Worldsong

Dummy's Guide to AutoHotKey

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:38:00 -0500

How did I live without this?

Ever had a program or job that required pressing six keys every time to accomplish one thing? AutoHotKey is the answer! This well-known free utility lets you sets up “macros” - you hit one key, and it generates all those six key strokes for you. (Mouse clicks are also supported).

Notice though that I didn’t say “easily lets you set up…”. AutoHotKey is incredibly powerful - you can automate anything with it - and unfortunately the documentation is targeted at PhD’s wanting to control nuclear power stations with a Dvorak keyboard and a joystick. So, here is a quick guide for the rest of us!

How It Works

Firstly you download and install the AutoHotKey utility, which runs in the background (you never directly interact with the program, which I found disconcerting at first).

Then you set up AutoHotKey scripts for your macros. These are just text files with some instructions in them. You give these an extension of .ahk, and when you want to run one, you doubleclick on it, AutoHotKey fires it up in the background, and a icon for it appears in your system tray (hovering over it shows the name of the script). You can compile these into .exe’s (see below).

Writing Scripts

Your script starts with you identifying the key(s) and/or mouseclicks that will trigger the macro. Basically you put the name of the key (see the full list of key names here), followed by ”::”. The following would trigger your script whenever you hit the Enter key:

Enter::

To show that the key is hit together with Ctrl, or Alt, Shift, or the Windows key, prefix it with one or more of these symbols:

    ^ Ctrl
    !   Alt
    + Shift
    # Windows key

Now start a new line (just for clarity, you could put this in one line). Use the Send command to specify what keystrokes/mouseclicks your macro must generate. Here is a simple script, where Control+Alt+S becomes a hotkey to type a signature (ensure that a window such as an editor or draft e-mail message is active before pressing the hotkey). Here all the characters are sent literally except {Enter}, which simulates a press of the Enter key:

    ^!s::
    Send Sincerely,{Enter}John Smith
    return

This Send command would be the same as hitting a Control+C followed by an Alt+Tab followed by the string “pasted:” followed by a Control+V:

Send Send ^c!{tab}pasted:^v

Slowing things down

Sometimes sending all your keystrokes one after the other instantly can go too quickly for Windows, especially if one of them is to open a dialogue box, which will take a fraction of a second to come up. In this case, send your keys separately, separated by Sleep commands to put tiny pauses inbetween. This script is triggered by clicking the right mouse button while holding down the Shift key, and generates the keystrokes to open an Insert dialogue box, paste in the contents of the clipboard, tab to the “ok” button, and press Enter:

    +LButton::
    Send +{Insert}
    Sleep 300
    Send ^V
    Sleep 100
    Send {Tab}
    Sleep 100
    Send {Enter}
    return

Compiling scripts into .exe files

To compile a script into a .exe file, simply right-click on the .ahk file in Windows Explorer, and choose the “Compile Script” option in the context menu that appears. You can now put the .exe file in your Startup folder if you choose so that it will automatically start when you fire up Windows.

Happy automating!

This is only a minute fraction of what you can do with AutoHotKey scripts…

See the documentation on the site for more.

Wonderful evening giving out all gifts to the children in our...

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:20:00 -0500

Wonderful evening giving out all gifts to the children in our Concordia Kids Church

With the boys at Carols by Candlelight

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:55:00 -0500

With the boys at Carols by Candlelight

"A Dent in the Universe"

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:30:00 -0500

Enjoyed a really interesting evening discussing life with Seton Bailey from F.I.L.M and Robert, Chris and Sabrina from the ITU in Geneva.

My first "Idea Workshop"

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:00:00 -0500

I’m running my first “Idea Workshop” for the Bandwidth Barn.

Over the next three days I will be teaching aspirant entrepreneurs how to find a great idea, refine it, and take it further. Looking forward to sharing the magic!

What I'm Watching: "Super 8"

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:38:00 -0500

A bunch of kids in a small town in the 70’s set out to shoot a movie about zombies on Super 8 film - and end up uncovering something far more frightening…

With superb storytelling from writer/director JJ Abrams, the genius behind series like Lost, and great cinematography and performances by the young cast, this film holds your attention from start to finish (and don’t miss the closing credits!).

Watching the extra “The Dream Behind Super 8” was also very interesting: JJ Abrams talks about the Super 8 movies that he shot as a kid, as did the director of photography who was a neighbour friend, and how this led to them getting to know Steven Spielberg (who produced the movie) through his passion as well for making Super 8 shorts, and how the story evolved. Fascinating…

Postscript: Want to create your own spectacular action sequences? Check out this iPhone app from JJ Abrams’ production company Bad Robot…

Celebrating Christmas at our Carol Service, made more wonderful...

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:24:00 -0500

Celebrating Christmas at our Carol Service, made more wonderful by having lots of the kids from our Concordia Kids Church there as well (thanks to The Rock church and the Plett Christian School for lending us their buses).

Enjoying the foam with the kids at our Sunday School end-of-year...

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 08:09:37 -0500

Enjoying the foam with the kids at our Sunday School end-of-year “foam party”

What I'm Listening To: "Joyous Celebration"

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:16:00 -0500

I heard this in a coffee shop in Cape Town and was blown away by the sheer jubilation of this South African gospel music:

I was intrigued to discover that “the Joyous concept has always been enigmatic to a lot of people because of its format. We have been referred to as a Gospel group or Gospel Choir. We prefer to be referred to as a Gospel Project or a Gospel Concept. The reason being that, the crew changes at least every two years.

The concept is basically created in such a way that performers are selected through an intense auditioning process, after which they attend music workshops. During these workshops they learn skills such as songwriting to performance. We then rehearse a repertoire for about two months. After that the crew is on the road for the whole year. Performers always sign a 1 year contract to be in the Project, although there will be some performers that will be with Joyous celebration for more than a year”.

A wonderful “concept” - and one that has proved very successful - many of their recordings have gone platinum!

Get a taste of their music and vibe on the Joyous Celebration site…

I'm at Cape Town Entrepreneurship Week

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

I’m exhibiting at Cape Town Entrepreneurship Week this week, if you’re around please drop in and say hello.

What I'm Reading: "Little Brother"

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

I’ve just finished reading Cory Doctorow’s novel “Little Brother”, which was an interesting experience for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it’s a great story. In the aftermath of a 9/11 type attack on San Franciso the the Department of Homeland Security institutes draconian measures for spying on American citizens, using technology to track their every movement and detaining people on the slightest pretext. The “Little Brother”, a tech-savvy high school student and his friends, fight back against “Big Brother”, using encrypted communications over the Internet to rally support (see this video on how protesters in Iran use technology to communicate). The book contains extensive appendices on encryption technology and resources.

Secondly, I read the entire book on my iPhone. I think that ebooks are going to be the way we read most books in the future, and the EPUB standard for ebooks is going to be increasing important, especially now that the new EPUB3 standard addresses many of the deficiencies of the previous version.

Thirdly, I read this book for free - as Cory Doctorow, a seminal contemporary science fiction writer and thinker, has made all of his works available for free in their ebook versions. In a fascinating introduction to the book he argues, correctly I believe, that “For me - for pretty much every writer- the big problem isn’t piracy, it’s obscurity” and “If you’re not making art with the intention of having it copied, you’re not really making art for the twenty-first century”.

Worshipping

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 09:54:00 -0500

Worshipping

What I'm Watching: "How To Make It In America"

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Two young guys and their friends trying to make it in New York - not family viewing, but very stylish (check the credits sequence), stunning footage of New York, and sublimely funny - especially the incomparable Luis Guzman …

… How To Make It In America is one of the best series I’ve watched in a while.

What I'm Watching: "Downton Abbey"

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Gripping story of a large English estate, both family and servants, on the eve of the First World War, Downton Abbey is superbly acted and filmed. Cannot wait to see the next season…

Watching a Bible story with the kids on a Wednesday evening at...

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Watching a Bible story with the kids on a Wednesday evening at our kids church.

Holy Spirit Weekend

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

We’ve been running an Alpha Course for teenagers at our church, and this weekend we all went away for the Holy Spirit weekend.

We had a great time braaiing, worshiping together, playing games, making banners…

…and getting to know the very friendly reindeer on the farm!

A cold day at our kids church

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

It was freezing when we arrived this afternoon at our kids church in the township - and not a kid to be seen anywhere…

…but soon enough kids started straggling in, and we had a great evening singing, listening to a Bible story, and colouring in…

…and had get the teenagers to go home at the end, after we’d fed everyone!

Back at the Barn!

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

I’m back in Cape Town working with my favourite client, the Bandwidth Barn, a great incubator for startups. I spend a few days a month with them helping their startups to create successful strategies.

I will see a number of people a day…

…usually only leaving late in the evening, after a fascinating day of interesting work with wonderful people.

Bliss - in Cape Town on business, and found time to pop into...

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Bliss - in Cape Town on business, and found time to pop into Cavendish Square and spend some time browsing in Exclusive Books.

We took the older kids from our Greenfields Kids Church to the...

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

We took the older kids from our Greenfields Kids Church to the beach this afternoon for a holiday treat. A good time was had by all!