A cross-platform implementation of the AutoIt language

[TheDcoder]

Hello everyone, it has been a while since I have been involved in a serious AutoIt-related project discussion in the forums here, so it feels good to be back at it

First a little backstory, a few months back (or a year ago) I made the switch to Linux from Windows... there were several reasons as to why I was motivated to do it, but the main things was Windows 10 was getting out of hand, it didn't offer enough freedom out of the box (restrictive settings, greedy defaults etc.) and had several issues with all kinds of software, many of them mysteriously hard to fix.

I did have Linux installed as my secondary operating system for few years at that point and I began to see me regularly use it more than Windows, so one day I went ahead and said "fork it", I have stuck to Linux from that point on as my primary operating system.

Windows is still installed in my computer and I also have a virtual machine with the latest version of Windows 10 on it, primarily because I still use Windows to write software using AutoIt as part of my job (freelance).

I was pretty sad about the fact that I could no longer use AutoIt to make stuff for myself (since it doesn't run on Linux), I missed sharing code with the community here, this was a great hobby for me as AutoIt is what got me start with programming (even though I had tried several times to get into other languages before, those attempts were never as successful as what I have done in AutoIt).

In Linux there is no language which is similar to AutoIt unfortunately, there are a few things which come close but are not on par with AutoIt's ease of use. As some of you may know, I have recently started working on other projects using the C language, it is a great step I have taken and I am learning a lot... but it is still not easy to create quick scripts or programs in C, due to the amount of configuration and dedication it takes to make a C program, also it is not ideal for sharing as multiple source files are involved. And on top of that you still have to deal with platform-specific APIs since C is a low-level language.

(Getting back to core of this topic's subject)

To solve this issue and to sharpen my programming skills, I could start working on an alternate cross-platform implementation of the AutoIt language which should be backwards compatible with the current AutoIt v3 on C

The primary aim in the beginning is to implement all the basic functions (File, String, Numbers etc.)  in AutoIt so that it is possible to make basic and fundamental scripts which would work in both Windows and Linux

The main features would be:

1. Cross-platform (Linux and Windows with the possibility supporting of Mac)
2. Backward compatible with AutoIt 3
3. Byte-code based interpreter instead of source interpreter
4. Easy to use (just like the current AutoIt)

The advantage of having a byte-code based interpreter is that it makes the interpreter lighter and faster since it doesn't have to deal with parsing the source code, this would also open the door for some compile time optimizations... another bonus thing for those who don't like their source code present inside the compiler binaries is that it should be impossible to get hands on the original source code, this of course does not mean that decompilation can be stopped... it merely means that anyone decompiling would have to reconstruct the code from the byte-code.

 

We can later on implement GUI related functions and maybe even automation related functions if the project gets enough traction

I am adding a poll to keep track of people who are willing to invest in this project or would like to see it come into existence. Welcome any comments, suggestions etc.

Obviously I will have a lot to learn and my work might interfere with this at times, but with enough interest I can see myself working on this to deliver a very basic prototype which could be used with basic scripts.

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by TheDcoder

[Exit]

It's 4 days too late for an april joke.

[TheDcoder]

@Exit I suppose you can make an april fool joke at any day in april if you are brave enough

[Earthshine]

see if you can port the code that exists.

[TheDcoder]

  On 4/5/2019 at 5:04 PM, Earthshine said:

see if you can port the code that exists.

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None exists as far as I am aware... except maybe the very old version from which AHK was forked from.

[Earthshine]

it must exist dude, Jos and Friends work on it.... is Jon willing to let you port it? there would be libraries and stuff that would also need porting. otherwise i would not want you to spend your valuable time on it. .NET already runs perfectly on Mono, any language you like.

the editor work Jos does would also need to be ported to the Scite linux version I would imagine... TONS and TONS of work.

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by Earthshine

[TheDcoder]

AutoIt is closed source and Jos is part of the AutoIt Team, I doubt Jon would give me access to the code to port it... and I imagine it would be very hard to port the existing codebase.

What I want to do is port the bare minium first as I have mentioned, we can take things from there.

[BrewManNH]

Doesn't WINE let you use it, or at least some of AutoIt?

[Earthshine]

it's written in C or C++ most likely, right? how hard can it be.... lol, you're a C/C++ dude now after all. 🙂

anyway, there are a bunch of good tools for Linux automation

https://www.linuxtechi.com/top-7-tools-automate-linux-admin-task/

 

as well as python of course, always

Edited April 5, 2019 by Earthshine

[Xandy]

I thought Unix had a shell scripting language.  I used in Tech school about 20 years ago.  That seemed like AutoIt for Unix.

Edit: I almost completely forget the name of what I am talking about.

Edited April 5, 2019 by Xandy

[TheDcoder]

  On 4/5/2019 at 5:18 PM, BrewManNH said:

Doesn't WINE let you use it, or at least some of AutoIt? 

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Yes, it does, however using it is not ideal... a native program will be heaps better and would be favoured by users who actually want to release a proper linux binary of their script

  On 4/5/2019 at 5:19 PM, Earthshine said:

it's written in C or C++ most likely, right? how hard can it be.... lol

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It is written in C++ (I am planning to do it in C), you are more than welcome to work on the code if you think it is easy

  On 4/5/2019 at 5:19 PM, Earthshine said:

anyway, there are a bunch of good tools for Linux automation

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Right, but AutoIt is more than an automation tool... I never really used it for automation since the beginning, it is a great programming language above all for me!

[BrewManNH]

  On 4/5/2019 at 5:23 PM, TheDcoder said:

I never really used it for automation since the beginning

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Same here. I only go back to the automation part when I need a quick way to do something I'm too lazy to do for myself.

 

[TheDcoder]

@Xandy You might be talking about the bash scripting language, it is indeed a programming language which works with the popular bash shell. It is not really as graceful as AutoIt though...

[iamtheky]

  On 4/5/2019 at 2:57 PM, TheDcoder said:

In Linux there is no language which is similar to AutoIt unfortunately,

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thats a tad myopic

 

what about ruby

https://smthngsmwhr.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/gentle-introduction-to-routine-tasks-automation-with-ruby/

 

or python

https://automatetheboringstuff.com/

 

or powershell

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/install/installing-powershell-core-on-linux?view=powershell-6

 

Using autoit to run cmd to run bash to run the ruby 'puts' command to evaluate a regular expression, graceful like an elephant.

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by iamtheky

[TheDcoder]

@iamtheky While we are at it, lets not forget about the other languages which are also usable for automation... bash scripting seems to be the popular choice. You can even use NodeJS and JavaScript!

That is not the point, as I have mentioned automation is not the primary goal... but rather the AutoIt language itself, there is no language which is as simple and self-contained as AutoIt on Linux... Sure, there are languages which are usable and maybe even better suited for making programs, but none of them has AutoIt's syntax and the approach towards programming, I believe this is what attracted me towards AutoIt

  On 4/5/2019 at 11:39 PM, iamtheky said:

thats a tad myopic 

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I have myopia, but I have my glasses which allow me to clearly see what I am searching for... and those are not rose-tinted by the way

[TheSaint]

Come on folks, where is your heart, don't be so outright discouraging with your voting.

Why so negative?

Everything starts with a dream, and not all dreams come true, but allow him that one in a million chance ... you know you really want it. 

Truth or reality is often stranger than fiction.

Anyway, a good experiment for the lad, and a wonderful journey .... sure to learn a thing or three.

It's not like he is going to mortgage his house in this endeavor.

Edited April 6, 2019 by TheSaint

[Earthshine]

I voted no because it’s a waste of time when he could be learning python a ruby or any number of languages that will run cross platform. Why reinvent the wheel? and there’s a lot of stuff in auto IT that’s not applicable to Linux. There is a plethora of programming and automation tools already

Edited April 6, 2019 by Earthshine

[TheDcoder]

@Earthshine I have already tried a good amount of those new languages, I don't want to deal with their own intricacies while using the language... each and every one of one them tries to be more than a simple programming language, I personally prefer to stick with simpler and more independent languages as you can see.

I can go by just using AutoIt or C, I don't have a need for other languages at the moment.

  On 4/6/2019 at 9:32 AM, Earthshine said:

Why reinvent the wheel?

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There is no language which is simpler to use than AutoIt in Linux... both syntax-wise and usability-wise. AutoIt is just a single executable and will happily work without any dependencies, that is what makes me love it

  On 4/6/2019 at 9:32 AM, Earthshine said:

there’s a lot of stuff in auto IT that’s not applicable to Linux.

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That is true in a sense if you are only using it for automation, but there are many here who also use it as a programming tool which barely touches automation.

[TheSaint]

@Earthshine - I don't think you are appreciating why he wants to do it, and the likely benefits to him at least.

Since when do smart people just accept the current status quo?

Life is a journey and about pushing boundaries and learning while growing.

It's not like he isn't aware of those other options etc.

Edited April 6, 2019 by TheSaint

[Earthshine]

Look if you want to do it then what’s stopping you? It’s not my vote you asked for my opinion and I gave it but if you want to do it then don’t let any of us stop you