Whenever I find a program that amuses me for more than 5 minutes, I’m going to tell you about it. My current awesome program right now is the free, yes free, AutoHotKey. You may ask yourselves, what the hell is it? Well, I won’t tell you… or maybe I will. It’s pretty much a macro/hotkey/programming… uhh program. Think of visual basic, but with really easy to learn functions and scripting.
You can set simple commands such as making your own (or using someone else’s script donated at their forum) and have your own auto spelling correction utility, no matter where you write. Or set hotkeys to open up your internet browser and head to your favorite website with one button.
Many free programs can do that stuff, so what really kicks this program up is the advanced features. Sure, you can pop up you’re favorite website with a hotkey, but what about also automatically logging in? Its scripting language is completely integrated with Windows, so you can do almost anything with it. Use it to ftp your files or retrieve them automatically. You can also use it to manage your files. Batch rename/move your mass collection of images or documents you’ve been hording. Or even read through files and filter out words, lines, and even clean out unnecessary html codes.
Another good reason to have this program, is that you can use it with games. Ever wanted a turbo key for one of your favorite action keys? Just add a hotkey for it. Use it to execute your favorite combos with ease. Just be careful because MMORPG companies can ban you if you use it for advanced functions for automating tasks.
So if you’re bored, give it a try. It’s free! I currently use this program at work to automate a lot of tasks, like uploading our products to Google Base, and it saves us a lot of time. Check out their forum also for a bunch of programs that people have made and want to share with others.
