AutoHotkey Community

How to prevent compiled AHK .exe from decompiling?

Can't really be done easily and only to some degre as autohotkey is open source, there are som ways to make it header but no way to stop someone who know's what they are doing...

Is it worth to try?

Depends on who you are trying to keep from reading your source

Maybe using Reshacker to remove the plain text from the exe and some packing software may also make it less easy

I think just general precaution.

Recently I have implemented compression and encryption for resources in AHK_H compiler, included in download
Default password is 'AutoHotkey' and you would need to recompile AutoHotkey_H to change that, you can also compile with compression but without encryption/password.

I just working on some plugin for 3D Apps and want to release it but do not want somebody to decompile it.
What to do?

If you want to encrypt you need to recompile AutoHotkey.exe from source and change the password, search for g_default_pwd.
If you want to compress only, download and compile using included compiler.

HotKeyIt wrote:Recently I have implemented compression and encryption for resources in AHK_H compiler, included in download
Default password is 'AutoHotkey' and you would need to recompile AutoHotkey_H to change that, you can also compile with compression but without encryption/password.

Hello,

I did it but I got an error (see picture).

Any help on that please?

You need to use AutoHotkey_H.

@samardac
Why not OpenSource on GitHub (with or w/o License)?
So everyone can see your code and change/edit things or do some bugfixes or can help to grow?!

HotKeyIt, how to run it? I also have the same error.

You need to download and use AutoHotkey.exe from AutoHotkey_H pack.
Simply extract zip and copy AutoHotkey.exe to Compiler, than rename it to Ahk2Exe.exe and run it.

@HotKeyIt / how can I compile Ahk2Exe itself? it throws an error

"invalid directive; IgnoreBegin"

btw AHK_H has so much potentials!! thank you for making this version

HotKeyIt,
I made as you write but nothing works, can you pleas make detail instruction by steps pleas.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that you need to use compiler included in download pack.
1. Download
2. Extract ahkdll-v1-release-master.zip
3. Copy ahkdll-v1-release-master\Win32w\AutoHotkey.exe to ahkdll-v1-release-master\Compiler\Ahk2Exe.exe
4. Double click Ahk2Exe.exe
5. Select correct Base File (.bin)
6. Use compression or/and encryption checkboxes.
7. Press > Compile Executable <

Soft wrote:@HotKeyIt / how can I compile Ahk2Exe itself? it throws an error

Fixed now, thanks for reporting

HotKeyIt wrote:Sorry, I should have mentioned that you need to use compiler included in download pack.
1. Download
2. Extract ahkdll-v1-release-master.zip
3. Copy ahkdll-v1-release-master\Win32w\AutoHotkey.exe to ahkdll-v1-release-master\Compiler\Ahk2Exe.exe
4. Double click Ahk2Exe.exe and use compression or/and encryption checkboxes.

HotKeyIt, a couple of questions

1. i dont fully understand your previous posts. there is a password box in the compiler script. earlier you said that we need to re-compile AHK_H from c++ source to change the password. can you clarify?

2. have you implemented the same protection for your v2 build of AHK_H?

3. also, small bug i think:

in the master.zip, there is \Compiler\Lib\ folder, but there is also a \Compiler\lib\ shortcut folder, which is trying to point to "C:\Scratch\Program Files\AutoHotkey\AutoHotkey 1\lib" but obviously fails. i'm guessing that shortcut shouldn't be included

1. Correct, currently the password AutoHotkey is hardcoded in source.
2. yes
3. thanks, corrected.

HotKeyIt wrote:1. Correct, currently the password AutoHotkey is hardcoded in source.

so then, the password box in the compiler script is non-functional?