So, I've been busy. Sort of the butterfly effect. A certain person tries to undermine my efforts as usual and from it, comes something great. You have to love when that happens.

Since my last post about WinClickPro, I ended up getting sucked into the world of AutoIt. I've been working with it at work for months but I've never had a chance to actually take a moment to look into what I was actually using. My little vacation actually provided me with a chance to properly learn AutoIt and I'm pretty thrilled with the results over the last few days.

I had quickly dismissed AutoIt as being only a little similar to WinClickPro but I had not done so with any confidence. I started looking into the differences between WinClickPro and AutoIt by reviewing the AutoIt site and I came across some things I wasn't expecting. Here they are in approximate order of discovery.

#1. Ability to create UI's. WTF!? I had no idea. This really caught my attention.

#2. Free. Free. Free. Totally bug-eyed free. You could download AutoIt and turn around and sell it to your mother and it would be totally legit. Wow.

#3. I had always wanted to make the "Actions" in WinClickPro customizable and I begrudgingly settled on the fact that people could launch their open executables within the chain. At this point, I knew that AutoIt could compile into an .exe and that it could automate installations like nobody's business but I wasn't sure what else it could do. My big question; "Could it do everything that WinClickPro offers?". I quickly made a list of all the actions that WinClickPro could do and then I stepped through comparing each "Action" to the AutoIt Reference guide. Sure enough, almost everything seemed covered.

Alright.... it's free, it seems to be able to do most of the actions, it would be a customizable solution, AND I would learn about something I need for work all at the same time. Hrmmm... this seems worthy of some more investigation.

I started mulling over the design changes that I would need to make. I knew I could compile scripts on the fly from work so I was thinking I could do the same thing with WinClickPro making the scripts even more accessible. People could actually drop their uncompiled scripts into a folder and they would automatically be picked up by WinClickPro without recompiling.. YES!!! That would be awesome...

and so... since the 28th, I totally revamped WinClickPro and replaced all the internal C# Actions with AutoIt scripts. I created 16 individual scripts, totalling over 1000 lines of code, filed two AutoIt documentation bugs, posted 20 some-odd posts, and... I've already gotten into it with a couple overzealous AutoIt people. :) Not bad for a few vacation days eh!? ;)

My goal was to replace every single action before going back to work and I did it. Not only that but I was able to add a ton of new functionality with AutoIt. Nearly every action ended up getting 3-5 new capabilities. I think most everything can be done in C# but it's nowhere near as simple to figure out as it is with AutoIt. The AutoIt help files, forum, and broad user base really helped.

I've got one last major feature I want to add that is really the cherry on top. Once that's done, I'm going to push it back out there.

While reviewing all that AutoIt documentation, I've also come up with a healthy chunk of new actions that I want to add but I'm going to save those for later since my new design can support adding new actions via drag and drop. :)

Anyway, a long story but a most victorious one. I'm so excited for the new potential these changes will make.

Felt like jotting them down since I'm coded out, gamed out, stargated out (sg1 season 3), and going nuts waiting for the new BYOND site changes...

Perhaps my last post and your last chance to + or - me.

oh... lol... so, is WinClickPro the same as AutoIt?

WinClickPro is designed specifically for knowledge workers as a cutting edge power user tool. It's intuitive and powerful GUI enable users to automate everyday tasks with ease. The tool allows users to fully customize the experience while also enhancing the functionality without any additional cost.

What are you waiting for? Order your copy today! WinClickPro will help you stay on the cutting edge.

Only while supplies last. ;)

and I guess I still need to answer the question. Yes, it's kinda like AutoIt because... well, now it is in fact, AutoIt... among other things.