How to Create GUIs in AutoIt

Tutorial on how to make GUIs using the AutoIt scripting language.

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By. Jacob

Edited: 2019-09-11 16:21

This tutorial shows how to create a simple GUI with two buttons, and how to make it perform a specific task depending on which of the buttons was clicked.

Before we start, it should be mentioned that there are more than one way to create GUIs. Which one suits your needs will be up to you to decide. In this tutorial, we will focus on just one way to do it.

You will find the full script at the end of the tutorial, we begin with the explanation of the script.

The first part of the script, located outside the main function, includes the GUIConstantsEx.au3 file, and sets the MustDeclareVars option, which makes it so that we must declare all our variables before using them.

#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>

Opt('MustDeclareVars', 1)

MainGUI()

The GUIConstantsEx.au3 file included in the top of the script contains all the system events, such as the event of: maximizing, minimizing or closing a window.

The MustDeclareVars option makes it so that variables must be declared with either: Dim, Local or Global before use.

Finally the MainGUI custom function call just runs the MainGUI function, which you will find further down in the script.

The MustDeclareVars option makes it so we must declare variables before we can use them. Inside the MainGUI function, Local was used. Variables declared using local are only available at the local scope - in this case inside the function where they are declared.

Local $Button1, $Button2, $msg

The GUICreate function creates the GUI, assigns a title, and optionally controls the style of the GUI window. This function will be covered in a later Tutorial.

GUICreate("My GUI Window Title")

The GUICoordMode controls the coordinate mode to be used when placing new GUI elements, in this case the two buttons. I.e. Absolute or relative. This will also be covered in a later tutorial.

Opt("GUICoordMode", 2)

The GUICtrlCreateButton function is used to create buttons. This will also be covered in a later tutorial.

$Button1 = GUICtrlCreateButton("Button 1", 10, 30, 100)
$Button2 = GUICtrlCreateButton("Button 2", 0, -1)

In this example, the GUISetState function is used to show a newly created window.

GUISetState()

The while loop simply performs certain select statement checks continuously - in this example, the window only closes if $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE was performed.

While 1
  $msg = GUIGetMsg()
  Select
   Case $msg = $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE
     ExitLoop
   Case $msg = $Button1
     MsgBox(0, 'Button 1', 'Button 1 was pressed')
   Case $msg = $Button2
     MsgBox(0, 'Button 2', 'Button 2 was pressed')
  EndSelect
WEnd

#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>

Opt('MustDeclareVars', 1)

MainGUI()

Func MainGUI()
  Local $Button1, $Button2, $msg
  GUICreate("My GUI Window Title")

  Opt("GUICoordMode", 2)
  $Button1 = GUICtrlCreateButton("Button 1", 10, 30, 100)
  $Button2 = GUICtrlCreateButton("Button 2", 0, -1)

  GUISetState()

  ; Run the GUI until the window is closed
  While 1
    $msg = GUIGetMsg()
    Select
     Case $msg = $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE
       ExitLoop
     Case $msg = $Button1
       MsgBox(0, 'Button 1', 'Button 1 was pressed')
     Case $msg = $Button2
       MsgBox(0, 'Button 2', 'Button 2 was pressed')
    EndSelect
  WEnd
EndFunc