An embarassingly simple script

[Jabberwhacky]

All I'd like to do is have CTRL+Spacebar be sent every 10 seconds for as long as the script runs (anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours). I have no experience with AutoIt and just cobbled together this script from fishing around in the Help section. I'm putting it here so you can get a good laugh and then take pity on me and show me how it should be.

$i = 0
While $i <= -1
    Send("^{SPACE}")
    Sleep(10000) ;ten seconds
    $i = $i + 1
WEnd

[evilertoaster]

You loop fails right off- you have

while $i<-1

but $i is 0 which is greater than -1. There are several ways to make an infinite loop-

While 1
    Send("^{SPACE}")
    Sleep(10000) ;ten seconds
WEnd

is my favorite. Which says- "while 1 is true, do the loop" since 1 is that same thing as true for logic tests, this works.

[sandman]

The logic seemed kind of weird to me at first... how can 1 be true, or not true? Or does it just mean While 1 is 1?

[Jabberwhacky]

You loop fails right off- you have

while $i<-1

but $i is 0 which is greater than -1. There are several ways to make an infinite loop-

While 1
    Send("^{SPACE}")
    Sleep(10000) ;ten seconds
WEnd

is my favorite. Which says- "while 1 is true, do the loop" since 1 is that same thing as true for logic tests, this works.

Figures that I don't get past the first line before making a mistake. I just tried your script and it's not registering in my program; could it be that the commands are going too "fast" and it would work to make it hold CTRL and space for half a second or so? I swapped out ^{SPACE} for "a" and it did in fact put a in this chatbox every 10 seconds, so the script itself is sound.

[loki1982]

The logic seemed kind of weird to me at first... how can 1 be true, or not true? Or does it just mean While 1 is 1?

If i remember correctly there are three "states" in conditions for most programming. True, false, and nil. Any value will equate to true except 0. 0 equates to false, and in most languages you ahve to specify nil to equal nil. I might be off, but this is what I think i remember from my earlier studies ; /

So "While 1" just basically says this is true keep doing the loop.

[evilertoaster]

I just tried your script and it's not registering in my program; could it be that the commands are going too "fast" and it would work to make it hold CTRL and space for half a second or so? I swapped out ^{SPACE} for "a" and it did in fact put a in this chatbox every 10 seconds, so the script itself is sound.

well if it takes the 'a' it should send the ctrl+space ok also. What does ctrl+space do in teh chatbox? new line?

The logic seemed kind of weird to me at first... how can 1 be true, or not true? Or does it just mean While 1 is 1?

per help file-

Conditions are evaluated as true (non-zero) or false (zero).

So saying while {condition} would interally be like saying while {somthing=somthing} which evaluates to true... just like the number 1 and any other non-zero value

If i remember correctly there are three "states" in conditions for most programming. True, false, and nil. Any value will equate to true except 0. 0 equates to false, and in most languages you ahve to specify nil to equal nil. I might be off, but this is what I think i remember from my earlier studies ; /

So "While 1" just basically says this is true keep doing the loop.

humm well maybe, i always only think of two states...either it's true or it's not

what the language inturprits to be true can vary...

[Jabberwhacky]

CTRL+Space doesn't seem to do anything in the chat box. I added in some code to try and delay the keypresses, but it still isn't working. ^ is the right key for Control, right?

While 1
    Send("{^ down}")
    Sleep(500)
    Send("{SPACE down}")
    Sleep(300)
    Send("{^ up}")
    Send("{SPACE down}")
    Sleep(10000)
WEnd

[enaiman]

CTRL+Space doesn't seem to do anything in the chat box. I added in some code to try and delay the keypresses, but it still isn't working. ^ is the right key for Control, right?

Right

... But ... are you sure you send something to that window?

Send will send stuff to the active window - so - is you window active at the time? Maybe you should add a WinActivate("your app title here") before sending anything.

Edited July 20, 2007 by enaiman

[Jabberwhacky]

Right

... But ... are you sure you send something to that window?

Send will send stuff to the active window - so - is you window active at the time? Maybe you should add a WinActivate("your app title here") before sending anything.

Good call. I went back to my trusty "Send a" script and opened up the chat line in the game and just waited; no "a" was ever pressed. The game is already maximized, it seems to be the "active" application. Where would I find the proper name for the app? I tried using the name shown in the Application List of Windows Task Manager and it didn't do anything.