AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

Discuss other programming languages besides AutoHotkey
cag8f
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AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

03 Jun 2016, 07:40

Hi all. I'm not an AHK user, but have used AutoIt extensively. I'm wondering if anyone can help me understand the key differences between the two. Here is my motivation:

I just read the AHK Wikipedia page and it says that AHK was originally intended to be integrated into AutoIt. As an AutoIt user, this motivated me to look into their differences. The Wikipedia page also indicated one interesting difference (one that is appealing to me), that is AHK is open source while AutoIt is not. The AutoIt Wikipedia page indicates that when AutoIt switched from open to closed source, the project was forked off into AHK, "...where the community is continuing to develop and release the code under the GPL." This makes it sound like the main (only?) difference between the two is open vs. closed source.

Thanks in advance.
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Blackholyman
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

03 Jun 2016, 12:32

Without going in to one more big AHK vs AutoIt thing

I will say that both have been developed on for years after the split and ahk no long support autoIt syntax as it once did...

And things like objects/arrays classes and other newer stuff don't work the same way as the devs have implemented it in there own ways

Maybe simply take a look at the AutoHotkey changelog to know what has happenede in all this time (10 years)
Last edited by Blackholyman on 09 Jun 2016, 04:00, edited 1 time in total.
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vasili111
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

09 Jun 2016, 03:41

I think most big advantage of AutoHotkey is its community. Community of AutoHotkey is very helpful and friendly.
DRAKON-AutoHotkey: Visual programming for AutoHotkey.
cag8f
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

12 Jun 2016, 08:28

@Blackholyman Sorry, I thought I replied to this a while ago.

>> Without going in to one more big AHK vs AutoIt thing

But this is exactly what I'm looking for. Obviously I don't want to start a new discussion here from scratch. But if such discussions have occurred (in this forum or elsewhere), are you able to point me to one? I realize there will be biases on both sides, so I'll try to keep that in mind.
Guest

Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

12 Jun 2016, 11:20

https://autohotkey.com/board/topic/4135 ... ivity-etc/

Main difference it the syntax I suppose, AutoIt "more strict & basic like" as opposed to AutoHotkey where you can "mix and match commands and functions" and in AHK you have several methods to achieve the same result with regards to variables either using = or := and %% or not around variable names.
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SnowFlake
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

15 Jun 2016, 11:07

and also AHKs community allow scripts about Games
:yawn:
vasili111
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

15 Jun 2016, 23:45

SnowFlake wrote:and also AHKs community allow scripts about Games
Many people are comming to AutoHotkey from gamming.
I heard about AutoHotkey when I wanted to automate game. I developed script for game and in the process I saw the actual power of AutoHotkey in non-gamming automation. I was so exited that I did not even used that script for game and began to write other useful things.
DRAKON-AutoHotkey: Visual programming for AutoHotkey.
vasili111
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

15 Jun 2016, 23:54

Also interesting screenshot from Google Trends:


Image
DRAKON-AutoHotkey: Visual programming for AutoHotkey.
func
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

26 Aug 2016, 05:39

a more accurate google trends diagram I think, from the last 12 months. You would have to combine the yellow and blue lines together, which would far exceed autoit's red line

Image
Razor Guest

Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

31 Aug 2016, 10:53

Hi Ya'll.

I've dabbled in both but I actually stuck with AHK to write some fairly complex (obscenely large!) programs and even small work automation tools. On the job I need to be able to write a script quickly with little debugging and few lines that's easy to adapt. AHK works wonders for that. Even right now I've got AHK tools running in the background from simple hotkey remaps (literally 2 lines of code!) to fairly complex webdata scraping and data entry automation programs (MY POOR PINKIE FINGER!). AutoIt provides a ton of useful tools and is very powerful in certain applications that can only really be done with workarounds through AHK (Why the hell is there no ATAN2 :P), but the syntax and structure makes me want to tear my hair out! (If i'm going to be coding proper then I'd rather use C or C# hahahaha). But honestly in the end I ended up writing my fairly complex low-level AI auto ad watcher and other GPS location distortion apps in AHK because it's just simpler to get an idea in your brain into code and honestly that's where AHK's power lies. AHK Is my #1 recommended first language (moreso than python or C even) because it teaches you how to solve problems like a programmer - and you'll automatically make the switch from using simple and basic methods of doing so to using efficient and powerful ones (two scripts "talking" through .ini files anyone? :P). Overall, my vote goes to AHK simply because of my experience with it and it's ease-of-use (it's like a little honda, always ready to go :bravo: ) but AutoIt has very powerful stuff going on and is going to be a MUCH easier transition for someone already used to similar syntax's and structures. (Just as an aside, I'd recommend learning python or C after AHK before heading onto something else). Just my $0.02 :)
sevenwenty
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

17 Feb 2017, 00:19

Razor Guest wrote: [...]
AHK Is my #1 recommended first language (moreso than python or C even) because it teaches you how to solve problems like a programmer - and you'll automatically make the switch from using simple and basic methods of doing so to using efficient and powerful ones (two scripts "talking" through .ini files anyone? :P). Overall, my vote goes to AHK simply because of my experience with it and it's ease-of-use (it's like a little honda, always ready to go :bravo: ) but AutoIt has very powerful stuff going on and is going to be a MUCH easier transition for someone already used to similar syntax's and structures.
[...]
This is flat out wrong. The AHK syntax is so bad that it would be the last language for a programming noob to learn on. It's inconsistent, unintuitive, inflexible, and just downright annoying to write in. This would create tons of confusion and bad habits, and probably even cause the noob to lose interest in programming altogether. It doesn't teach core concepts at all, because it needlessly makes them seem way more convoluted than they really are. The syntax and general flow of AHK is downright atrocious.
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jNizM
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

17 Feb 2017, 04:06

You dont like AHK syntax. I dont like AutoIt's Basic syntax.
Everyone has his own fav...
[AHK] v2.0.5 | [WIN] 11 Pro (Version 22H2) | [GitHub] Profile
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Nextron
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

17 Feb 2017, 05:26

All three of your posts criticize AHK, which is fine by me, but they're a bit thin in support.

The difference between the legacy command style and functional/expressional notation may be confusing because they differ, but it's consistent between the two. When thinking about annoying or unintuitive, AutoIt's bulky code block open/close tags come to mind or Lua's AND/OR operators that don't return boolean values.

When learning programming, it makes a difference whether you're talking about (future) IT professionals that care whether to use a double or a float or you're talking about near computer-illiterates trying to set up dedicated copy/paste keyboard buttons. Apply that to C or AHK. The first group will be capable in both, and the later will definitely be better able to understand AHK's flow and syntax.
SOTE
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

22 Feb 2017, 14:56

I've found AHK much easier to do automation and make GUIs for scripts with. I think if a person wants to "really" program, then there is C++ or C#, and clearly many people are not that much for getting so deep, as there are so many scripting languages around. If you are talking to some "real programmers" and mention AutoIt, you will often get some very perplexed looks or laughter. So, I think it's better not to have such an haughty attitutde, because someone will always point their nose into the air even higher than yours.

To many, AHK shines as an automation tool, then general purpose scripting language for Windows. And it appears that some people get so good at it, they pretty much can do most of what any of those "real" programming languages can do too.

Oh, and speaking of serious programming... Whatever happened to IronAHK? That would have silenced everybody, had it been completed.
Last edited by SOTE on 23 Feb 2017, 10:05, edited 1 time in total.
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jNizM
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

23 Feb 2017, 01:35

polyethene stoped 5 years ago (IronAHK)
[AHK] v2.0.5 | [WIN] 11 Pro (Version 22H2) | [GitHub] Profile
SOTE
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

23 Feb 2017, 07:57

I'm a bit sad that IronAHK never came into full fruition. I hope one day that some gifted people continue it.

I forgot to mention, something that I like about AutoHotKey (and maybe how others got hooked into it), is you focus more on the tasks and using English than getting bogged down into heavy programming. I create all kinds of scripts for small tasks and or updating. Any repetitive or annoying thing that I would have to go through all kinds of steps or keep constantly put time into. These time saving scripts could begin with using a macro recorder, particularly if you have no clue about programming.

Then you can see the script from the macro recorder and start modifying it. Often, you are basically reading the information off of controls in various Windows, putting them into variables, and having various actions performed. It's like telling another person, what you want them to do. If you see this, then do this.

That's a very comfortable place for beginners and regular types that aren't that deep into programming. Then the more you start modifying scripts, the more you understand about AutoHotKey and programming in general. So you get pulled into programming in a very comfortable kind of way, versus being pushed into the deep end of the pool (and difficult programming language), when perhaps all the person wanted to do was something really quick or simple. And AutoHotKey is very powerful, if you need to get into more complexity, which is a nice flexibility to have.

I think AutoIt lost this perspective a little bit. The user friendliness (to include their forum), the simpler ways, and being convenient. Maybe they wanted to prove how much of a "real programming" language that they are, but the average Joe doesn't think like that.
bernisim
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

19 Mar 2017, 13:47

The biggest pro of AHK vs AutoIT are shortcuts & hotstrings: very powerful and easy to use; if you need them, use AHK!
I use AHK script at work from 2-3 years: it completes my writing (handles more than 2000 shortcuts/hotstrings at an incredible speed with an incremental search while I type: a script made by other that I modified to my needs); I also have a new menu with different utilities I made and I love them,...but I think AHK language is easy only for very simple scripts: more deeper you go, more strange syntax come out.

So I fully agree that this is not good to learn programming for newbie: two mixed variable handling is very confusing ("" or %%; to declare an empty string var pippo="" is wrong meaning double " ; needs pippo :="" or pippo=); double Msgbox % syntax; other double commands syntax (loop, files,pattern... loop,pattern,... ), many duplicated expression If-versions (IfNotEqual equivalent to if var <> var2 or if var != var2), IfGreaterOrEqual , IfLessOrEqual, IfMsgBox (!)); declaration of variables not mandatory as default (source of many mistyping errors for newbie), different syntax for procedure & function, global variables access from inside a function needs an inside re-declaring, comma not always mandatory (loop, files = loop files), function name that doesn't want any space before the brace (don't gives error, simply consider it different, so program looks running ok, but don't make what you intended for...), unusual command output (StringSplit of %pippo% var -> result in %pippo0%,...); too many default parameters accepted (also in GUI commands) lead to cryptic examples from "fast" writer online; IF-command official help page report a series of rules & exception (braces, space after "if", One True Brace style, % rules); joining strings with spaces (no + or & ), default trim of spaces from start & end strings value (!); GUI commands with strange syntax (some parameters divided by comma, other by spaces, g- / v-labels referred without prefix,...).
All in all, I think that is more "educative" and simple for newbie to start from a compiled Pascal (e.g. Lazarus) that is a more "coherent", rigid and readable.
AHK is the kind of programming language that is very powerful, permits to do incredible things in few lines, but to write them sometime needs much time due to unexpected pitfalls...
fourst4r
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Re: AutoHotKey vs. AutoIt

31 May 2017, 03:35

As someone coming from C# and Python, the transition to AutoIt's Basic syntax was extremely smooth, so that's why I use it. The only thing that AutoIt is missing for me is a working ImageSearch, I have to use AHK for that...
Bentjudges
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AutoHotKey vs AutoIt

12 Oct 2017, 09:59

Pls,
whats the difference between Autoit, AutoHotKey and Autoitscript?
Which of these can actually create an exe from Auto ?
For a portable app, how much Auto overhead is customary?
Also, what operating systems does Auto run on?
Thanks a bunch...Vernon

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