AutoHotkey is a free, open source macro-creation and automation software utility that allows users to automate repetitive tasks. It is driven by a custom scripting language that is aimed specifically at providing keyboard shortcuts, otherwise known as hotkeys.
AutoHotkey_L started as a fork of AutoHotkey but has been the main branch for some time.
AutoHotkey_L is developed with Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Express, which is a free download from Microsoft.
- Get the source code.
- Open AutoHotkeyx.sln in VC++ 2010 Express.
- Select the appropriate Build and Platform.
- Build.
Windows 7.1 SDK may be required for x64 builds. Installing the SDK compilers and Visual Studio 2010 SP1 together can prove difficult; see KB2519277 for the solution.
Visual Studio 2010 or MSBuild in the Windows 7.1 SDK (with Visual C++ 2010 compilers installed) should also work.
Visual Studio 2013 will work if the Platform Toolset is changed in the project settings, but does not support Windows XP SP2 or earlier.
AutoHotkeyx.vcxproj contains several combinations of build configurations. The main configurations are:
- Debug: AutoHotkey.exe in debug mode.
- Release: AutoHotkey.exe for general use.
- Self-contained: AutoHotkeySC.bin, used for compiled scripts.
Secondary configurations are:
- (mbcs): ANSI (multi-byte character set). Configurations without this suffix are Unicode.
- (minimal): Alternative project settings for producing a smaller binary, possibly with lower performance and added dependencies.
AutoHotkeyx.vcxproj includes the following Platforms:
- Win32: for Windows 32-bit.
- x64: for Windows x64.
Visual C++ 2010 officially supports XP SP2 and later. AutoHotkey_L supports Windows XP pre-SP2 and Windows 2000 via an asm patch (win2kcompat.asm). Older versions are not supported.