AutoIt for Visual Studio Code

A comprehensive AutoIt language extension for Visual Studio Code, providing syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, diagnostics, and integrated script execution.

This extension has been forked and developed from Damien122's original release.

Quick Links: Installation | Features | Quick Start | Configuration | Keyboard Shortcuts | Platform Support | Troubleshooting | Contributing | Contributors

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Installation

1. Open Visual Studio Code
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+X to open Extensions view
3. Search for "AutoIt"
4. Click Install on the AutoIt extension by Damien
5. Reload VSCode when prompted

Prerequisites:

• AutoIt3 installed on your system
• SciTE4AutoIt3 (full install) for compile/build features

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Quick Start

1. Install AutoIt (if not already installed)
2. Open an AutoIt script (.au3 file) in VSCode
3. Press F5 to run your script
4. Press Ctrl+F1 with cursor on a function to open AutoIt Help

For non-default AutoIt installations, configure the path in settings:

• Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
• Search for "Preferences: Open User Settings"
• Search for "autoit.aiPath"
• Set the full path to your AutoIt3.exe

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Features

IntelliSense & Code Completion

Smart code completion for AutoIt functions, keywords, macros, constants, and variables.

Symbol Navigation

Quickly navigate to functions, variables, and regions within your script using Ctrl+Shift+O.

Diagnostics & Error Checking

Real-time syntax checking and error detection using Au3Check, displayed in the Problems tab.

Script Execution & Building

• Run scripts directly from VSCode (F5)
• Compile scripts to executables (Ctrl+F7)
• Build scripts with AutoIt3Wrapper (F7)
• Check syntax with Au3Check (Ctrl+F5)

Integrated AutoIt Tools

Launch AutoIt tools directly from VSCode:

• AutoIt3 Help (Ctrl+F1)
• Au3Info Window Info Tool (Ctrl+F6)
• Koda Form Designer (Alt+M)

Go to Definition

Jump to variable and function declarations using F12, or peek definitions with Alt+F12.

Debug Helpers

• Insert debug MsgBox for selected variable (Ctrl+Shift+D)
• Insert debug ConsoleWrite (Alt+D)

Code Formatting

Format AutoIt code using Tidy.exe (Windows only, requires SciTE4AutoIt3).

Include File Management

Open include files at cursor position with Alt+I, with support for custom include paths.

Multi-Output Panels

Run multiple scripts simultaneously with separate output panels for each.

Syntax Highlighting

Comprehensive syntax highlighting for AutoIt code, including:

• Keywords, functions, and macros
• Variables, constants, and strings
• Comments and documentation blocks
• COM object properties and methods with distinct highlighting for dot notation (e.g., $oExcel.Workbooks.Add())

COM objects are highlighted with a special token scope (support.class.com.autoit), allowing themes to style them distinctly from regular functions.

Map Variable Intelligence

The extension provides intelligent IntelliSense for AutoIt Map variables:

• Smart key completion: Type $mUser. to see available keys
• Scope-aware: Respects Local/Global scope and function boundaries
• Cross-file tracking: Follows #include directives to merge Map definitions
• Function parameter tracking: Detects keys added when Maps are passed to functions

Local $mUser[]
$mUser.name = "John"
$mUser.age = 30

; Type $mUser. and see: name, age

Configure in settings:

• autoit.maps.enableIntelligence - Enable/disable Map completions (default: true)
• autoit.maps.includeDepth - Max include depth for cross-file tracking (default: 3)
• autoit.maps.showFunctionKeys - Show keys added by functions (default: true)

See Map Support Documentation for details.

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Platform Support

This extension works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with the following considerations:

Feature	Windows	macOS/Linux
Syntax Highlighting	✓	✓
IntelliSense	✓	✓
Symbol Navigation	✓	✓
Go to Definition	✓	✓
Run Scripts	✓	Windows only
Diagnostics (Au3Check)	✓	Windows only
Code Formatting (Tidy)	✓	Windows only
Compile/Build	✓	Windows only

Note: AutoIt itself is a Windows automation language. While the extension provides language support on all platforms, script execution and AutoIt tools require a Windows environment.

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Configuration

Essential Settings

Configure the extension via File → Preferences → Settings or Ctrl+,, then search for "AutoIt":

Setting	Description	Default
autoit.aiPath	Path to AutoIt3.exe	C:\Program Files (x86)\AutoIt3\AutoIt3.exe
autoit.includePaths	Additional include folder paths	[]
autoit.enableDiagnostics	Enable Au3Check diagnostics	true
autoit.multiOutput	Separate output panel per script	true

All Configuration Options

Click to expand full configuration table

Config	Description	Default
autoit.aiPath	Full path to AutoIt3.exe	C:\Program Files (x86)\AutoIt3\AutoIt3.exe
autoit.wrapperPath	Full or relative path to AutoIt3Wrapper.au3. Leave blank for default relative to aiPath.	""
autoit.checkPath	Full or relative path to Au3Check.exe. Leave blank for default relative to aiPath.	""
autoit.helpPath	Full or relative path to AutoIt3Help.exe. Leave blank for default relative to aiPath.	""
autoit.infoPath	Full or relative path to Au3Info.exe. Leave blank for default relative to aiPath.	""
autoit.kodaPath	Full or relative path to Koda FormDesigner (FD.exe). Leave blank for default relative to aiPath.	""
autoit.includePaths	Additional include folder paths for IntelliSense	[]
autoit.smartHelp	Define prefixes, paths & sources for custom UDF help files	{ "__yourUdfFuncPrefix__": { "chmPath": "", "udfPath": [""] } }
Symbol Navigation
autoit.showVariablesInGoToSymbol	Show variables in symbol search (Ctrl+Shift+O)	true
autoit.showRegionsInGoToSymbol	Show regions in symbol search (Ctrl+Shift+O)	true
autoit.workspaceSymbolMaxFiles	Max files to process for workspace symbol search	500
autoit.workspaceSymbolBatchSize	Files per batch when building symbol index	10
autoit.symbolMaxLines	Max lines to process for symbols in a single file	50000
Diagnostics
autoit.enableDiagnostics	Provide Au3Check diagnostics on open/save	true
Script Execution
autoit.consoleParams	Parameters passed to console on Run Script	""
autoit.terminateRunningOnClose	Terminate script when file is closed	true
Output Panels
autoit.multiOutput	Separate output panel for each script	true
autoit.multiOutputReuseOutput	Reuse output panel for the same file	false
autoit.multiOutputMaxFinished	Output panels to keep after script finishes	2
autoit.multiOutputFinishedTimeout	Seconds until finished output panels are discarded (0 = indefinitely)	0
autoit.clearOutput	Clear output before each run (when multiOutput is disabled or multiOutputReuseOutput is enabled)	true
autoit.multiOutputShowProcessId	Show process ID in AutoIt output	"Single"
autoit.outputCodePage	System code page for output encoding (if text appears garbled)	""
autoit.outputShowTime	Show timestamp for each output line	"None"
autoit.outputMaxHistoryLines	Number of output lines to keep	5000
IntelliSense
autoit.enableParenTriggerForFunctions	Use ( to select function completion, add parens, and trigger signature help. Requires reload.	true
Code Authoring
autoit.UDFCreator	Author name for Insert Function Header command	"Your Name"
Map Intelligence
autoit.maps.enableIntelligence	Enable/disable Map completions	true
autoit.maps.includeDepth	Max include depth for cross-file tracking	3
autoit.maps.showFunctionKeys	Show keys added by functions	true

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Script Execution & Building

Shortcut	Command
F5	Run Script
Ctrl+F5	AutoIt Check (Syntax Check)
F7	Build Script (AutoIt3Wrapper)
Ctrl+F7	Compile Script
Shift+F8	Set Command Line Parameters
Ctrl+Pause/Break	Kill Running Script

Debugging

Shortcut	Command
Ctrl+Shift+D	Debug to MsgBox
Alt+D	Debug to Console
Ctrl+Alt+z	Debug Remove Lines

Navigation & Help

Shortcut	Command
F12	Go to Definition
Alt+F12	Peek Definition
Ctrl+Shift+O	Go to Symbol in File
Ctrl+F1	Open AutoIt Help
Alt+I	Open Include File

Tools

Shortcut	Command
Ctrl+F6	Launch Au3Info
Alt+M	Launch Koda Form Designer

Code Editing

Shortcut	Command
Ctrl+Alt+H	Insert UDF Header

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Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Extension features don't work / "AutoIt3.exe not found"

Configure autoit.aiPath in settings to point to your AutoIt installation:

"autoit.aiPath": "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\AutoIt3\\AutoIt3.exe"

Compile and Build commands don't work

These features require the full SciTE4AutoIt3 installation, which includes AutoIt3Wrapper and related tools.

Diagnostics (error checking) isn't working

Ensure:

1. Au3Check.exe is installed (comes with AutoIt)
2. autoit.enableDiagnostics is set to true
3. You're on Windows (Au3Check is Windows-only)

Output shows garbled/incorrect characters

Set autoit.outputCodePage to match your system code page (e.g., "437" for US English, "850" for Western European).

IntelliSense not showing custom UDF functions

Add your UDF include paths to autoit.includePaths:

"autoit.includePaths": [
  "C:\\MyAutoItUDFs",
  "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\AutoIt3\\Include"
]

Keyboard shortcuts conflict with other extensions

Customize keybindings via File → Preferences → Keyboard Shortcuts or Ctrl+K Ctrl+S.

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome!

• GitHub Repository: loganch/AutoIt-VSCode
• Report Issues: GitHub Issues
• Submit Pull Requests: Fork the repository and submit PRs

Please follow the existing code style and include tests for new features.

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Contributors

Made with contrib.rocks.

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License

See LICENSE file for details.

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Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for version history and release notes.

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Quick Links: Installation | Features | Quick Start | Configuration | Keyboard Shortcuts | Platform Support | Troubleshooting | Contributing | Contributors