May 2023 AutoHotkeyNewsletter

May 24th, 2023 AutoHotkey Newsletter

Howdy %Name%,

An innovation is nothing more than the recombination of old elements that you already knew. Your capacity to bring old elements into new combinations depends largely on your ability to see relationships. To some, each fact is a separate bit of information, while to others it’s a link in the chain of knowledge.

It’s one of the main reasons why I like learning AutoHotkey.  It lets me easily tweak tools that are close to being great with minimal time (and I look like a super-genius to my colleagues and wife).

If you’re just starting out, our Intro to AutoHotkey course is now on sale.  Or, if you really want to wow them consider learning how to add a simple GUI to your script (which is also on sale).

Now on with the show…

Thank you for Donating!

About 10 days ago we made a minor change to all of our “free downloads”.   We now make it very easy for you to make a $3 donation during the process.   Many of you have contributed and it’s much appreciated❗   Creating the scripts and videos takes a lot of time (much more than you’d believe) and we make very little back from YouTube.   So, if you can afford a few bucks, we greatly appreciate the contribution! 

Just wanted you to know it is greatly appreciated!👍

Bring back that missing window❗

How often have you been working with a program only to realize it is nowhere to be found because the display doesn’t exist.   We created a simple script to easily bring the missing window back to your mouse and demonstrate it here.

You won’t believe how easy it is to bring a missing window to your mouse! 😲

No, ❎ML isn’t dead!

We’ve been creating a lot of GUIs lately and I’m reminded of this video where Maestrith walked me through how Tree views and XML go hand-in-hand!  If you’re wanting to learn GUIs, we now have our GUIs are easy course in both V1 and V2.   In V2, they are objects which make them much easier to understand!

🤯 Incredible AutoHotkey Hack: Master Tree Views & XML!

Hey kettle, you’re black!

When you talk to a lot of people they often say that AutoHotkey is buggy however, in our combined 28 years of experience with AutoHotkey it is much more often your code, not AutoHotkey.  We discuss this, and much more, in this video.

🚫 Don’t believe the AutoHotkey haters! 🚫 💪 Prove them wrong! 💪

How hard will it be❓❓❓  (that’s what she said 🤣)

People are switching to v2 in droves (one indicator is our great success of the v1 to v2 course).  While the majority of our new work is in v2, we are leaving most of our previous work in v1.  But, if you’re considering converting your v1 script to v2 you might like this tool that will give you an idea how difficult it will be to convert it.

⚡️ Want to Convert Your Script to v2? This Tool Reveals the Difficulty Level! 💥

Deep-Dive into Scintilla controls  (Advanced Topic)

If you’ve wanted to develop a GUI using the Scintilla control, you might like this video.   Jean was considering using the new Scintilla controls and Isaias gave us a walk through of what would need to be done.

Discussing Scintilla control, Lexors and Compiling

📚 What we’re reading

• 8 SSD Myths and Misconceptions People Still Believe
• How long do USB Drives Hold Data?
• 4 Great tools for Analyzing Hard Drive Space on Windows
• Don’t replace your old computer, Put an SSD In It (Great tip! Here’s a “solid” choice)

🤖 AI / Chat GPT-3 News / Usage

• How to Enable ChatGPT’s Web Browsing and Plugins
• Use AI to Clean up audio files (free & easy to use)
• Chat with any YouTube video

⚡️Productivity tips  Win+Print Screen to save screen shot to a file

Use the Windows key + Print Screen to take a screenshot of your entire screen, and saves it in the Pictures\Screenshot folder.

🤣 A spot of Humor : This time we’re laughing at the Surfers

Product Testing Institute – Surfers

AHK Hero 🦸‍♂️

Consider joining the 🦸‍♀️AHK Hero club! Members receive 25% off courses, consultations, tutoring, done for you project work, etc.  They also have access to exclusive & pre-released content and a 3 hours a week where we help people with their AHK issues (the Saturday call is geared towards people new to AutoHotkey.)

🗣️ 💭 Quotable quotes

• Don’t wait. The time will never be just right. — Napoleon Hill
• Being born in poverty isn’t a sin; staying in poverty might be — Dan Kennedy
• Knowledge is power; Automation knowledge is a “super-power”💪 — Joe Glines
• Just do it. The meek may inherit the earth, but only after the bold are through with it — John Carlton

⏩SHARE WITH A FRIEND⏩

Do you know someone that would benefit from learning useful automation tips like the gems in today’s issue?  Take a second and forward this newsletter and bask in the glow of their undying gratitude.  Was this email forwarded to you?

Sign up for this Newsletter here.  We never share your email with anyone.  Ever!

The-Automator

Joe, Isaias, Irfan, and staff

P.S. I just wanted to thank you again if you’ve made a donation.  People seem to forget that, on top of taking my own time I’m also paying for Isaias and Irfan to write the scripts and be on the videos.   Also, if you’ve purchased a course from us, we’re extremely grateful.  It takes a lot of time to put together a course and, because AutoHotkey is so niche, we don’t see huge volume in sales.

May 18th, 2023 AutoHotkey Newsletter

Universal laws always follow a pattern. Everything that moves or grows has a cycle and trend.

It’s nature’s law that every organism grows to maturity, levels off, and dies!  Unless there is rebirth through new life, new blood, new ideas, or new activity.

By gaining knowledge you can create new cycles and new trends are possible.   Learning AutoHotkey is  a great way to stay young and continue expanding your mind 🧠.

Now on with the show…

GUIs Are Easy v2

In this video Isaias and I discuss 4 reasons why you might want to add a GUI to your script.

GUIs Are Easier v2

Remember the GUIs are Easy Flash sale ends in 2 days.  If you’re thinking of buying it you should buy now otherwise you’re spending more than you need to!  You can get nearly 40% the retail price by clicking here

Deep discussion on GDI and v2

Isaias was doing some GDI work in v2 but having a very peculiar issue.  We asked a few experts but hadn’t found the solution.  We finally got HellBent to join us on a call and they had a very deep conversation which might be too deep for most of us but wanted to mention it here in case you’re wanting to level-up your programming.

Hellbent and Isaias Solving cursor and bitmap issues in GDI for AutoHotkey v2

Msgbox Tutorial in v2

TabNation just released this tutorial on creating Msgboxes in v2.   If you haven’t switched to v2 yet, you might want to get on it!  Our v1➡v2 course helps transition you painlessly…

AutoHotkey – Level Up Your MsgBox Skills in V2!” – Intro 1

Avoid this annoying warning

This came up for me the other day.  I was so glad we’d already documented how to address the issue.

💥 Get Rid of Annoying MS Office Warning with This Simple Trick😲

Peek inside your Windows Installation

The WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) is an amazing way to extract information out of your Windows system.

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and AutoHotkey

Dynamic HotStrings

Have you ever wanted to have HotStrings react differently?   Here we discuss 4 different ways for creating Dynamic HotStrings

Unleash the power of AutoHotkey with these FOUR creative solutions to one common problem

Changing what happens when you click

Have you ever wanted to change the default behavior when you click?  It’s easier than you might think!  Check out this video where we demonstrate a simple approach to change the default behavior depending on the program you are in.

🖱 Revolutionize your clicking game with this MUST-HAVE AutoHotkey hack!

📚 What we’re reading

• 10 Google Assistant Features You Should Be Using
• How to Recover Deleted Bookmarks in Chrome & Firefox
• 5 Ways Arc Transforms the Web Browser Experience
• How to Quickly ruin your career

How to quickly ruin your career.

🤖 AI / Chat GPT-3 News / Usage

• How Good Is Midjourney at AI Art? We Compared All the Models
• You Can Now Join the Waitlist for Google’s AI Web Search
• The Disappearing computer (Ted Talk)

The Disappearing Computer: An Exclusive Preview | TED Talk

⚡️Productivity tips Win + Shift + Left/ Right

Did you know you can “throw” a program Move program to corresponding monitor

🤣 A spot of Humor :  Horrible but too funny not to share!

AHK Hero 🦸‍♂️

Consider joining the 🦸‍♀️AHK Hero club! Members receive 25% off courses, consultations, tutoring, done for you project work, etc.  They also have access to exclusive & pre-released content and a 3 hours a week where we help people with their AHK issues (the Saturday call is geared towards people new to AutoHotkey.)

🗣️ 💭 Quotable quotes

• Whatever Your Mind Can Conceive and Believe, It Can Achieve. — Napoleon Hill
• Decisions without actions are worthless
• Right now is a good time to stop the bullshit. Get real. Take a painful review of yourself, and be honest. Face your faults, and begin the fix. — John Carlton
• The “best” is always the enemy of the good — Sigmund Freud

⏩SHARE WITH A FRIEND⏩

Do you know someone that would benefit from learning useful automation tips like the gems in today’s issue?  Take a second and forward this newsletter and bask in the glow of their undying gratitude.  Was this email forwarded to you?

Sign up for this Newsletter here.  We never share your email with anyone.  Ever!

The-Automator

Joe, Isaias, Irfan, and staff

P.S. There are only 2 more days left to take advantage of the big sale on the GUIs are Easy v2 course.  It’s 4.5 hours long and GUIs are  a great way to get more users to use your script.   You can get the flash sale deal by clicking here.

May 12th, 2023 AutoHotkey Newsletter

The reason you don’t always do the right thing when you should is that you haven’t established the right habits.

When you do the wrong thing, knowing it is wrong, you do so because you haven’t developed the habit of controlling or neutralizing strong inner urges that tempt you, or because you established bad habits and don’t know how to eliminate them effectively.

It’s important to recognize the truth:

You always do what you want to do

Once you fully realize that, you have a chance at doing the right thing more often than not.

So work on creating habits that will ensure you make the right choices

Now on with the show…

GUIs are Easier in v2

Have you ever wanted to add a simple GUI to your AHK V2 script?  GUIS have many benefits.  A few of which are:

1. Improved Usability: A GUI can make your script more user-friendly and accessible to non-technical users. Instead of requiring users to enter commands or edit code, they can interact with a graphical interface that presents information and options in an intuitive way.
2. Reduced Errors: When making changes in code manually, there is a greater risk of making mistakes that can lead to errors in the script. A GUI can help reduce the likelihood of these errors by guiding users through a series of steps and validating input before it is processed.
3. Increased Efficiency: A GUI can make it faster and easier to make changes to your script. Instead of manually editing the code and testing it, users can use the GUI to quickly make changes and see the results in real-time.
4. Control Change: By creating a GUI you can have better control over what users can, and should, change and also restrict the way your script is used.

We just released an updated version of our GUIs are easy course showing how easy GUIs are in  AutoHotkey v2.  In v2, GUIS are now objects and are much-more intuitive and easier to use.   The course currently has 62 videos each between 3-9 minutes for a total of ~4.5 hours. We also provide 39 examples scripts that are used in the course.

The course lists for $139 however we’re kicking it off with an introductory price of $99.  However, if you use this link before May 20^th you’ll get an additional 15% off. And don’t forget, our courses come with a 200% money-back guarantee so you have nothing to risk!

Quick peek into v2 GUIs

In this video Isaias gives us a look at how GUIs work in AutoHotkey v2.   As we mentioned above, GUIs in v2 are very different than they were in v1 (but in a good way).   If you’re used to objects they will make a TON of sense!  Object Oriented programming just makes❗   If you’re new to Objects you should take a look at our Objects and Classes course.

😲Amazing AutoHotkey v2 GUIs Mini tutorial that tells you what you NEED to know

Easily Merge XML files

A subscriber reached out after watching this video where we demonstrate how we automated merging text files with similar headers (only keeping one header row).

Easily append text files with similar structure (only keep 1 header)

He asked if he could pay us to create a script that would do something similar but for XML files.  We took on the project but he was gracious enough to let us share the script he paid for with “the world”.  Merging XML files is a bit more complicated than data files with similar headers.  We used a COM object to shove-together the XML nodes and then saved the results for him.  You can take a look at it in action here.

💥 Merge XML files in seconds with this FREE tool! ⏰

If you’re interested in working with XML files you might check out Maestrith’s XML class.

How difficult will it be to convert my script to v2❓

Are you wondering how hard it is going to be to convert a script to AHK v2?  We created an AHK v1 script that allows you to get a “score” on how difficult it might be.  You can see how it works in this video.  The tool allows you to change the difficulty scores for the various tasks by editing an ini file.

Wanting to convert your script to v2 Here is a v1 To v2 Difficulty script

Help track where your time goes

In this video we demonstrate how we took Ryan Well’s (an AHK Hero member) script and converted it to AHK v2.  We also added the “analysis” part to the script so we didn’t need to do any work outside of the script.  I think this is a great way to keep track of where you’ve spent your time.  One could easily adapt the program to log what you’re doing so you can find things you “misplace”.

Where does your time go? Track your time with this simple v1 or v2 AHK script

📚 What we’re reading

• 🤦‍♂️ Microsoft Outlook and Teams Will Force Links to Open in Edge
• 10 Awesome Google Chrome Features You Should Be Using
• Bing Chat’s New Update Looks a Lot Like ChatGPT
• 10 Inexpensive Ways to Breathe New Life Into an Old PC
• Can’t Find the Right Menu? Google Docs Now Has a Search Bar
• This New Mini PC Is Under $350 and Has 16 GB RAM

🤖 AI / Chat GPT-3 News / Usage

• Colorize black and white & clean up photos
• 5 AI Technologies Hackers Can Use in Terrible New Ways
• Carl’s JR is using AI for taking Orders from Customers

⚡️Productivity tips  Win+ Plus sign

Use the Magnifier tool to zoom in: Press the Windows key + Plus sign to open the Magnifier tool, which zooms in on your screen. You can also customize the zoom level and other settings.

🤣 A spot of Humor Oldie but a classic.  Do you speak🐕‍🦺❓

Product Testing Institute – Models

AHK Hero 🦸‍♂️

Consider joining the 🦸‍♀️AHK Hero club! Members receive 25% off courses, consultations, tutoring, done for you project work, etc.  They also have access to exclusive & pre-released content and a 3 hours a week where we help people with their AHK issues (the Saturday call is geared towards people new to AutoHotkey.)

🗣️ 💭 Quotable quotes

• If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done — Bruce Lee
• Fact: You have just as much time as: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Thomas Jefferson & Einstein. It’s all about prioritizing & staying focused — Joe Glines
• Good leaders don’t make excuses. Instead, they figure out a way to get things done — Jocko Willink
• Live below your means. And avoid all debt — if you can’t pay cash-in-full, don’t buy it. Let your thrill be in your accomplishments, not the toys you can suddenly afford on credit. — John Carlton

⏩SHARE WITH A FRIEND⏩

Do you know someone that would benefit from learning useful automation tips like the gems in today’s issue?  Take a second and forward this newsletter and bask in the glow of their undying gratitude.  Was this email forwarded to you?

Sign up for this Newsletter here.  We never share your email with anyone.  Ever!

The-Automator

Joe, Isaias, Irfan, and staff

P.S. GUIs in v2 are amazing!  In v2 all the GUIs are objects which streamlines the code and makes them much easier to understand and use.   Save yourself some serious 💲 by purchasing the GUIs are Easy course before the flash sale ends!  Click here to get the discount or learn more about the course here.

May 5th, 2023 AutoHotkey newsletter

Howdy %Name%, Happy Star Wars day❗ (May the 4^th) You may not have thought much about it however Star Wars has some great examples where they use technology to their advantage. Throughout the Star Wars movies, we see characters using various types of technology to increase their efficiency and productivity.  One example of this is how droids are used for tasks such as translation, navigation, and repair work. By leveraging technology, characters are able to achieve their goals more quickly and effectively. So, when you’re Learning AutoHotkey, you’re practicing core principles displayed in Star Wars.🌌 In celebration of Star Wars day I’m creating a coupon that can be used on any of our AHK Courses❗ In the Star Wars universe, Order 21 was a contingency plan that allowed the Jedi to take control of the Republic in the event of a catastrophic emergency (the plan was never activated). Use StarWarsOrder21 during checkout and receive 21% off on any course we offer. This coupon code is only valid through Saturday, May Sith (I mean 6^th) Now on with the show…

Use this AutoHotkey TaskManager

We stumbled upon Fenchai’s AHK Task manager a while back.  We used it as a base and made some additional tweaks.  I love having a tool that makes it really easy for me to see the actual script (and jump to the folder).  We review our version in this video.

🅰mazing AutoHotkey Task Manager

“Fixing” SciTE4AutoHotkey for V2

If you’re like most of us you’re migrating to AHK v2 (since v1 is deprecated).  Sadly many people using the new version of SciTE4AutoHotkey (version 3.1) are having problems configuring it.  So we built a little program to help simplify the process as well as make some minor “improvements” to the SciTEUser.properties file.  You can take a look at how to use the program in this video.

🤯 SciTE4AutoHotkey broken with AHK v2? Here’s the fix❗

Automating older programs just got WAY Easier!

We released a tool last week that helped write AutoHotkey syntax for automating older Windows programs.  It’s been a huge-hit!  If you are trying to automate older programs you don’t want to miss this one!   We walk through the tool, and how to use it, in this video

🤫 Unveiling the Secret to Automate Old Unruly Windows Programs!

How Difficult will it be to convert your V1➡v2 script

If you’re thinking about converting a v1 script to v2 we now have a cool tool to help you determine how difficult it will be.  In this video we demonstrate the tool.   We weighted activities on our view however there is now an ini file where you can easily change the weights to your preferences.

Wanting to convert your script to v2 Here is a v1 To v2 Difficulty script

Intro to AutoHotkey v2

If you’re wanting to learn AutoHotkey, and start with v2, we created a short Intro to V2 here.  If you’re wanting to dive deeper, take a look out our Intro to AutoHotkey course in v2.  Don’t forget to use the Order21 discount code to save 21%.   If you click here, the discount will be applied.

Intro to AutoHotkey Version 2 | Learn to automate programs with AHK v2

Free Window Snipping Tool with OCR

If you’re running Windows 10+ this Window Snipping tool is a true gem!  I use it so many times a day it is ridiculous.   I demo it in this video.  It’s, by far, our #1 downloaded script.  BTW- We’re working on a tweak to adjust for the DPI of your monitors…

Update to Windows snipping tool with accurate built-in OCR

📚 What we’re reading

• Keeping too many tabs open on your browser can worsen your mental health
• How to Turn Your Computer Into a DLNA Media Server
• What Is Windows Hello on Windows 10 and Windows 11?
• 10 New Windows 11 Features You Should Be Using
• 7 Awesome Google Drive Features You May Not Know About
• The Nightly Habit That Keeps Marcus Lemonis Productive

The Nightly Habit That Keeps Marcus Lemonis Productive | Inc. Magazine

🤖 AI / Chat GPT-3 News / Usage

• Designer: Microsoft’s version of Canva. Demo video
• Use this Chat GPT plugin to identify profiles of people visiting your site
• 😲 The Amazing AI Super Tutor for Students and Teachers | TED Talk

The Amazing AI Super Tutor for Students and Teachers | Sal Khan | TED

⚡️Productivity tips 🧮 Use the calculator app for conversions

The calculator app in Win10+ has a conversion mode that can convert units of measurement, currency, and more. Open the calculator app and click on the “…” button to access the conversion mode.

🤣 A spot of Humor: This is priceless!

Quick Access Popup news

📢 Jean Lalonde, the author of Quick Access Popup, released version 1 of his clipboard manipulation tool AND IT’S AWESOME❗    Click here to download QCE.  Keep your eyes out for an in-depth video with us soon…

Quick Clipboard Editor – Introduction

AHK Hero 🦸‍♂️

Consider joining the 🦸‍♀️AHK Hero club! Members receive 25% off courses, consultations, tutoring, done for you project work, etc.  They also have access to exclusive & pre-released content and a 3 hours a week where we help people with their AHK issues (the Saturday call is geared towards people new to AutoHotkey.)

🗣️ 💭 Quotable quotes

• Work harder on yourself than you do on your job — Jim Rohn
• I will always hire a lazy person to do a hard job, because they will always find an easy way to do it — Bill Gates
• Ideas fade away if you don’t write them down
• It’s not how much you screw up that counts. Nope. It’s how you fix your messes that matters. — John Carlton

⏩SHARE WITH A FRIEND⏩

Do you know someone that would benefit from learning useful automation tips like the gems in today’s issue?  Take a second and forward this newsletter and bask in the glow of their undying gratitude.  Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up for this Newsletter here.  We never share your email with anyone.  Ever!

The-Automator Joe, Isaias, Irfan, and staff

P.S. Have you looked at AHK V2 yet?  It has some amazing improvements, however there definitely are some things that will trip you up!  That’s why we created our course to make the transition painless.  If you’re looking at V2 you will love it!  And remember all of our courses are “risk free” because they come with a “double your money back” guarantee!  If you use this link, you’ll be applying the Order21 discount to the v1➡v2 course. But act now as the discount will go the way of the Jedi on Saturday.