Creating an app to automate....?

[ninjaman001]

For all of the gurus,

I want to load a bunch of portable scanners, av programs, etc. to a thumb drive and have a one-click Gui that automates running these. I saw a GS agent run something like this called "GS Tweaks" maybe? Not sure, but anyway; Can this be done with scripting? I'm not that knowledgeable in scripting, but if someone could just give me a starting point, I would love to make it a project to work on. I think that it would be really cool and professional to have a "branded" Gui to run in front of the customers. That would add a lot of professional image to doing the on-site jobs.

[dipper]

Its probably not quite what you want but check out:
www . dailycupoftech.com / usb-drive-menu-system

Just take out the spaces from the above URL - I can't yet post URLS due to forums rules!

[ninjaman001]

Thanks Dipper,

But that's not what I mean. I have plenty of usb menu apps such as PStart, ASuite, and PortableApps. I'm actually building a front-end in Autoplay Media Studio that will have my company logo and even a little flash intro ad. :rolleyes:

I guess what I want may be able to be done in VB? I don't know; I'm not much of a programmer. I just want this to look like "my" app and not run a bunch of freeware utilities form a pen drive. I'm going for the polished "professional" image in case someone is looking over my shoulder! :cool:

[greggh]

This is very simple to do. Look at Hitman Pro, http://www.hitmanpro.nl , he uses autoit v3 to develop that. Its a very easy scripting language to learn, and it lets you completely automate these things.

http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/

[ninjaman001]

Thanks Greggh,

This is what I'm looking for! I'm gonna dive in now and start learning autoit. (Downloading as I'm typing. :D)

This site rocks!!! ;)

[greggh]

No problem at all. Glad to help. If you create anything interesting, maybe share it with us :)

[gunslinger]

That does look interesting. Now see what you started greggh, got me off on another project.

[greggh]

Internally in our company I have used autoit to create a few installers for applications that dont have silent or unattended installers. It helps me roll out new machines faster, I just batch up a few of them and walk away. I can answer all the questions up front and store them in variables. Then the autoit script will run them and answer everything for me.

It saves a lot of time.

[thecoldone06]

Sounds like a good support tool of the week. :)

[TechPro]

I have had a play with autoit maybe we need an AutoIT section in the forum, people could submit and collaborate on the programs they are making obviously aimed at computer techies....Just a thought.

[thecoldone06]

I've been playing around with it for a few days now. Very cool tool. I agree with TechPro that a forum would be nice if it would get a decent amount of traffic of course.

Does anyone know how to change the default location of an install lets say. There is no keyboard shortcut to get rid of whats in the box and replace it nor have I been able to find a function. Any ideas?

[greggh]

It has functions to select controls (fields) and to type in them. It can also clock buttons. Why cant you use all of that to clear the field and put in a new path?

[ninjaman001]

I think that you can send keystrokes to any coordinates on the screen through autoit. (Don't quote me on that, I'm just learning...) But I think that there's a utility that can capture window info and keystroke info....wait....I need to read some more....("flipping thru the pages of the manual") ;)

[Vitiated]

Used autoit2 to automate WinZIP installer which turned out great, excited about an update, thanks!

[PSG-Samuel]

Hey,

I was wondering how the original poster was getting on with this? has anyone else managed to do something similar?

[gunslinger]

I have been playing sround with autoit and a few other programs like it for a little while now, but thanks to my lack of programming skills i'm still having issues. I can make a script to auto install programs like Ccleaner or spyware blaster, but they only seem to work correctly on the system they were created on. Not sure why.If anyone has a program that does not require much programming skills but can do the same thing as autoit I would love to here about it. Making a simple .exe to run disk cleanup or defrag is not what i'm talking about, I can do that much.
What i'm talking about is pressing one button on a snazy GUI that I made and have spybot, ad-aware, and stinger autorun and delete what they find. Press another button and have Ccleaner, d-clean, regclean, ntregop and JKDfrag run. Click the next button and have spywareblaster, Ccleaner, and AVG install with all the options I want selected.
I figure if I can automate these few things It should cut my service call time in half.

[ninjaman001]

Wow....I've been on hiatus and have not been here in a while! I got kinda stuck also with the Autoit and I started working with Autoplay Media Studio. It's not as script heavy as autoit, but you can do some pretty cool things with it.

[gunslinger]

I have also been playing with Autoplay Media Studio, and have turned out some pretty sweet installers with it including giving my fave. reg. tweaks a nice GUI.

http://i15.tinypic.com/6onh34n.jpg

[RKDus]

Here are some auto-it scripts I made, this is about the limit of my abilities with auto-it so feel free to add your own:


-Foxit Reader

Run("FoxitReader.exe")
WinWaitActive("Foxit Reader Install Wizard", "Setup will install Foxit Reader")
Send("!n")
WinWaitActive("Foxit Reader Install Wizard", "New features include the followings:")
Send("!n")
WinWaitActive("Foxit Reader Install Wizard", "Foxit Reader End User License Agreement")
Send("!a")
WinWaitActive("Foxit Reader Install Wizard", "Please select an installation type")
Send("&Default")
WinWaitActive("Foxit Reader Install Wizard", "Click Install to continue with the installation")
Send("!i")
WinWaitActive("Foxit Reader Install Wizard", "Setup has successfully installed Foxit Reader")
Send("!r")
Send("!f")



- Java

Run("Java.exe")
WinWaitActive("Java Setup - Welcome", "Welcome to Java™")
Send("!a")
WinWaitActive("Java Setup - Welcome", "You have Successfully Installed Java™")
Send("!f")


- CD Burner XP Pro

Run("cdbxppro.exe")
WinWaitActive("Setup - CDBurnerXP", "Welcome to the CDBurnerXP Setup Wizard")
Send("!n")
WinWaitActive("Setup - CDBurnerXP", "License Agreement")
Send("!a")
Send("!n")
WinWaitActive("Setup - CDBurnerXP", "Select Destination Location")
Send("!n")
WinWaitActive("Setup - CDBurnerXP", "Select Components")
Send("{TAB}")
Send("{DOWN}")
Send("{DOWN}")
Send("{DOWN}")
Send("{SPACE}")
Send("!n")
WinWaitActive("Setup - CDBurnerXP", "Select Start Menu Folder")
Send("!n")
WinWaitActive("Setup - CDBurnerXP", "Select Additional Tasks")
Send("!n")
WinWaitActive("Setup - CDBurnerXP", "Ready to Install")
Send("!i")
WinWaitActive("Setup - CDBurnerXP", "Completing the CDBurnerXP Setup Wizard")
Send("!f")

- AVG Anti spyware

Run("AVGAS.exe")
WinWaitActive("Installer Language", "Please select a language.")
Send("{ENTER}")
WinWaitActive("AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5 Setup", "Welcome to the AVG Anti-Spyware")
Send("{ENTER}")
WinWaitActive("AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5 Setup", "License Agreement")
Send("{ENTER}")
WinWaitActive("AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5 Setup", "Choose Install Location")
Send("{ENTER}")
WinWaitActive("AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5 Setup", "Choose Startmenu Folder")
Send("{ENTER}")
WinWaitActive("AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5 Setup", "Completing the AVG Anti-Spyware")
Send("{ENTER}")

- AVG AntiVirus (not complete)


Run("AVGAV")
WinWaitActive("AVG 7.5 build 503 (11/19/2007)", "Welcome!")
Send("!n")
WinWaitActive("AVG 7.5 build 503 (11/19/2007)", "License Agreement")
Send("!a")
WinWaitActive("AVG 7.5 build 503 (11/19/2007)", "Select Installation Type")
Send("!n")
WinWaitActive("AVG 7.5 build 503 (11/19/2007)", "Personalize AVG")
Send("!n")
WinWaitActive("AVG 7.5 build 503 (11/19/2007)", "Installation Summary")
Send("!f")
WinWaitActive("AVG 7.5 build 503 (11/19/2007)", "Installation Complete!")
Send("{ENTER}")
WinWaitActive("AVG Free - First Run", "CONGRATULATIONS!")
Send("{ENTER}")
WinWaitActive("AVG Free - First Run", "Would you like to update AVG Free, now?")
Send("{TAB}")
Send("{TAB}")
Send("{TAB}")
Send("{ENTER}")
WinWaitActive("Update", "Would you like to update AVG Free, now?")
Send("{TAB}")
Send("{TAB}")
Send("{TAB}")
Send(" ")
Send("{TAB}")
Send("{TAB}")
Send("{ENTER}")

WinWaitActive("AVG Free Edition Update Selection", "Please select update:")
Send("!u")
WinWaitActive("AVG Free Edition", "Update was successfully finished.")
Send("{ENTER}")


- VLC Media Player

Run("VLC.exe")
WinWaitActive("Installer Language", "Please select a language.")
Send("{ENTER}")
WinWaitActive("VideoLAN VLC media player 0.8.6c Setup", "Welcome to the VideoLAN VLC media player")
Send("{ENTER}")
WinWaitActive("VideoLAN VLC media player 0.8.6c Setup", "License Agreement")
Send("{ENTER}")
WinWaitActive("VideoLAN VLC media player 0.8.6c Setup", "Choose Components")
Send("{ENTER}")
WinWaitActive("VideoLAN VLC media player 0.8.6c Setup", "Choose Install Location")
Send("{ENTER}")
WinWaitActive("VideoLAN VLC media player 0.8.6c Setup", "Completing the VideoLAN VLC media player")
Send("!r")
Send("{ENTER}")



Note that the installer file must be in the same directory as the script