AutoHotkey File Format

Overview

AutoHotkey (AHK) is a powerful automation scripting language for Windows that allows users to automate repetitive tasks, create custom keyboard shortcuts, remap keys, and develop GUI applications. Created by Chris Mallett in 2003, AutoHotkey provides an accessible way to enhance productivity and customize the Windows experience.

Technical Details

• MIME Type: text/plain
• File Extension: .ahk
• Category: Code
• First Appeared: 2003
• Platform: Windows (primary), Linux/macOS (via Wine)
• Current Version: AutoHotkey v2.0 (latest), v1.1 (stable legacy)

Structure and Syntax

AutoHotkey scripts use a simple, intuitive syntax with hotkeys, commands, and functions that execute when triggered by user actions or system events.

Basic Script Structure

; This is a comment
; Basic AutoHotkey script

; Simple hotkey - Win+J opens Notepad
#j::Run, notepad.exe

; Text replacement - typing "btw" becomes "by the way"
::btw::by the way

; Multi-line hotkey with commands
F1::
    MsgBox, 4,, Do you want to open Calculator?
    IfMsgBox Yes
        Run, calc.exe
return

; Function definition
MyFunction(param1, param2) {
    result := param1 + param2
    return result
}

Hotkey Modifiers

; Modifier symbols:
; # = Windows key
; ^ = Control
; ! = Alt
; + = Shift
; & = Combine keys

; Examples
^j::Send, Hello World{!}          ; Ctrl+J
!F4::WinClose, A                  ; Alt+F4 (close active window)
+^c::Send, ^c                     ; Shift+Ctrl+C
#Space::WinMinimize, A            ; Win+Space

; Key combinations
F1 & F2::MsgBox, F1 and F2 pressed together

; Context-sensitive hotkeys
#IfWinActive, ahk_class Notepad
^s::
    Send, ^s
    Sleep, 100
    SoundBeep, 750, 300
return
#IfWinActive

Text Replacement and Expansion

; Simple text replacements
::addr::123 Main Street, City, State 12345
::email::[email protected]
::sig::Best regards,{Enter}John Doe{Enter}Software Engineer

; Case-sensitive replacements
:C:HTML::HyperText Markup Language

; Raw text (no special character processing)
:R:pwd::MySecretPassword123!

; Multi-line text expansion
::signature::
(
Best regards,

John Doe
Senior Developer
Company Name
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (555) 123-4567
)

; Dynamic text replacement with functions
:*:time::
    FormatTime, CurrentTime,, HH:mm:ss
    SendRaw, %CurrentTime%
return

Window Management and Control

Window Operations

; Window manipulation hotkeys
#Up::WinMaximize, A               ; Win+Up: Maximize active window
#Down::WinMinimize, A             ; Win+Down: Minimize active window
#Left::WinRestore, A              ; Win+Left: Restore active window

; Move and resize windows
F2::
    WinGetPos, X, Y, Width, Height, A
    NewX := X + 100
    NewY := Y + 50
    WinMove, A,, %NewX%, %NewY%
return

; Switch between windows
!Tab::AltTab                      ; Alt+Tab functionality

; Close all instances of a program
^!k::
    WinGet, WindowList, List, ahk_exe notepad.exe
    Loop, %WindowList%
    {
        WinClose, % "ahk_id " . WindowList%A_Index%
    }
return

Application Launching and Control

; Launch applications with custom shortcuts
#n::Run, notepad.exe
#c::Run, calc.exe
#b::Run, chrome.exe

; Launch with parameters
#e::Run, explorer.exe "C:\Users\%A_UserName%\Documents"

; Launch and position window
F3::
    Run, cmd.exe
    WinWait, ahk_exe cmd.exe,, 3
    if !ErrorLevel
    {
        WinMove, ahk_exe cmd.exe,, 100, 100, 800, 600
        WinActivate, ahk_exe cmd.exe
    }
return

; Run programs with different working directories
#p::
    Run, powershell.exe, C:\Scripts
return

Advanced Automation

Mouse Automation

; Mouse click automation
F5::
    Click, 100, 200              ; Click at coordinates (100, 200)
    Sleep, 500
    Click, 300, 400, 2           ; Double-click at (300, 400)
    Sleep, 200
    Click, Right                 ; Right-click at current position
return

; Mouse movement and dragging
F6::
    MouseMove, 500, 300, 50      ; Move to (500, 300) at speed 50
    Sleep, 100
    Click, Down                  ; Press mouse button down
    MouseMove, 600, 400, 30      ; Drag to new position
    Click, Up                    ; Release mouse button
return

; Scroll wheel automation
^WheelUp::Send, {PgUp}           ; Ctrl+Scroll up = Page up
^WheelDown::Send, {PgDn}         ; Ctrl+Scroll down = Page down

Keyboard Automation

; Send text and key combinations
F7::
    Send, Hello, this is automated text{!}
    Sleep, 1000
    Send, ^a                     ; Select all (Ctrl+A)
    Sleep, 500
    Send, ^c                     ; Copy (Ctrl+C)
    Sleep, 500
    Send, {Tab}                  ; Press Tab
    Send, ^v                     ; Paste (Ctrl+V)
return

; Input simulation with timing
F8::
    SetKeyDelay, 50              ; 50ms delay between keystrokes
    Send, This text will be typed slowly
    SetKeyDelay, -1              ; Reset to default
return

; Special key combinations
F9::
    Send, {Win down}r{Win up}    ; Win+R (Run dialog)
    Sleep, 200
    Send, cmd{Enter}             ; Type "cmd" and press Enter
return

File and Folder Operations

; File management shortcuts
#o::
    FileSelectFile, SelectedFile,, C:\, Select a file
    if SelectedFile
        Run, notepad.exe "%SelectedFile%"
return

; Folder operations
#f::
    FileSelectFolder, SelectedFolder,, 3, Select a folder
    if SelectedFolder
        Run, explorer.exe "%SelectedFolder%"
return

; File copying and moving
CopyToBackup(SourcePath) {
    BackupFolder := "C:\Backup"
    FileCreateDir, %BackupFolder%
    SplitPath, SourcePath, FileName
    DestPath := BackupFolder . "\" . FileName
    FileCopy, %SourcePath%, %DestPath%, 1
    if ErrorLevel
        MsgBox, Failed to copy file
    else
        MsgBox, File copied to backup
}

GUI Development

Simple GUI Applications

; Create a simple GUI window
Gui, Add, Text,, Enter your name:
Gui, Add, Edit, vUserName w200
Gui, Add, Button, gSubmitName, Submit
Gui, Add, Button, gCloseApp x+10, Cancel
Gui, Show,, Simple Input Dialog
return

SubmitName:
    Gui, Submit
    MsgBox, Hello, %UserName%!
ExitApp

CloseApp:
ExitApp

Advanced GUI with Controls

; Create a feature-rich GUI
Gui, New, +Resize, System Information Tool
Gui, Font, s12 Bold
Gui, Add, Text,, System Information
Gui, Font

; Add various controls
Gui, Add, Text,, Computer Name:
Gui, Add, Edit, vComputerName w300 ReadOnly
Gui, Add, Text,, Username:
Gui, Add, Edit, vUsername w300 ReadOnly
Gui, Add, Text,, OS Version:
Gui, Add, Edit, vOSVersion w300 ReadOnly

; Buttons
Gui, Add, Button, gRefreshInfo, Refresh
Gui, Add, Button, gSaveInfo x+10, Save to File
Gui, Add, Button, gCloseGUI x+10, Close

; Load initial data
Gosub, RefreshInfo

Gui, Show, w350 h250
return

RefreshInfo:
    GuiControl,, ComputerName, %A_ComputerName%
    GuiControl,, Username, %A_UserName%
    GuiControl,, OSVersion, %A_OSVersion%
return

SaveInfo:
    FileAppend, Computer: %A_ComputerName%`nUser: %A_UserName%`nOS: %A_OSVersion%`n, SystemInfo.txt
    MsgBox, Information saved to SystemInfo.txt
return

CloseGUI:
GuiClose:
ExitApp

System Integration and Monitoring

System Information and Monitoring

; Monitor system resources
F10::
    ; Get CPU usage (requires additional implementation)
    Process, Exist, explorer.exe
    ExplorerPID := ErrorLevel
    
    ; Get memory usage
    GlobalMemoryStatus(MemoryStatus)
    MemoryUsage := Round(MemoryStatus.dwMemoryLoad)
    
    ; Display information
    MsgBox, 0, System Info, 
    (
    Explorer PID: %ExplorerPID%
    Memory Usage: %MemoryUsage%%%
    Computer: %A_ComputerName%
    User: %A_UserName%
    )
return

GlobalMemoryStatus(ByRef MemoryStatus) {
    VarSetCapacity(MemoryStatus, 32, 0)
    NumPut(32, MemoryStatus, 0, "UInt")
    DllCall("Kernel32.dll\GlobalMemoryStatus", "Ptr", &MemoryStatus)
    return NumGet(MemoryStatus, 4, "UInt")
}

Network and Web Automation

; Web automation example
#w::
    ; Open browser and navigate
    Run, chrome.exe "https://www.google.com"
    Sleep, 3000
    
    ; Send search query
    Send, AutoHotkey automation
    Send, {Enter}
return

; Download file function
DownloadFile(URL, DestPath) {
    try {
        WebRequest := ComObjCreate("WinHttp.WinHttpRequest.5.1")
        WebRequest.Open("GET", URL, false)
        WebRequest.Send()
        
        FileDelete, %DestPath%
        File := FileOpen(DestPath, "w")
        File.RawWrite(WebRequest.ResponseBody, WebRequest.ResponseBody.MaxIndex() + 1)
        File.Close()
        
        return true
    } catch e {
        return false
    }
}

Best Practices and Optimization

Error Handling and Debugging

; Error handling example
SafeFileOperation(FilePath) {
    try {
        FileRead, Content, %FilePath%
        if ErrorLevel
            throw Exception("Failed to read file", -1, FilePath)
        return Content
    } catch e {
        MsgBox, 16, Error, % "Error: " . e.message . "`nFile: " . e.extra
        return ""
    }
}

; Debug output
#D::
    DebugMsg := "Debug info: " . A_TickCount
    OutputDebug, %DebugMsg%
    ToolTip, %DebugMsg%
    SetTimer, RemoveToolTip, 2000
return

RemoveToolTip:
    ToolTip
    SetTimer, RemoveToolTip, Off
return

Performance Optimization

; Optimize script performance
#NoEnv                          ; Recommended for performance
#SingleInstance Force           ; Only one instance
#Persistent                     ; Keep script running
SetBatchLines, -1              ; Run at maximum speed
SetKeyDelay, -1                ; No delay between keystrokes
SetMouseDelay, -1              ; No delay between mouse events
SetWinDelay, -1                ; No delay between window commands

Common Use Cases

Productivity Enhancement

• Automated data entry and form filling
• Custom keyboard shortcuts for frequently used programs
• Text expansion for common phrases and signatures
• Window management and workspace organization

Gaming and Entertainment

• Custom key bindings for games
• Automated repetitive tasks in games
• Screenshot and recording automation
• Media player control shortcuts

System Administration

• Automated system maintenance tasks
• Log file monitoring and processing
• Batch file operations
• Network connectivity testing

Development Tools

• IDE customization and shortcuts
• Code snippet insertion
• Build process automation
• Testing and deployment scripts

Development Tools and Resources

IDEs and Editors

• SciTE4AutoHotkey: Official AutoHotkey editor
• Visual Studio Code: AutoHotkey extension available
• Notepad++: Syntax highlighting for AHK
• Sublime Text: AutoHotkey package available

Debugging and Testing

• Built-in debugging with OutputDebug
• Variable inspection with ListVars
• Performance monitoring with KeyHistory
• Error logging and exception handling

Documentation and Community

• Official AutoHotkey documentation
• Community forums and Discord servers
• GitHub repositories with script examples
• YouTube tutorials and video guides

AutoHotkey continues to be an essential tool for Windows automation, offering powerful scripting capabilities that enhance productivity and provide extensive customization options for users and developers alike.