AutoScript

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  The /save function, which writes the elements of the action and timeline arrays to a .txt file.

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  The /help menu, which lists all current possible commands.

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  The /list function, which lists the current script so the user can observe what needs changing.

Inspiration

The inspiration for this software comes from me playing video games. I would sometimes get frustrated with the massive amount of clicking, scrolling, and pressing keys in high APM video games such as Starcraft II, so I decided to attempt to make a piece of software that automates some of these processes for me.

What it does

AutoScript allows you to easily make your own scripts by adding specific commands to a virtual timeline. It allows you to change the delays between events, and edit the timeline after adding events. It is a simple program that takes out the frustration of doing the same thing over and over again on a computer.

How I built it

I built this program using a c# console application in Visual Studio 2013. It is essentially a giant switch-case inside a while() loop, where the switch-cases are the commands you can input and the while() loop makes it continuous. I used some basic error-proofing, for example, by including a default case that asks you to input a valid command. The input is stored in an array, so that when you decide to /execute the script, it just runs all the elements directly off the array using a for() loop. The save/load features just save the array elements to a .txt file, then read them off the .txt file to load back into the array.

Challenges I ran into

Despite a surprisingly smooth programming process with little complications, I did run into some problems. Most of these were just down to my inexperience in programming. I've been programming for only about one and a half years, so I don't know many ways to do things in c#. I had to frequently look up possible solutions and test them all until I was satisfied, which took up the majority of my time.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Most of all, I am proud of going to this hackathon. I've never been to one before, and I'm glad that I decided to go, seeing as how it was very fun and I learned a lot about programming. I'm also proud of the fact that I was able to write a functional program, despite not having the slightest idea how to write this program just a week prior.

What I learned

I gained a lot of experience in c# programming. I learned a lot in managing arrays, such as manipulating them efficiently to quickly make edits to either one element or many, and maintain the timeline. I also learned a new way to store arrays in .txt files, by just writing whole arrays to one file then reading them off the .txt file back into the timeline.

What's next for AutoScript

I plan on expanding this project a lot. My first concern is to add a easy-to-use GUI, since my intention is to make scripting easier. It would include a visual timeline showing events and delays, along with a drag and drop system for putting blocks of code into the timeline. I also plan on adding new commands that I didn't think of for this first version that you can put into the script. Ultimately, I see a program that gives a user more control over his/her computer, by allowing the user to run detailed and customized scripts for easier use and convenience.

Built With

• c#