61 replies to this topic

[Miguel7]

@tidbit - Awesome demo!

 

I'm not a COM expert either, but from what I can see in your code a lot of what you're creating are actual .Net objects (like I would use in C#/VB), the first one I noticed being WebRequest.  Thanks for the info!

 

 

@nnnik - I stand corrected (and that's a good thing)!   

 

idk enough about what DllCall can do (yet!) to really be able to use it well, but I am definitely going to check it out! Between your comments and Tidbit's script, it sounds like AHK can work with just about anything a "standard" language can (System DLLs, .Net objects, in addition to the registry etc.) which I didn't know was possible till right now (lol); very cool.

[G. Sperotto]

     -  Databases (creating/reading/updating/deleting info)

 

 

My current main AHK apps, which i use a lot in my company, can manage a Microsoft SQL Server DB no problem. I'm using ADOSQL() by VxE, and all i need to operate the function is a valid connection string and the SQL query, wich are both writen directly into the script. I can also pass any SQL commands to the DB by the means of it (such as SELECT/UPDATE/DELETE statements aswell as the other types such as CREATE and etc).

 

Perhaps you should check the link, it's a great function

[Miguel7]

Hey, thanks!  I will definitely check this out (just bookmarked it).

 

So let me ask you guys this: is it possible to (easily) decompile EXEs written in AHK, either to AHK or C++?  I know this sounds like a huge change in the subject, but it's an important question companies would be likely to look at before even considering developing their program(s) in AHK (and this is the "off-topic" page after all ).  I've read that there are tools out there to easily decompile Java and .Net applications back to the source code, but that with C++ the best they can do is decompile to assembly code (pretty good deterrent in my book, lol).  I'm far from an expert in this area, and I realize nothing is ever 100% safe, but it's a question that has actually come up at my job and one not even my boss was sure how to answer. 

 

As far as AHK specifically, I've read up on it as much as I could find.  I remember reading awhile back there was an "exe2ahk" program out there, and I know that ahk2exe has a password-protection option (though I think I read somewhere else they're getting rid of that).  What do you think?

[nnnik]

It is actually pretty simple since it does not create compiled Machine Code, but rather just puts Autohotkey.exe and your script together.
However you can use Machine Code inside AHK functions to protect a part of your source.

the best they can do is decompile to assembly code

Which is still pretty much (Basically everything)

[G. Sperotto]

(...) is it possible to (easily) decompile EXEs written in AHK, either to AHK or C++? (...)

 

Decompiling an AHK .exe to an AHK source is quite an easy task for any real AHK programmer. Decompiling it to a C++ source is more likely to go by the means of decompiling to AHK and than translating it to C++, which would probably be a real pain.

 

Despite the former statement (being easy to decompile it to an AHK source), there are numerous tricks that you can use to get a much higher level of code security in AHK (or any other language). These include dummy code, obfuscation and the use of packers after you have compiled your exe. An app that makes a really good use of these three should be WAY harder to hack for copyright violation than a standard compiled .exe of any other language, with a plus that you will be working on the AHK code level, rather than fixing the breaches on the machine code outputed by the compiler.

 

Compilers usually work towards optimizing the outputed machine code rather than adding unrequired security. Thats why it is ridiculously easy for any programmer to hack a non protected .exe with a debugger and a few hours of tutorial watching (or even some previous knowledge on the subject). Bypassing a password validation of a standard compiled .exe in machine code level may go by the means of changing a single instruction (such as a cmp to a jmp).

[nnnik]

 

 

Despite the former statement (being easy to decompile it to an AHK source), there are numerous tricks that you can use to get a much higher level of code security in AHK (or any other language). These include dummy code, obfuscation and the use of packers after you have compiled your exe. An app that makes a really good use of these three should be WAY harder to hack for copyright violation than a standard compiled .exe of any other language, with a plus that you will be working on the AHK code level, rather than fixing the breaches on the machine code outputed by the compiler.

Yeah but you still have the code, or?

[G. Sperotto]

Yeah but you still have the code, or?

 

If you add a routine that requires server validation, the hacker WILL have to search the source code for it and make a change in order to even make the application run. The obfuscated source code, that is.

 

And you gotta keep an unobfuscated updated version so that you can work on it.

[metacognition]

I am the CIO for relatively small business with about 50 employees across two states, I use autohotkey to:

 

-add features to propriotary software, so much so that employees don't even know wich windows/features are part of the software they are using and what is scripted.

-create custom install scripts for distribution.

-I have created a few standalone inventory management applications that can sync between office branches (using wget and some extra libraries)

-I have used the COM object in scripts to create custom spreadsheat reports from csv files that our accounting software generates

 

So my answer to your question would be that no one is probably looking specifically for ahk coders or projects to be coded in ahk, but ahk coders know exactly when a task or project can be coded out and ahk is often the quickest path to completion. In short I use it heavily in my enterprise with about 5000 lines of code across all my applications and I doubt anyone even realizes it or gives it a second thought.

[Hwulex]

I work for a reasonable size org (3800 employees) and after getting sick of repetitive mundane tasks in my day to day work, I discovered AHK and began to automate much of my job. Reception from my bosses and piers was excellent as we started saving hundreds of man hours in repetitive work and could focus on more important issues. We are now rolling out tools, similar to metacognition, to add automation and additional features to proprietary software, as well as our own framework of tools. We have an in-house (traditional .NET etc) programmer, but I am now being assigned requests from around the company for various issues that will be written entirely in AHK for its rapid development.

[Volly]

....I can't believe any of you don't get why most companies do not use AHK.

 

Let me spell it out for you in two words:

 

Game automation

 

AHK is treated by most AV companies as this: "AHK is used to automate games thus all AHK scripts will be flagged." I've worked with AV companies and I know this first hand so if you chime in saying otherwise with just your opinion and not supporting facts from the same AV companies I've worked with first hand - then I will know you are just being a fan boy and not even respond to your comment.

 

Your forum screams support for game automation. You honestly think most companies will take AHK seriously knowing that most AV companies think of AHK as a game botting language? What admin in their right mind would use AHK for corporate support knowing the nightmare it causes from an AV prespective as well as the reputation AHK has? REALLY?

 

Please do not tell me you are not so foolish to think companies will soon change their mind once they see AHK. It has been around for many years now and they haven't bother to use it yet. The truth is (all of you really need to face this fact) they have looked at it and they dismiss it for they see it for what it is. AHK is nothing more than a game botters paradise.

[Jackie Sztuk _Blackholyman]

A game botters paradise lol

Autohotkey is no better at botting then most other coding languages some commands can be easy to learn but the real use of a scripting language like autohotkey is how fast it is to make usable scripts

This means that a company needs to use less resources on automatting and also that it can pay off to automate small tasks.

As to your AV claims, this just tell's me that your in over your head if you think that autohotkeys best use is for gaming...

[G. Sperotto]

....I can't believe any of you don't get why most companies do not use AHK.

 

Let me spell it out for you in two words:

 

Game automation

 

AHK is treated by most AV companies as this: "AHK is used to automate games thus all AHK scripts will be flagged." I've worked with AV companies and I know this first hand so if you chime in saying otherwise with just your opinion and not supporting facts from the same AV companies I've worked with first hand - then I will know you are just being a fan boy and not even respond to your comment.

 

Your forum screams support for game automation.

(...)

 

 

 

I really don't think company admins are into the game automation industry so much as to immediately recognise their tools. Besides, AHK CAN be used for game automation, but a quick check on the ammount of topics/posts in the gaming section of the "ask for help" subforum compared to the ammount of topics/posts OUTSIDE of that section reveals:

 

GENERAL HELP: 1609 topics (98,59% of total) / 9682 posts (98.96% of total) .

GAMING: 23 topics (1.41% of total) / 102 posts (1.04% of total).

 

How does that screams game automation to you?

[girlgamer]

Python, Lua and AutoIt are also "game botting: languages but their automation uses for file manipulation, Window control,

grappling with COM, and object and Windows API controls, just as AutoHotkey's are, are what truly tell what a language

is useful for. If AV companies started blocking those too they'd be out of work pretty damn fast. People don't use tools

that don' work If businesses let AV companies start dictating what tools the business can use the business people are

going to find another AV company and use it's products instead. Every scripting language has a place. And every one

has both strengths and weaknesses. For my money AutoHotkey beats the others hands down for rapid development and

solution prototyping. And yes I AM an AutoHotkey fan-girl. So with that in mind I'm sure i can expect a "No Comment"

comment.   

[Volly]

How does that screams game automation to you?

 

 - I can't believe you asked such a stupid question. Take one look at your forum. You have threads asking to get around gameguard, forum sections detacated to gaming...do I really need to spell this out for you?

The AHK community ENCOURAGES gaming scripts.

[Volly]

remove double post