the-Automator Live Support
Channel: AUTOHOTKEY Gurus
Date: 2022-05-06

TLDR: The video provides tips and strategies for updating and troubleshooting scripts, automating Chrome, and resolving encoding issues.

1. 00:00 🤔 Chinese forum site is interesting but for advanced users, speaker is unfamiliar with "May the Fourth be with you" reference, programming languages have regionalisms and nuances, speaker's code usually goes with GPL license which requires sharing source code and giving credit to original author.
 1.1 The speaker discusses a Chinese forum site with peculiarities and interesting scripts, but notes that it is for advanced users.
 1.2 The speaker discusses their lack of familiarity with the "May the Fourth be with you" Star Wars reference due to their cultural background.
 1.3 Programming languages have regionalisms and nuances, and while there are basic concepts that travel, certain tools are better suited for specific tasks.
 1.4 The speaker addressed a question about the correct way of using the auto update code for files in general, stating that auto hotkey is open source and has different levels of licensing included in the file.
 1.5 Different software licenses have different restrictions, but the speaker's code usually goes with the GPL license, which allows modification and reuse but requires sharing the source code.
 1.6 When using someone else's code, it's important to make the source code available and give credit to the original author.

2. 19:40 💻 Place two files online for script update, use stable location like Github, consider pretty link, use FTP for file transfer with consistent file names and location.
 2.1 Sharing code for personal use and learning is okay, but selling it can become complex and may require a strict license.
 2.2 The speaker asks how to place two files online for a script to read in order to update it.
 2.3 The update function takes two parameters, the version file and a remote file, which can be placed anywhere on the server and downloaded with just one line of code.
 2.4 The file containing the version number for the zip file download must be a three-digit number separated by dots and optionally have a v in front.
 2.5 When creating a version file for a program, it is important to select a stable location that will not change in the future, such as using Github, and to consider using a pretty link or tiny URL to ensure accessibility.
 2.6 FTP is used for file transfer and requires a public folder with consistent file names and location for easy access.

3. 30:10 💻 If a program fails to update, it can still function offline, but licensing systems may require an internet connection to run, and using variables in scripts can help avoid manual changes.
 3.1 If a program checks for updates and fails, it can still function offline, but licensing systems may require an internet connection to run.
 3.2 The script updates by unzipping files into a temporal folder and replacing them on the main script, and the update function only updates the script in the directory it is currently in.
 3.3 Auto start function in scripts can have conflicting hotkeys, but installing a keyboard hook on the script can prevent this issue.
 3.4 The "install keyboard hook" directive registers hotkeys in a different way than "register hotkey" and may prevent other programs from activating their hotkeys, but using a hook or changing the hotkey should fix the issue.
 3.5 The function for saving or getting licenses using the EDD API is not working due to changes in the API.
 3.6 The speaker discusses the use of variables in their script to store information and avoid having to manually change it throughout the code.

4. 39:34 💻 Automating Chrome can be done using Selenium or Rufaydium, and it's important to start the process correctly and troubleshoot any errors that may arise.
 4.1 The speaker demonstrated automating Chrome using a library and highlighted the importance of starting the process correctly.
 4.2 To automate a specific page using Selenium, one must create a driver object, pass it onto the new instance, create a page, and then navigate to it.
 4.3 Rufaydiumis a new program that connects to Chrome without the need to install Selenium, making browser automation easier and more stable.


5. 55:30 💻 Use specific methods in the Chrome automation tool and troubleshoot non-functioning scripts by removing unnecessary code and testing each component.

6. 01:13:17 🔍 Troubleshoot script issues by checking admin mode, hotkeys, encoding, and file type

7. 01:27:20 📝 Commenting out codes and changing encoding can prevent loss of information and resolve encoding issues, but it's important to use the correct old codes and directives to avoid conflicts with data content.

8. 01:37:30 💻 Use a different editor like Notepad to find the original character without translation and change the encoder to fix encoding issues.

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