perl or python or autohotkey
perl or python or autohotkey
(OP)
Hi, i wish to automate windows applications with a script. which one is best to learn - perl or python. My plan is to
1. automate windows applications, eg; invoke a software and make it run with certain inputs
2. read/write/replace text at specific locations inside the file
3. built small gui's
- no intention to work on web programing,
personally for my programing, fortran is ok, and i use it very often for engg calcs - if i could avoid perl/python and do above items with autohotkey, i rpefer that
i am new to perl,python, autohotkey, so wish to know which one wud b the best
thanks
1. automate windows applications, eg; invoke a software and make it run with certain inputs
2. read/write/replace text at specific locations inside the file
3. built small gui's
- no intention to work on web programing,
personally for my programing, fortran is ok, and i use it very often for engg calcs - if i could avoid perl/python and do above items with autohotkey, i rpefer that
i am new to perl,python, autohotkey, so wish to know which one wud b the best
thanks






RE: perl or python or autohotkey
http://www.macrocreator.com/
RE: perl or python or autohotkey
Included with all MS Office products and made to do exactly what you say you want to do.
RE: perl or python or autohotkey
If you're wanting to manipulate files and content (across different platforms, not just Office) then it probably isn't necessarily the best for that task.
An example: Outlook does not provide the same FileDialog interface that Word and Excel do, thus automating the storage of emails in Outlook via VBA is much harder than it needs to be.
The example of read / write / replace text inside MS Word files is relevant though, its much easier to do that inside Word than it is via 3rd party scripting functions.
EDMS Australia
RE: perl or python or autohotkey
RE: perl or python or autohotkey
Macrocreator is actually based on Autohotkey, like a GUI interface for Autohotkey. I think it can do all you are asking, but I don't know for sure. I have never attempted anything that complex. Download it for free and give it a try.
RE: perl or python or autohotkey
RE: perl or python or autohotkey
RE: perl or python or autohotkey
Next in line would be VBA, but it is only when it's the only alternative. It does have much better integration with the Office applications, but each application has a unique set of APIs, some that should be similar, but aren't.
Python is an interesting alternative, but it has a bunch of libraries coming from all over the place. It's popular among programmers and it's multiplatform
RE: perl or python or autohotkey
RE: perl or python or autohotkey
My favorite, though available in other languages, is the ability to read and write the Windows text clipboard - so copy, run the program to transform the data, and paste. But AutoIt can be compiled, so it becomes copy, double-click program icon, paste.