You can get my e-book Why AutoHotkey? How Free AutoHotkey Adds Power to Your Windows PC and Provides You Important Brain Food free at Amazon. Now you can go to Amazon at any time since the free offer no longer expires.

I wrote the book for people who know little or nothing about what AutoHotkey can do but display curiosity about its capabilities. You may just know someone who can benefit from this free book.

Not a tutorial, Why AutoHotkey? highlights various uses for the free Windows software in a number of occupations. The list by no means exhausts the possibilities.