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Hello, there was a discussion in the German AutoIt forum about false positive messages from virus scanners for compiled exe files. Therefore we did some tests and found out that a3x files do not trigger a relevant virus message and your AutoIt3.exe is apparently also known to the manufacturers, since none of the manufacturers are responding. For this reason, I have written a small AutoIt installer that only enables a3x support for users. The AutoIt3.exe is copied into the original directory, including the icon, so that the files are simply overwritten in the same place during a possible full installation. The registry entries have also been copied from the installation. After installation you can use a3x files as well as “normal” exe files. The only difference is that there are no false positive messages (hopefully). Advantages: - no more “false-positive” messages (mostly ^^) AutoIt3.exe is submitted to the anti-virus software manufacturers when it is updated and included in the exception list of the scanners and therefore does not generate false positive messages - small script for distribution the own script is significantly smaller as it does not require the included wrapper this makes distribution, updates etc. easier - binary script the script is encoded as an a3x file and cannot be read by “normal” means. (decompiling is not the point of discussion here, as reverse engineering is almost always possible) The script contains all necessary files and currently the AutoIt3.exe in version 3.3.16.1. Since the script is a bit longer due to the inserted files, I only provide it here as a zip file. As always, suggestions, wishes, praise, criticism and constructive criticism are absolutely welcome. Due to the limitations I can neither upload the script nor the files as 7z here. Therefore I link to the thread in the German forum. The file is attached to the first entry as a3xInstaller.zip ==> Thread in german Forum @JosI have noticed that there is still no rudimentary support for the use of 64-bit a3x files, and that the 32-bit wrapper is also used due to the fact that they are also called “a3x”. I would suggest to introduce a filetype like “a3x64”, and then link it to the 64-bit wrapper (AutoIt3_x64.exe) in the registry.

Au3toCmd --- Avoid false virus positives Since many virus scanners sometimes prevent a "compiled autoit EXE" from being executed as "false positive", the "*.A3X" format is a suitable format to avoid this problem. See here for more information. In order to simplify this procedure, I wrote the Au3toCmd script. Here a *.Cmd file is generated from a *.Au3 file. The necessary files Autoit3.exe and *.A3x are added to the "*.Cmd" file as "alternate data streams" "Base64" encoded data. Now the Autoit Script can be called by clicking on the cmd file and the anti-virus scanners do not recognize the "false positive". If the short-term flashing of the CMD window bothers you, you can click the desktop shutcut that runs in a minimized window. Unfortunately, because the "alternate data streams", this CMD file cannot be distributed via FTP or email. Only a USB sti ck or removable disk formatted with NTFS can be used. As the new version now uses Base64 data instead of ADS, this statement is out of date. For reasons of compatibility, the old version was sunk into the spoiler here. The script can be called with a file name of an AU3 script as a parameter. If no name is entered, a query is made. For more information, see the header of the script. Suggestions, improvements and bug reports are welcome. Here the versions using base64 data Version: 2022.05.12 (Support blanks in pathnames) Version: 2022.06.23 (Support release candidates. Changed @CrLf to @Lf. Annual cleaning. Optimized #AutoIt3Wrapper handling) Version: 2022.07.22 (Support scripts with the same name but different content in different directories) Version: 2022.07.27 (Support blanks in usernames) Au3toCmd.au3 Version: 2022.09.01 (Optimized annual cleaning) Au3toCmd.au3

(If translated with a translator, it may be written a little awkwardly. I would be grateful if you could understand my situation) As mentioned in the title, the icon file, which was applied well when compiled with exe, does not apply when compiled with a3x, and is displayed as the default autoit icon. #AutoIt3Wrapper_Icon=icon.ico I specified the icon file at the top, but why can't it be applied? Is there any way to compile with a3x including icons?

Local $sAxName Local $oMSComm $sAxName = "MSCOMMLib.MSComm.1" $oMSComm = ObjCreate($sAxName) MsgBox(0, Default, StringFormat("Name: %s, Obj %d, Err %d", $sAxName, IsObj($oMSComm), @error)) I'm talking to serial ports (for Arduino) using the MSComm object. It all runs fine from SciTE or .exe. If I compile to .a3x the object is not created. I could manage without .a3x but I like it because it compiles faster.

Hi all, What is A3X output type in compile window ?. What is the speciality of that type ?. I can't find it in help file.

A3X Script Extract With newer versions of AutoIT (v3.3.10.0+), the compiled script is no longer appended to files as an overlay, and instead is embedded as a binary resource. This leads my previous AutoIt-script detection UDF lacking. However, since that UDF (>PE File Overlay Extraction) was targeted towards overlays in general, its still a worthwhile tool to have. This UDF on the other hand is pretty specific - it lets you detect and optionally extract A3X scripts from a compiled executable. The method is rather straightforward - it looks for a resource type of RT_RCDATA with a resource name of "SCRIPT", and then extracts the binary, testing for the A3X signature along the way. The main UDF has two functions: _FileContainsScriptResource() _FileContainsA3XScript() The first of these functions is there only for checking if a resource with "SCRIPT" exists. Its main purpose is to report on possible embedded scripts. I made this a separate function primarily because of issues with compressed executables. Tools like UPX and MPRESS can compress the resources as well as the rest of the executable, so any detection of the A3X signature will fail in those circumstances. (Note that UPX and MPRESS don't compress overlay data, which is why the older Overlay-Extraction A3X-detection worked regardless) The second function will both check for and optionally return the A3X script resource as binary. It also does a signature check for verification. Anyway, here's an example of its usage. The main UDF is attached below. #include <_FileContainsA3XScript.au3> ; ======================================================================================================== ; <A3XScriptExtract.au3> ; ; Example of detecting AutoIt Scripts embedded as binary resources (in AutoIt v3.3.10.0+ exe's), and ; extracting them to .A3X files. ; ; This script can be invoked in interactive or command-line mode. ; Passing an executable as a parameter will extract an A3X resource, writing it out to ; an A3X file with the same base name as the executable. ; ; Uses <_FileContainsA3XScript.au3> functions ; ; Author: Ascend4nt ; ======================================================================================================== ; ---------------------- MAIN CODE ------------------------------- Local $sFile, $sLastDir, $sLastFile, $binA3X, $iErr, $nA3XSize ; Command-line parameter received? Simply do a direct A3X extraction If $CmdLine[0] Then $sFile = $CmdLine[1] If Not FileExists($sFile) Then Exit 1 $binA3X = _FileContainsA3XScript($sFile, True) If @error Then Exit @error $nA3XSize = @extended Local $nExt = StringInStr($sFile, '.', 0, -1) If $nExt Then $sFile = StringLeft($sFile, $nExt - 1) EndIf $sFile &= '.a3x' Exit Not FileWrite($sFile, $binA3X) EndIf ; No command-line parameters, query the user in interactive mode $sLastDir = @ScriptDir While 1 $sFile=FileOpenDialog("Select PE File To Look for Embedded A3X scripts In",$sLastDir,"PE Files (*.exe;*.dll;*.scr)|All Files (*.*)",3,$sLastFile) If @error Or $sFile="" Then Exit $sLastFile = StringMid($sFile, StringInStr($sFile, '\', 1, -1) + 1) $sLastDir = StringLeft($sFile, StringInStr($sFile, '\', 1, -1) - 1) ; Resource 'Script' check $bScriptResourceFound = _FileContainsScriptResource($sFile) ConsoleWrite("_FileContainsScriptResource() return: " & $bScriptResourceFound & ", @error = " & @error & ", @extended = " & @extended & @CRLF) ; Actual A3X script resource check. True to return the A3X script as binary $binA3X = _FileContainsA3XScript($sFile, True) $iErr = @error $nA3XSize = @extended ; No A3X script found? If $iErr Or $nA3XSize = 0 Then ConsoleWrite("Failed Return from _FileContainsA3XScript(), @error = " & $iErr & ", @extended = " & $nA3XSize & @CRLF) MsgBox(64, "No AutoIt A3X script resource Found", "AutoIt A3X script resource not Found!" & @CRLF & _ ($bScriptResourceFound ? "However, *A* script resource was found" : "No 'Script' resource found either") & @CRLF & _ "for '" & $sLastFile & "'") ContinueLoop EndIf ConsoleWrite("_FileContainsA3XScript() return type: " & VarGetType($binA3X) & ", value = " & (IsBinary($binA3X) ? "[A3X_Binary]" : $binA3X) & @CRLF) ConsoleWrite(@TAB & "@error = " & $iErr & ", @extended = " & $nA3XSize & @CRLF) Local $hFileOut = -1, $sOutFile, $iMsgBox, $bSuccess = 0 $iMsgBox = MsgBox(35, "A3X script resource found in " & $sLastFile, "A3X script resource found. File size: " & FileGetSize($sLastFile) & _ ", A3X script size: " & $nA3XSize & @CRLF & @CRLF & _ "Would you like to Extract and save A3X file?") If $iMsgBox = 6 Then ;~ If $nA3XSize > 134217728 Then ;~ MsgBox(48, "A3X script is too huge", "A3X script size is > 128MB, skipping..") ;~ ContinueLoop ;~ EndIf $sOutFile = FileSaveDialog("A3X script - SAVE: Choose a file to write A3X script data to (from " & $sLastFile&")", _ $sLastDir, "AutoIt Compiled Sript (*.a3x)|All (*.*)", 2 + 16) If @error Then ContinueLoop ; Simple check for extension - if none, add .a3x If StringInStr($sOutFile, '.') = 0 Then $sOutFile &= ".a3x" ; Else $hFileOut = FileOpen($sOutFile, 16 + 2) If $hFileOut <> - 1 Then $bSuccess = FileWrite($hFileOut, $binA3X) FileClose($hFileOut) EndIf Else ContinueLoop EndIf If $bSuccess Then ShellExecute(StringLeft($sOutFile,StringInStr($sOutFile,'\',1,-1)-1)) Else MsgBox(64, "Error Opening or writing to file", "Error opening, reading, or saving A3X file") EndIf WEnd Exit _FileContainsA3XScript.au3 *edit: Modified example: Now alternatively accepts a command-line parameter for automated script extraction