<s>
AutoHotkey	B-Language
is	O
a	O
free	B-License
and	I-License
open-source	I-License
custom	O
scripting	B-Language
language	I-Language
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
initially	O
aimed	O
at	O
providing	O
easy	O
keyboard	O
shortcuts	O
or	O
hotkeys	O
,	O
fast	O
macro-creation	O
and	O
software	O
automation	B-Application
that	O
allows	O
users	O
of	O
most	O
levels	O
of	O
computer	O
skill	O
to	O
automate	O
repetitive	O
tasks	O
in	O
any	O
Windows	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
User	O
interfaces	O
can	O
easily	O
be	O
extended	O
or	O
modified	O
by	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
(	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
overriding	O
the	O
default	O
Windows	O
control	B-Device
key	I-Device
commands	O
with	O
their	O
Emacs	B-Application
equivalents	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
installation	O
includes	O
its	O
own	O
extensive	O
help	O
file	O
,	O
and	O
web-based	O
documentation	O
is	O
also	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AutoHotkey	B-Language
scripts	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
launch	O
programs	B-Application
,	O
open	O
documents	O
,	O
and	O
emulate	O
keystrokes	O
or	O
mouse	B-Device
clicks	O
and	O
movements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AutoHotkey	B-Language
scripts	O
can	O
also	O
assign	O
,	O
retrieve	O
,	O
and	O
manipulate	O
variables	O
,	O
run	O
loops	O
and	O
manipulate	O
windows	O
,	O
files	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
folders	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
commands	O
can	O
be	O
triggered	O
by	O
a	O
hotkey	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
script	O
that	O
would	O
open	O
an	O
internet	B-Application
browser	I-Application
whenever	O
the	O
user	O
presses	O
on	O
the	O
keyboard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AutoHotkey	B-Language
also	O
allows	O
for	O
"	O
hotstrings	O
"	O
that	O
will	O
automatically	O
replace	O
certain	O
text	O
as	O
it	O
is	O
typed	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
assigning	O
the	O
string	O
"	O
btw	O
"	O
to	O
produce	O
the	O
text	O
"	O
by	O
the	O
way	O
"	O
when	O
typed	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
text	O
"	O
%o	O
"	O
to	O
produce	O
"	O
percentage	O
of	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
complex	O
tasks	O
can	O
be	O
achieved	O
with	O
custom	O
data	O
entry	O
forms	O
(	O
GUI	B-Application
windows	I-Application
)	O
,	O
working	O
with	O
the	O
system	B-Protocol
registry	I-Protocol
,	O
or	O
using	O
the	O
Windows	O
API	B-Application
by	O
calling	O
functions	O
from	O
DLLs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
scripts	O
can	O
be	O
compiled	B-Language
into	O
an	O
executable	B-Application
file	I-Application
that	O
can	O
be	O
run	O
on	O
other	O
computers	O
that	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
source	O
code	O
is	O
in	O
C++	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
compiled	B-Language
with	O
Visual	B-Application
Studio	I-Application
Express	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Memory	O
access	O
through	O
pointers	O
is	O
allowed	O
just	O
as	O
in	O
C	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
uses	O
for	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
:	O
</s>
<s>
Controlling	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
cursor	O
with	O
a	O
keyboard	O
or	O
joystick	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Opening	O
programs	B-Application
,	O
documents	O
,	O
and	O
websites	O
with	O
simple	O
keystrokes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Adding	O
a	O
signature	O
to	O
e-mail	O
,	O
message	B-Application
boards	I-Application
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Monitoring	O
a	O
system	O
and	O
automatically	O
closing	O
unwanted	O
programs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Scheduling	O
an	O
automatic	O
reminder	B-Application
,	O
system	O
scan	O
,	O
or	O
backup	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
public	O
beta	O
of	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
10	O
,	O
2003	O
,	O
after	O
author	O
Chris	O
Mallett	O
's	O
proposal	O
to	O
integrate	O
hotkey	O
support	O
into	O
AutoIt	B-Language
v2	O
failed	O
to	O
generate	O
response	O
from	O
the	O
AutoIt	B-Language
community	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mallett	O
built	O
a	O
new	O
program	O
from	O
scratch	O
basing	O
the	O
syntax	O
on	O
AutoIt	B-Language
v2	O
and	O
using	O
AutoIt	B-Language
v3	O
for	O
some	O
commands	O
and	O
the	O
compiler	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
AutoIt	B-Language
v3	O
switched	O
from	O
GPL	B-License
to	O
closed	B-Application
source	I-Application
because	O
of	O
"	O
other	O
projects	O
repeatedly	O
taking	O
AutoIt	B-Language
code	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
setting	O
themselves	O
up	O
as	O
competitors	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
,	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
v1.1	O
(	O
originally	O
called	O
AutoHotkey_L	O
)	O
became	O
the	O
platform	O
for	O
ongoing	O
development	O
of	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
port	O
of	O
the	O
program	O
is	O
AutoHotkey.dll	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
v2	O
beta	O
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
22nd	O
2023	O
,	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
v2	O
became	O
the	O
official	O
primary	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AutoHotkey	B-Language
v1.1	O
became	O
legacy	O
and	O
no	O
new	O
features	O
will	O
be	O
implemented	O
,	O
but	O
will	O
still	O
be	O
supported	O
by	O
the	O
site	O
and	O
maintenance	O
releases	O
are	O
possible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
script	O
will	O
allow	O
a	O
user	O
to	O
search	O
for	O
a	O
particular	O
word	O
or	O
phrase	O
using	O
Google	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
copying	O
text	O
from	O
any	O
application	O
to	O
the	O
clipboard	O
,	O
pressing	O
the	O
configurable	O
hotkey	O
will	O
open	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
default	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
and	O
perform	O
the	O
search	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
is	O
used	O
to	O
make	O
self-contained	O
software	O
for	O
distribution	O
,	O
that	O
software	O
must	O
include	O
the	O
part	O
of	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
itself	O
that	O
understands	O
and	O
executes	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
scripts	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
is	O
an	O
interpreted	B-Application
language	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inevitably	O
,	O
some	O
malware	O
has	O
been	O
written	O
using	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
anti-malware	B-Application
products	O
attempt	O
to	O
earmark	O
items	O
of	O
malware	O
that	O
have	O
been	O
programmed	O
using	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
,	O
they	O
sometimes	O
falsely	O
identify	O
AutoHotkey	B-Language
as	O
the	O
culprit	O
rather	O
than	O
the	O
actual	O
malware	O
.	O
</s>
