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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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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 |…

Description from the VS Code Marketplace listing.