SQLDave

Just getting started with AutoIT. I've noticed that with a Ctrl-Alt-X HotKeySet (where "X" is any key), it only seems to work when I use the left Ctrl-Alt keys and not the right ones. Like: hotkeyset("^!k","_Test") I don't seem to have that problem with Shift-Alt-X, but I do with Shift-Ctrl-X. and Ctrl-X I'm guessing there's something special about he Ctrl Key? What amazingly obvious think am I missing? Thanks again for helping me get going. Edit: More experimentation shows a definite difference between the right and left Ctrl keys. This: HotKeySet("^{F11}", "_TestFunc") (where _TestFunc() is simply SEND("Some Test String")) Always works with left-ctrl-F11. With right-ctrl-F11, it only sends part of the string, always the end (usually about the last 2-5 characters). Also, it leaves my Ctrl key in a down state (I can tell because when I go to a browser window and mouse-scroll up/down, the browser window's zoom % changes). That state remains unchanged until I press the LEFT Ctrl key. Finally, with right-ctrl-F11 I get a "ding", which who knows where THAT is coming from. That all seems really weird, but maybe not for anyone who knows this stuff well. EDIT2: Turns out the shift keys are affected by the "stickiness", but only sometimes. It seems that if the function uses AutoITSetOption("SendKeyDelay",100) to slow down the simulated key pressings, the shift key remains down (again, provable by left-clicking in 2 places in a Notepad file.. the text between those 2 places is highlighted, as happens when one shift-clicks). At this point, I really hope I'm doing something very wrong, or that my hardware has some kind of anomaly which needs some special setting change to address... otherwise I'm rather disappointed so far in AutoIT. I'm confident enough that I'm doing something wrong to keep plugging away for now, however. Meantime: Hello? Any input from anyone? 40+ reads and no reply? C'mon.. help a newbie brother out LOL HotKeySet("+{F9}", "_TestFunc")

Melba (love your toast, by the way), Thanks for the quick response. I was "afraid" that might be your answer. So, basically, my computer is going to be running that infinite loop all the time? That seems.... I dunno... messy... primitive... not sure what word to use. The example I saw in the Help area use Sleep(100), but I guess it depends on how responsive I need AutoIT to be , maybe? I had to abandon AutoHotKey due to corporate rules, and AutoIT was the "approved" macro application.

Quick background: I was recently forced to switch from AutoHotKey to AutoIT. After an initial once-over, it looks like the coding/scripting in AutoIT is more robust and intuitive, so I'm actually looking forward to it. I'm a 35-year IT veteran, mostly in development areas, so the coding/scripting arena is no big deal. What I can't yet seem to grasp is... how to "start". Specifically, how to replicate the setup I had in AutoHotKey: I had an AHK script file of hotkey definitions. That file would run at Windows startup, so that no matter what app I was in, if I needed to "type" a given string, I simply hit the hotkey as defined in that script. ("F11" is my user ID because our apps have very short timeouts so I am constantly having to re-enter it). Simple, right? Well, if someone can fill in the missing info for me, I'll be glad to accept a figurative dope-slap (I might even administer it to myself). (HotKeySet() seems to be a key player in what I want to do, but that's as far as I've gotten) Thanks!