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Add to SafariAutoIt vs AutoHotkey
When comparing AutoIt vs AutoHotkey, the Slant community recommends AutoIt for most people. In the question“What are the best GUI automation tools for Windows?” AutoIt is ranked 1st while AutoHotkey is ranked 2nd. The most important reason people chose AutoIt is:
Standard library includes solutions for all occasions allowing, in addition to capturing windows, keyboard and mouse events, to create a GUI, access Obj / COM, system processes and threads, the registry, MS Office applications, work with the network and databases.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Rich library included
Standard library includes solutions for all occasions allowing, in addition to capturing windows, keyboard and mouse events, to create a GUI, access Obj / COM, system processes and threads, the registry, MS Office applications, work with the network and databases.
Pro Compiles into portable executable
Interpretable code can be flexibly compiled into compact executable file.
Pro Easy to learn and start to use
Simple BASIC-like syntax and close documentation with clear examples.
Pro Easy To Learn but extremely Powerful
Basic Stuff is very easy and even advanced programming is possible, as the language is now able to use objects and classes and has a ton of free libraries and one of the most helpful and friendly communities on the Internet.
Pro Powerful
Can interact with any Windows program / dialog / form, filling fields, submitting data, etc., without dependency on the window placement.
Pro Allows for extremely easy remapping keys and buttons on your keyboard, joystick, and mouse
You can reprogram any key combination, including the Windows key with a syntax like this one:
h::msgbox true
that automatically remaps the H key to show a message box.
Pro Can map keys to scripts
Pro Scripting of common procedures
AHK allows full scripts to be created and used, it is very flexible.
Pro Helpful forum
Pro Programming language is easier to learn and to use
Pro Good help documentation
Pro C-like syntax
C-like languages dominate the industry, making it easier to switch over to other ones in the C family.
Pro Fully programmable
With a full programming language powering the hotkeys, including GUIs, it is powerful and flexible.
Cons
Con Closed-source
Being a closed-source scripting language creates security concerns such as hidden back doors.
Con Unfriendly forum
Has well known reputation of the forum being unfriendly to newbies and casuals.
Con Basic-like syntax
Basic-like syntax is much less used these days than C-like syntax.
Con Inappropriate standard code editor
The default code editor SciTE is simple but extremely difficult to tune, not recommended for beginners. Alternative editors are weak for AutoIt.
Con Lack of flexibility and power
Many necessary things, for example, capturing and analyzing screen pixels or capturing keystrokes by their scan codes, are implemented only through direct access to the Win API through a rather cumbersome code.
Con Ceased to develop
Bugs are slowly fixed and the last major update was many years ago.
Con Programming language is primitive
The base syntax, inherited from the first version of AutoIt, is primitive (a bit like an improved batch syntax).
