In my earlier article Infrastructure Automation Primer, I talked about a scripting language called AutoIt. It is definitely my scripting language of choice. Not only is it extremely easy to learn, especially if your are familiar with other languages such as Visual Basic or vbscript, it is also able to compile to an executable. With no DLL requirements, this means that it is very easy to create a script or program that will run on any system without the need to install other applications on the system (Can you say "USB drive"? I knew your could!)
It also comes with its own custom development tool, SciTE4AutoIt3. The power that SciTE4AutoIt3 brings to AutoIt truly makes development quick and easy.
The other nice thing about AutoIt andSciTE4AutoIt3 is the fact that they are completely available for free. You can download them, install, and you are up and running in a matter of minutes.
With all of that being said, lets begin installing AutoIt and SciTE4AutoIt3.
AutoIt Web Links
- Website: http://www.autoitscript.com/
- Download Page: http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/downloads.php
- Online Documentation: http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/docs/
- Forum: http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/index.php
- SciTE4AutoIt3 Homepage: http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/scite/
- SciTE4AutoIt3 Download Page: http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/scite/downloads.php
- SciTE4AutoIt3 Online Documentation: http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/scite/main.php
Getting AutoIt and SciTE4AutoIt3
As mentioned earlier, both AutoIt and SciTE4AutoIt3 are free downloads and they are available from the AutoIt download and SciTE4AutoIt3 download pages. Go and get the installer packages for both of these programs. As of the writing of this article, the current version of AutoIt is 3.2.0.1 and the current version of SciTE4AutoIt3 is dated 8/21/2006.
Install AutoIt
You are now ready to start installing AutoIt. Double click on the AutoIt installer file you downloaded. The one that I am using is called autoit-v3.2.0.1-setup.exe. This will begin the installation process.
The first window that appears is the Welcome screen for the AutoIt installer. This provides you with some basic information about the version of AutoIt that you are installing. Click the Next > button when you are ready to continue.
The next screen is the licensing agreement. Read through it carefully to ensure that you agree with it. When you are finished reading it, click on I Agree to continue.
In the third screen, you are provided with a couple of options. This window is asking you what you want to happen when you double click on a file that has a .au3 extension. Files with .au3 extension are typically scripts written in AutoIt. If you select Run the script, the script file you have just double clicked will run the contents of the script. If you select Edit the script, the file will open up in your default AutoIt editor.
What you choose here is a matter of personal opinion. Since I am always concerned with the security and safety of my systems, I always choose Edit the script. This way, if I accidentally double click on a script and it contains harmful code, I will only see the code, not run it on my system.
Once you have decided on the option you would like to use, select it and click on the Next > button.
The next window prompts you for a location to install AutoIt. By default, it selects C:\Program Files\AutoIt3. This is typically where I install it and should work for the majority of users. But, if you would like to install it somewhere else, now is your chance. Once you are happy with the location of AutoIt, click the Install button to begin the installation.
While AutoIt is installing you will see a progress bar indicating how far along the AutoIt installation has progressed. There is also a Show details button. If you are interesting in seeing exactly what the AutoIt installer is doing "behind the scenes", click on this button to see an exact list of all the files copied and settings changed.
Once the installer has made all of the changed, your will see the final window telling you that AutoIt has successfully installed. Click Finish to complete the installation process.
And that’s it! AutoIt is now installed on your system. Now, let’s install SciTE4AutoIt3 so that you can quickly and easily write scripts.
Installing SciTE4AutoIt3
Start by double clicking on the SciTE4AutoIt3.exe file you downloaded from the SciTE4AutoIt3 download page. This will begin the installation process.
The first installer window shows you some basic information about the version of SciTE4AutoIt3 that you are installing. Once you are certain that this is the most recent version and the one that you would like to install, click on the Next > button.
Carefully read the license agreement on the next screen and click on I Agree if you agree to the contents of the license. This will allow you to continue the installation.
The next screen asks you for an installation location for SciTE4AutoIt3. By default, it is located in your AutoIt directory in a folder called SciTE. This is generally a good place to keep it and works for most people. Click Next > to continue.
The Default for *.AU3 window server the same purpose as the same window in the AutoIt installation. I would suggest selecting the same option here as you did in the AutoIt installation. For more information about this option, please see the discussion about it in the AutoIt installation section. Click on Install to continue.
The installation now begins. You will see a progress bar and a list of changes that are being applied to your computer. Wait until this has finished.
You will then be presented with a Window indicating that it has completed the installation. You have an option to open the SciTE4AutoIt3 help file at this time. I would suggest that if this is the very first time that you have used SciTE4AutoIt3, this would be a good idea. Click on Finish to complete the install.
You should also have an Icon to SciTe on your desktop.
Conclusion
There you have it. A brand spanking new installation of Autoit and SciTE4AutoIt3. You now have the basics for script writing at you fingertips.
Keep checking back to Daily Cup of Tech as I have plans for several more articles about AutoIt and some of the scripts/programs that I am developing with it.
As always, if you were particularly moved by this article, please feel free to use the donation box on the top right of your screen.
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