AutoIt
Use a straightforward BASIC-like scripting language to automate your Windows GUI. Simulate key presses, mouse movement, window attributes and much more.
Features
Properties
- Lightweight
Features
- Portable
- Support for scripting
- Ad-free
- Works Offline
- Task Automation
- Macro Recording
Tags
- Automation
- Scripting language
- com-support
- automation-language
- manipulate
AutoIt News & Activities
Recent News
Recent activities
mlogictech added AutoIt as alternative to Playlist Wiper- leahyra liked AutoIt
Taboulet added AutoIt as alternative to BiggerTask- hollyneff2008 liked AutoIt
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What is AutoIt?
AutoIt is a freeware BASIC-like scripting language designed for automating the Windows GUI and general scripting. It uses a combination of simulated keystrokes, mouse movement and window/control manipulation in order to automate tasks in a way not possible or reliable with other languages (e.g. VBScript and SendKeys). AutoIt is also very small, self-contained and will run on all versions of Windows out-of-the-box with no annoying "runtimes" required!
AutoIt was initially designed for PC "roll out" situations to reliably automate and configure thousands of PCs. Over time it has become a powerful language that supports complex expressions, user functions, loops and everything else that veteran scripters would expect.
Features:
- Easy to learn BASIC-like syntax
- Simulate keystrokes and mouse movements
- Manipulate windows and processes
- Interact with all standard windows controls
- Scripts can be compiled into standalone executables
- Create Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)
- COM support
- Regular expressions
- Directly call external DLL and Windows API functions
- Scriptable RunAs functions
- Detailed helpfile and large community-based support forums
- Compatible with Windows 95 / 98 / ME / NT4 / 2000 / XP / 2003 / Vista / 2008 / 7
- Unicode and x64 support
- Digitally signed for peace of mind
- Works with Windows Vistas User Account Control (UAC)
AutoIt has been designed to be as small as possible and stand-alone with no external .dll files or registry entries required making it safe to use on Servers. Scripts can be compiled into stand-alone executables with Aut2Exe.
Also supplied is a combined COM and DLL version of AutoIt called AutoItX that allows you to add the unique features of AutoIt to your own favourite scripting or programming languages!
AutoIt information
Developed by
Jonathan Bennett Licensing
Proprietary and Free product.Alternatives
121 alternatives listedSupported Languages
- English
Comments and Reviews
The premier and original (no shade to AHK which was an early fork) UI automation and general-purpose scripting language. Simple enough you can automate an installer with one line per window, and advanced enough you can go full Inception and write an AutoIt IDE with it... which someone did.
Despite being interpreted (the executables are encoded scripts packed with the interpreter), it's incredibly fast, and if you're used to VBscript, very easy to learn as it has a similar BASIC-like syntax. There are also 3rd-party tools — besides the official SciTE-based IDE — that support it, such as Sapien PrimalScript, a decent VS Code extension, Admin Script Editor, etc.
It also contains some very powerful abilities due to being written in C++, that being its DLL loading and struct creation support, so it can interact with the Win32 API on a low level.
The default library of user-defined functions - UDFs - provides a giant amount of additional functionality. Its one downside, in my opinion, is if you're looking to work with an object-oriented language, or need multi-threading. Even if you create an extremely nice UI that looks like it was created in Visual Studio, if you call a function like Ping(), it will lock the process up until it's released, unless you utilize asynchronous event handling, or pass off the functionality to another process that returns immediately.
However, via AutoItX — its DLL component containing the core functions — and a .NET wrapper, you can implement it into just about any language you wish. It even comes with a PowerShell module.
The default IDE, SciTE, despite its /many/ additional features, shows its limitations after you start getting to the intermediate level. The biggest lack is any true IntelliSense. It recognizes and parses keywords, but will not recognize function headers, parameters, and the like, without manually defining them in a separate file.
However, I last used it roughly 5 years ago, so it may have added that by now. AutoIt and all the automation I have loved.
Similar to AutoHotKey.. AutoHotKey is like a fork of it . The icon pictures make it look like this is more elementary than it is.. you will need to be scripting knowledgeable.
I have been using this since July 99 and it has saved me a lot of time and effort.
Please remove the linux tag, it's a windows only software
I've used AutoIt for several fairly complex automation projects in the last decade. I found it to be a powerful and stable tool, particularly for bypassing antiquated application GUIs that did not allow for any other automation method.
Since AutoIt has Long been Superseded by the Far Superior AutoHotkey, I cannot imagine why anyone would use this! PREVIOUSLY, AutoIt WAS Open-Source, but having become irrelevant, they chose to become CLOSED -- while AutoHotkey remains perfectly Open Source -- And in fact, the AutoHotkey Foundation has Welcomed Multiple Variations of that amazing program: Excellence does not fear users' enhancements. A Fascinating & Bizarre tale indeed.
No... as I understand it, it was made closed-source due to an early fork violating the license terms and being sold as a proprietary product. Not saying that's the current AHK developers and community, who seem great, but I believe that was the reason. I'm certainly biased towards AutoIt, but I know AHK has a ton of great features — as you said, due to being open-source, multiple forks as well. To each their own, I reckon.
AutoIt is an excellent tool for automating processes. I have used it to navigate websites and other Windows apps, as well as perform tedious data entry tasks. The IDE (SciTE) helps speed up development. You create standalone EXEs that can run without AutoIt installed.