Using Autoit to teach. Next step?

[grakker]

Well, here's the deal: I work at a continuation school teaching math. I've started a programming block, just to see who I could get interested.  I'm working with students with low math skills and usually low motivation. I've had a couple of students start to really latch onto programming so it's cool. My background is bash, python, and some C. And, of course, Autoitscript.

So I've had a couple students work through scratch (mit) and learn some basics of programming, tests, loops, etc..  I was going to drop the students into python, but I thought autoit might be a better intro.  I'm just wondering what a couple tasks would be for next step and I'm looking for suggestions.

Basic tasks before gui programming. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks.

[gruntydatsun]

copy lil wayne lyrics to the clipboard then have your program replace naughty words with "dang" or such before writing it to file.

this'll cover clipget, file open, file close, file write, string in string, string reg exp replace, hotkeyset

 

a good kids exercise for arrays is to give them a text file with a thousand or so lines of text.  get them to prepend line numbers to each line

Show them FiletoArray, and arrays, for loops, filewrite

write a little program so when the mouse touches a certain app, like calc that it'll push it away from the mouse wrap across the the other side of the screen  when it hits the edge.

fun stuff for kids because learning programming is really dry at first

[Starstar]

I am not a professional teacher. but a student of autoit....

Teach them a GUI like this in which they can easily make change.

Create a GUI with background colors Title colors etc...

and then ask him to change the colors of GUI from this they learn many things easily from this automatically competition will grow.  whose GUI is looking better?

expandcollapse popup

#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>
#include <WindowsConstants.au3>
#include <process.au3>
#include <File.au3>
$COMPANY_NAME = "HM-LINK" ; name of the pppoe icon, friendly description
$COMPANY_NAMEnu = "HM-LINK 03216592390"
$SERVICE_NAME = "HM" ; name of the pppoe service configured in NAS/Mikrotik
$NUM = "03216592390"
Local $font
$timeout = 00 ;Restart TimeOut
$DELAY = 300
$Soft = "HM Log_In"
$Name = "Adnan Kashif AbdulRauf Haris"
Local $PathSc = _PathFull(@ScriptFullPath)
$frmInformation = GUICreate($COMPANY_NAME, 287, 230, 193, 115)
GUICtrlSetDefColor(0x006400)
GUICtrlSetDefBkColor(0xeee8aa)
$lblUserName = GUICtrlCreateLabel("User Name:", 16, 42, 60, 17)
$lblPassword = GUICtrlCreateLabel("Password:", 16, 83, 53, 17)
$txtUserName = GUICtrlCreateInput("", 112, 40, 153, 21)
Dim $ES_PA, $ES_AU
$txtPassword = GUICtrlCreateInput("", 112, 80, 153, 21, BitOR($ES_PA, $ES_AU))
$lblPassword2 = GUICtrlCreateLabel("Confirm Password:", 16, 122, 91, 17)
$txtPassword2 = GUICtrlCreateInput("", 112, 120, 153, 21, BitOR($ES_PA, $ES_AU))
$btnOK = GUICtrlCreateButton("&GO!", 208, 200, 68, 25, 0)
GUICtrlSetCursor($btnOK, 0)
$btnbrw = GUICtrlCreateButton("&Browse", 208, 163, 68, 25, 0)
GUICtrlSetCursor($btnbrw, 0)
$txtbrw = GUICtrlCreateInput($PathSc, 112, 164, 85, 21)
$lblbrw = GUICtrlCreateLabel("Select " & $Soft & ":", 16, 166, 90, 17)
$lblInfo = GUICtrlCreateLabel("Enter your " & $Soft & " Information!", 16, 8, 250, 20)
GUICtrlSetFont($lblInfo, 10, 800)
GUICtrlSetColor($lblInfo, 0xff0000) ; Red
$lblInfo3 = GUICtrlCreateLabel($Name, 16, 204, 186, 80)
GUICtrlSetFont($lblInfo3, 9, 800)
GUICtrlSetColor($lblInfo3, 0x9370db)
GUISetState(@SW_SHOW)
While 1
    $uMsg = GUIGetMsg()
    Switch $uMsg
        Case $btnbrw
            Local $message = "You can Choose Hm Soft Log_In only." ;See if company name change.......................................................

            Local $var = FileOpenDialog($message, @ScriptDir & "\", "Icon (*.Ico;*.exe)", 1 + 4)

            If @error Then
                MsgBox(0, $COMPANY_NAMEnu, "No Icon chosen")
            Else
                $var = StringReplace($var, "|", @CRLF)
            EndIf
            ControlSetText($COMPANY_NAME, "", "[CLASS:Edit; ID:11]", $var)
        Case $btnOK
            If GUICtrlRead($txtPassword) <> GUICtrlRead($txtPassword2) Then
                MsgBox(16, "Error " & $NUM, "Passwords do not match! Try again.")
            Else
                $Username = GUICtrlRead($txtUserName)
                If StringLen($Username) = 0 Then
                    MsgBox(64, $COMPANY_NAMEnu, "Plese Enter Your Username.")
                Else
                    $Password = GUICtrlRead($txtPassword)
                    If StringLen($Password) = 0 Then
                        MsgBox(64, $COMPANY_NAMEnu, "Plese Enter Your Passwords.")
                    Else
                        $txtbrwr = GUICtrlRead($txtbrw)
                        If StringLen($txtbrwr) = 0 Then
                            MsgBox(64, $COMPANY_NAMEnu, "Please Choose " & $Soft & ".EXE")
                        Else
                            $txtbrwr = GUICtrlRead($txtbrw)
                            If String($txtbrwr) <> ($PathSc) Then
                                MsgBox(64, $COMPANY_NAMEnu, "You Can Choose " & $Soft & ".EXE Only.")
                            Else
                                $Username = GUICtrlRead($txtUserName)
                                $Password = GUICtrlRead($txtPassword)
                                $txtbrwr = GUICtrlRead($txtbrw)
                                ExitLoop
                            EndIf
                        EndIf
                    EndIf
                EndIf
            EndIf
        Case $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE
            Exit
    EndSwitch
WEnd
GUISetState(@SW_HIDE)

Like this.......

Edited November 3, 2013 by adnanbaloch

[gruntydatsun]

Use for loops and the Beep Command to make music.  Should be able to use functions in there too to cover repeating patterns in music.  That sounds like something fun they could get competitive about.

[Starstar]

yeah from the students will not only grow competition also get fun and enjoyment..........

Edited November 3, 2013 by adnanbaloch

[grakker]

Thanks guys! I think I'll start with some basics like gruntydatson said. I know from the couple students that are getting into it that as soon as they start seeing possibilities, they will probably run off on their own. I think that's the best way to learn anyway. I just couldn't figure out how to get them over that initial hump. I'm pretty fired up for tomorrow. Thanks again.

[Starstar]

ok good luck grakker

[guinness]

Perhaps look at proper variable declaration, it's something that even people on here overlook.

[AlmarM]

Let them create a notepad. It will learn them how to use GUI, variable declaration, file writing and reading and a bit of algorithmic coding.

[singbass]

On the weekends I listen to Car Talk on public radio.  Often times they have math puzzlers and often times I just write simple scripts to solve them for my own enjoyment (how sick is that  ).

Here is something I did many years ago.

#cs ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This may have been a problem from Car Talk many years ago
    Dogs cost $5 each
    Cats cost $2 each
    Mice are 10 for $1
    How many of each will you need to get 100 animals for $100
#ce ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
$Dogs = 0
$Cats = 0
$Mice = 0
For $Dogs = 1 To 20 ;any more than 20 dogs and you would go over $100
    If (($Dogs * 5) + ($Cats * 2) + ($Mice * .1)) > 100 Or ($Dogs + $Cats + $Mice) > 100 Then
        ContinueLoop
    EndIf
    For $Cats = 1 To 50 ;any more than 50 cats and you would go over $100
        If (($Dogs * 5) + ($Cats * 2) + ($Mice * .1)) > 100 Or ($Dogs + $Cats + $Mice) > 100 Then
            $Cats = 0
            ExitLoop
        EndIf
        For $Mice = 10 To 100 Step 10 ;must buy in lots of 10 and you can't have more than 100 animals
            If (($Dogs * 5) + ($Cats * 2) + ($Mice * .1)) > 100 Or ($Dogs + $Cats + $Mice) > 100 Then
                $Mice = 0
                ExitLoop
            ElseIf (($Dogs * 5) + ($Cats * 2) + ($Mice * .1)) = 100 And ($Dogs + $Cats + $Mice = 100) Then
                MsgBox(0, "Total", $Dogs & @TAB & "Dogs" & @TAB & "$" & $Dogs * 5 & @CRLF & $Cats & @TAB & "Cats" & @TAB & "$" & $Cats * 2 & @CRLF & $Mice & @TAB & "Mice" & @TAB & "$" & $Mice * .1 & @CRLF & "-----" & @TAB & "-----" & @TAB & "-----" & @CRLF & ($Dogs + $Cats + $Mice) & @TAB & "Total" & @TAB & "$" & (($Dogs * 5) + ($Cats * 2) + ($Mice * .1)))
            EndIf
        Next
    Next
Next

[Melba23]

singbass,

 

how sick is that

On the contrary, I think solving that sort of puzzle is very useful as it requires you to think logically to develop a suitable algorithm. This sort of logical thought is needed in any form of coding and, based on some of the questions asked here, it all too often seems to be missing or poorly developed.

M23