Useful AHK-v2 Libraries and Classes, with added explainers and examples

This repository contains a collection of AutoHotkey (AHK) version 2 classes that provide various functionalities for different purposes. The classes are designed to make it easier to work with arrays, clipboards, files, lists, objects, strings, mathematical operations, dates and times, logging events, networks, and processes.

Best developer resources:

My goal is to centralize, as well as add examples, a readme when missing, and english translations for comments. Credits are included in each file, and thank you thqby for the original repo above, it is greatly appreciated.

AHKv2 Scripts and Classes

I'm just getting started, expect this to expand soon.

Gui Libraries

Easy AutoGUIv2 - viewtopic.php?t=116159
Explore Easy AutoGUIv2, a popular GUI library, through this forum thread. Learn about its capabilities and how it can enhance AutoHotkey GUI development.

WebViewToo - [viewtopic.php?t=76865](https://github.com/The-CoDingman/WebViewToo) WebViewToo allows you to create and interact with Web-based GUIs easily. It utilizes the WebView2 framework, which is the same framework used in Microsoft Edge and it is Chromium based.

Win11<=Darkmode viewtopic.php?t=115952

XCGUI - [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/thqby/ahk2_lib/tree/master/XCGUI
Visit the GitHub repository for XCGUI, an AutoHotkey library that provides extended GUI functionality. Dive into the code and documentation to understand its usage and features.

CreateImageButton() - viewtopic.php?f=83&t=93339
Learn about creating image buttons using GDI buttons in this forum thread. Explore examples, discussions, and insights from the AutoHotkey community.

GuiControlIcon() - viewtopic.php?f=83&t=115871
Discover how to set the icon of a GUI control with GuiControlIcon. This forum thread provides details, examples, and discussions on incorporating icons into your AutoHotkey GUIs.

Object Oriented Responsive GuiResizer() - viewtopic.php?f=83&t=113921&hilit=gui
Explore an excellent shortcut for creating responsive GUIs with the Object Oriented Responsive GuiResizer. This forum thread offers insights, code snippets, and discussions on making GUIs adaptable to different screen sizes.

SkinSharpv2 - viewtopic.php?f=83&t=116251&hilit=gui
Discover SkinSharpv2, a GUI theme skinning library, in this AutoHotkey forum thread. Learn how to enhance the visual appeal of your GUIs through skinning techniques and discussions.

ExampleSwitchControls - viewtopic.php?f=83&t=115868&hilit=gui
This forum thread provides insights into switching between different GUI controls using ExampleSwitchControls. Explore examples, code snippets, and discussions to improve your AutoHotkey GUI navigation.

Scrollable Gui - viewtopic.php?f=83&t=112708&hilit=gui
Learn how to create scrollable GUIs in AutoHotkey through this forum thread. Explore discussions, examples, and insights into implementing scroll functionality for improved user interfaces.

Template Gui - viewtopic.php?f=83&t=123801\

Added Resize option for main GUI.\
Added map object to store the GUI values.\
Added open Main GUI when tray icon is double-clicked.

**(listview) LV_Colors **- viewtopic.php?f=83&t=93922\

Flexible color pallet for listview GUIs

Popular and Useful libs

cJSON.ahk

cJson

Converting an AHK Object to JSON:

#Include <JSON>

; Create an object with every supported data type
obj := ["abc", 123, {true: true, false: false, null: ""}, [JSON.true, JSON.false, JSON.null]]

; Convert to JSON
MsgBox JSON.Dump(obj) ; Expect: ["abc", 123, {"false": 0, "null": "", "true": 1}, [true, false, null]]

Converting JSON to an AHK Object:

#Include <JSON>

; Create some JSON
str := '["abc", 123, {"true": 1, "false": 0, "null": ""}, [true, false, null]]'
obj := JSON.Load(str)

; Convert using default settings
MsgBox (
	str "`n"
	"`n"
	"obj[1]: " obj[1] " (expect abc)`n"
	"obj[2]: " obj[2] " (expect 123)`n"
	"`n"
	"obj[3]['true']: " obj[3]['true'] " (expect 1)`n"
	"obj[3]['false']: " obj[3]['false'] " (expect 0)`n"
	"obj[3]['null']: " obj[3]['null'] " (expect blank)`n"
	"`n"
	"obj[4][1]: " obj[4][1] " (expect 1)`n"
	"obj[4][2]: " obj[4][2] " (expect 0)`n"
	"obj[4][3]: " obj[4][3] " (expect blank)`n"
)

; Convert Bool and Null values to objects instead of native types
JSON.BoolsAsInts := false
JSON.NullsAsStrings := false
obj := JSON.Load(str)
MsgBox obj[4][1] == JSON.True ; 1
MsgBox obj[4][2] == JSON.False ; 1
MsgBox obj[4][3] == JSON.Null ; 1

ahkv2 script converter

Source - mmikeww/AHK-v2-script-converter

QuickConvertorV2.ahk This script is a GUI for the AHK v1 -> v2 Script Converter. It allows you to select an AHK v1 script and convert it to AHK v2 with a single click. Usage To use the script, simply run it. The script will open a GUI where you can select the AHK v1 script to convert. The converted script will be saved in the same directory as the original script.

Neutron.ahk

Sources - https://github.com/G33kDude/Neutron.ahk/tree/v2
Create GUIs with HTML, CSS, JS, and AHK all working together.
Make responsive user interfaces that reflow when you resize the window, and scroll when elements go out of view.
Full customization of the title bar including fonts and colors.
Make better looking interfaces easily with web frameworks like Bootstrap.
Compile resources into your script and access them without extracting. Very useful for including images in the script!

UIAutomation v2

Source - https://github.com/Descolada/UIA-v2

This library is a wrapper for the UIAutomation framework, which can be used to automate windows that normally might be difficult or impossible to automate with AHK.

Example02_StartingPointElements.ahk: A file that demonstrates how to find the starting point elements for a UIA-v2 model.
Example03_FindElements.ahk: A file that demonstrates how to find elements in a UIA-v2 model.
Example04_TreeWalking.ahk: A file that demonstrates how to walk the tree of elements in a UIA-v2 model.
Example05_Notepad.ahk: A file that demonstrates how to use the UIA-v2 model to control Notepad.
Example06_Calculator.ahk: A file that demonstrates how to use the UIA-v2 model to control the Windows Calculator.
Example07_FocusChangedEvent.ahk: A file that demonstrates how to listen for the focus changed event in a UIA-v2 model.
Example08_SelectionEventHandler.ahk: A file that demonstrates how to listen for the selection changed event in a UIA-v2 model.
UIA_Browser_Example01_Chrome.ahk: A file that demonstrates how to use the UIA-v2 model to control Google Chrome.
UIA_Browser_Example02_EdgeScrolling.ahk: A file that demonstrates how to use the UIA-v2 model to scroll through a web page in Microsoft Edge.

Common thqby Classes

JSON.ahk

https://github.com/thqby/ahk2_lib/blob/master/JSON.ahk

This class provides methods for working with JSON data, such as parsing, generating, and manipulating.

Some of the methods include:

Parse() - Parses a JSON string into an object.
Generate() - Generates a JSON string from an object.
Manipulate() - Manipulates a JSON object.

WinHttpRequest.ahk

https://github.com/thqby/ahk2_lib/blob/master/WinHttpRequest.ahk

This class provides methods for working with Windows HTTP requests, such as sending and receiving data.

#Include WinHttpRequest.ahk ; Include the WinHttpRequest class

; Instantiate an object of the WinHttpRequest class
whr := WinHttpRequest()

; Define custom event handlers
whr.OnError := Func("CustomOnError").Bind(whr)
whr.OnResponseDataAvailable := CustomOnResponseDataAvailable.Bind(whr)
whr.OnResponseStart := CustomOnResponseStart.Bind(whr)
whr.OnResponseFinished := CustomOnResponseFinished.Bind(whr)

; Define custom event handler functions
CustomOnError(req, errCode, errDesc) {
    MsgBox("Error occurred: " . errDesc)
}

CustomOnResponseDataAvailable(req, safeArray) {
    ; Handle response data availability
}

CustomOnResponseStart(req, status, contentType) {
    ; Handle response start event
}

CustomOnResponseFinished(req) {
    ; Handle response finished event
}

; Make a GET request to a URL
response := whr.request("https://www.example.com")

MsgBox("Response: " . response)

return

Winhttp.ahk

https://github.com/thqby/ahk2_lib/blob/master/Winhttp.ahk

This class provides methods for working with Windows HTTP, such as creating, managing, and closing connections.

Some of the methods include:

Create() - Creates an HTTP connection.
Manage() - Manages an HTTP connection.
Close() - Closes an HTTP connection.

DownloadAsync.ahk

https://github.com/thqby/ahk2_lib/blob/master/DownloadAsync.ahk

This class provides methods for downloading files asynchronously.

Some of the methods include:

Download() - Downloads a file asynchronously.
GetProgress() - Gets the progress of a download.
IsFinished() - Checks if a download is finished.

Chrome.ahk

This file contains a collection of AutoHotkey functions for interacting with Google Chrome.

Functions:

Chrome_Open(): Opens a new instance of Google Chrome.
Chrome_Close(): Closes the current instance of Google Chrome.
Chrome_GoToURL(): Opens the specified URL in Google Chrome.
Chrome_GetTitle(): Gets the title of the current tab in Google Chrome.
Chrome_GetURL(): Gets the URL of the current tab in Google Chrome.
Chrome_GetActiveTab(): Gets the handle of the active tab in Google Chrome.
Chrome_GetTabs(): Gets a list of all the tabs in Google Chrome.
Chrome_NewTab(): Opens a new tab in Google Chrome.
Chrome_CloseTab(): Closes the specified tab in Google Chrome.
Chrome_ReloadTab(): Reloads the specified tab in Google Chrome.
Chrome_GoBack(): Goes back one page in Google Chrome.
Chrome_GoForward(): Goes forward one page in Google Chrome.
Chrome_Refresh(): Refreshes the current page in Google Chrome.
Chrome_Find(): Finds the specified text on the current page in Google Chrome.
Chrome_SavePage(): Saves the current page to a file.
Chrome_PrintPage(): Prints the current page.
Chrome_Quit(): Quits Google Chrome.

Usage

To use these functions, you will need to first install AutoHotkey. Once you have installed AutoHotkey, you can load the Chrome.ahk file by double-clicking on it.

Once the file is loaded, you can use the functions by typing their names followed by the arguments. For example, to open a new instance of Google Chrome, you would type the following:

Chrome_Open()

To get the title of the current tab, you would type the following: Chrome_GetTitle() To get the URL of the current tab, you would type the following: Chrome_GetURL()

CLR.ahk

https://www.autohotkey.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=4633

Microsoft Common Language Runtime / .NET Framework Interop Run C# Framework DLLs from Autohotkey License: public domain / CC0

Key Features:

Load the Common Language Runtime into the script's process.
Load .NET assemblies (dll files) by full name, partial name, or path.
Instantiate objects and call instance methods or properties.
Compile C# or VB code on the fly or to file.

Functions

CLR_Start( [ RuntimeVersion ] )

Loads the Common Language Runtime. RuntimeVersion specifies the exact version to load - for example, "v2.0.50727" or "v4.0.30319". If omitted, the latest version is loaded. If this function is not called and another CLR function requires the runtime to be loaded, the latest version will be loaded.

CLR_StartDomain( ByRef AppDomain [, BaseDirectory ] )

Starts a new AppDomain and stores a pointer or reference to it in AppDomain. This can be passed to CLR_LoadLibrary() to load an assembly into the AppDomain. BaseDirectory defines the base search path used when loading assemblies into the AppDomain.

CLR_StopDomain( AppDomain )

Stops the specified AppDomain and attempts to unload any assemblies that were loaded into it.

CLR_LoadLibrary( AssemblyName [, AppDomain ] )

Loads an assembly, where AssemblyName is its full name, partial name or path. Optionally loads the assembly into the given AppDomain instead of the default AppDomain. Returns a pointer or reference to the Assembly, which can be used with CLR_CreateObject. Note: Once an assembly is loaded, it can only be unloaded by stopping the AppDomain which contains it.

CLR_CreateObject( Assembly, sType [, Arg1, Arg2 ... ] )

Instantiates an object of the specified type from the specified assembly. Optionally accepts a list of arguments to pass to the object's constructor. Use ComObject(Type, Arg) to pass a typed value. A list of type codes can be found here. Alternatively, you can call Assembly.CreateInstance(sType) directly if you do not need to pass parameters.

CLR_CompileC#( Code, References [, AppDomain, FileName, CompilerOptions ] )

CLR_CompileVB( Code, References [, AppDomain, FileName, CompilerOptions ] )

Compile the specified C# or VB code. If FileName is omitted, the assembly is compiled "in-memory" and automatically loaded. DLL and EXE files may be generated. Specify for References a pipe (|) delimited list of assemblies that the code requires. If FileName is omitted and compilation is successful, returns a pointer or reference to the compiled Assembly, which can be used with CLR_CreateObject; otherwise returns FileName on success or 0 on failure. Note: Some versions of .NET may require an explicit reference to the appropriate language dll, such as Microsoft.CSharp.dll.

Socket.ahk

GitHub Repository

Simple implementation of a socket Server and Client. Handles asynchronous messages by implementing the on%EventName%(err) method of the class.

Socket.create: Creates a new socket.

Socket.connect: Connects the socket to the specified host and port.

Socket.send: Sends data to the socket.

Socket.receive: Receives data from the socket.

Socket.close: Closes the socket.

Socket.bind: Binds the socket to the specified port.

Webview2.ahk

GitHub Repository

The Microsoft Edge WebView2 control enables you to host web content in your application using Microsoft Edge (Chromium) as the rendering engine. For more information, see Overview of Microsoft Edge WebView2 and Getting Started with WebView2.

The WebView2 Runtime is built into Win10(latest version) and Win11 and can be easily used in AHK.

WebView2.create: Creates a new WebView2 control.

WebView2.navigate: Navigates the WebView2 control to the specified URL.

WebView2.loadHtml: Loads the specified HTML into the WebView2 control.

Gui relative positioning guide

AutoHotkey v2 GUI Positioning and Sizing Cheatsheet:

Basic Options:

Rn: Rows of text to determine height (n = number of rows, e.g. r3).
Wn: Width in pixels (e.g. w200).
Hn: Height in pixels (e.g. h150).

Automatic Sizing:

If no dimensions are specified, size is determined based on the control's nature and content.
Default width and height vary depending on the type of control.

Width and Height Relative to Previous Control:

WP±n: Adjust width relative to the previous control plus/minus an adjustment.
HP±n: Adjust height relative to the previous control plus/minus an adjustment.

Absolute Positioning:

Xn, Yn: Set absolute X/Y position in pixels (e.g. x50 y100).
Negative numbers are absolute; if negative offset needed, use + (e.g. x+-10).

Relative Positioning to Previous Control:

X+n, Y+n: Position control relative to the right/bottom edge of the previous control.
XP±n, YP±n: Position relative to the previous control's top-left corner (useful within a GroupBox).

Margin-Based Positioning:

XM±n, YM±n: Set control at the leftmost/topmost margins of the window with an adjustment.
M can be used for window's current margin (e.g. x+m).

Section-Based Positioning:

XS±n, YS±n: Position relative to a saved section.
To start new section, add control with Section option (e.g., MyGui.Add("Text", "Section", "Label:")).

Omissions and Defaults:

Omitting X, Y or both allows the layout to auto-adjust to future changes.
If both X and Y omitted: control is positioned beneath the previous control with standard padding.
Omit one component, the other defaults to:
- X specified:
  - Xn or XM: Beneath all previous controls (max Y plus margin).
  - XS: Beneath controls since the last Section.
  - X+n or XP+nonzero: Align top with the previous control.
  - XP or XP+0: Below the previous control (bottom edge plus margin).
- Y specified:
  - Yn or YM: Right of all previous controls (max X plus margin).
  - YS: Right of controls since the last Section.
  - Y+n or YP+nonzero: Align left with the previous control.
  - YP or YP+0: Right of the previous control (right edge plus margin).
  MyGui.Add("Edit", "w300 h100") ; Explicit width and height MyGui.Add("Button", "wp-50 hp+10") ; Relative width and height adjustments MyGui.Add("Text", "x50 y+m") ; Absolute X position, margin-based Y position MyGui.Add("ListBox", "r5") ; Number of visible rows determines height MyGui.Add("ComboBox", "w200 h+50") ; Combines width and height relative adjustments

example with the same cheat sheet

; Create a new GUI instance
MyGui := Gui()

; Set overall GUI font if needed, as it may affect sizing and margins
; MyGui.Font("s9") ; Set to size 9, affects R, W, H defaults

; Add a control (i.e., a Button) with automatic position (below previous control) and automatic width
MyGui.Add("Button", "vMyButton", "Click Me")

; Add a Text control with explicit width and automatic height
MyGui.Add("Text", "w200", "This is some text")

; Add an Edit control with explicit height and automatic width
MyGui.Add("Edit", "h50")

; Add a ListBox with specified row height (R) and automatic width
MyGui.Add("ListBox", "r3") ; 3 rows in the list box

; Add a DropDownList with the width (W) based on font size and automatic height
MyGui.Add("DropDownList", "w300")

; Use WP and HP to mimic the width and adjust the height of the previous control
MyGui.Add("Edit", "wp hp+20")

; Use the X and Y options to set absolute positioning
MyGui.Add("Edit", "x0 y0") ; Control at upper left corner

; Use X+ and Y+ for relative positioning to the right and bottom edges of the previous control
MyGui.Add("Button", "x+10 y+10", "Relative")

; Use XP and YP to position controls relative to the top-left corner of the previous control
MyGui.Add("Checkbox", "xp+20 yp+20", "Check me")

; Use XM and YM for positioning at window margins with adjustment
MyGui.Add("Radio", "xm+10 ym+10", "Option 1")

; Use XS and YS to position relative to a saved section
MyGui.Add("Text", "Section", "Section Start:")
MyGui.Add("Edit")
MyGui.Add("Edit", "ys") ; Positioned below the control marked with "Section"

; Omitting X and Y positions the control beneath the previous control using standard padding
MyGui.Add("Button", "vAnotherButton", "Standard Padding")

; Consecutive Text or Link controls auto-align for columns
MyGui.Add("Text",, "Aligned Text 1")
MyGui.Add("Text",, "Aligned Text 2")

; Specifying only X or Y with defaults for the unspecified component
MyGui.Add("Slider", "x0") ; Right-aligned to the previous control with margin
MyGui.Add("Slider", "y50") ; Right-aligned to all previous controls with margin

; Show the GUI
MyGui.Show()

samfisherirl/Useful-AHK-v2-Libraries-and-Classes

Useful AHK-v2 Libraries and Classes, with added explainers and examples

AHKv2 Scripts and Classes

Gui Libraries

Popular and Useful libs

cJSON.ahk

ahkv2 script converter

Neutron.ahk

UIAutomation v2

Common thqby Classes

JSON.ahk

WinHttpRequest.ahk

Winhttp.ahk

DownloadAsync.ahk

Chrome.ahk

Usage

Chrome_Open()

CLR.ahk

Functions

Socket.ahk

Webview2.ahk

Gui relative positioning guide

AutoHotkey v2 GUI Positioning and Sizing Cheatsheet: