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
Installation
- Open Visual Studio Code
- Press
Ctrl+Shift+X to open Extensions view
- Search for "AutoIt"
- Click Install on the AutoIt extension by Damien
- Reload VSCode when prompted
Prerequisites:
Quick Start
- Install AutoIt (if not already installed)
- Open an AutoIt script (.au3 file) in VSCode
- Press F5 to run your script
- 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)
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)
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.
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 |
autoit.aiPath |
Full path to AutoIt3.exe |
C:\Program Files (x86)\AutoIt3\AutoIt3.exe |
autoit.wrapperPath |
Full or relative path to AutoIt3Wrapper.au3. Leave blank for default relative to aiPath. |
"" |
autoit.checkPath |
Full or relative path to Au3Check.exe. Leave blank for default relative to aiPath. |
"" |
autoit.helpPath |
Full or relative path to AutoIt3Help.exe. Leave blank for default relative to aiPath. |
"" |
autoit.infoPath |
Full or relative path to Au3Info.exe. Leave blank for default relative to aiPath. |
"" |
autoit.kodaPath |
Full or relative path to Koda FormDesigner (FD.exe). Leave blank for default relative to aiPath. |
"" |
autoit.includePaths |
Additional include folder paths for IntelliSense |
[] |
autoit.smartHelp |
Define prefixes, paths & sources for custom UDF help files |
{ "__yourUdfFuncPrefix__": { "chmPath": "", "udfPath": [""] } } |
| Symbol Navigation |
|
|
autoit.showVariablesInGoToSymbol |
Show variables in symbol search (Ctrl+Shift+O) |
true |
autoit.showRegionsInGoToSymbol |
Show regions in symbol search (Ctrl+Shift+O) |
true |
autoit.workspaceSymbolMaxFiles |
Max files to process for workspace symbol search |
500 |
autoit.workspaceSymbolBatchSize |
Files per batch when building symbol index |
10 |
autoit.symbolMaxLines |
Max lines to process for symbols in a single file |
50000 |
| Diagnostics |
|
|
autoit.enableDiagnostics |
Provide Au3Check diagnostics on open/save |
true |
| Script Execution |
|
|
autoit.consoleParams |
Parameters passed to console on Run Script |
"" |
autoit.terminateRunningOnClose |
Terminate script when file is closed |
true |
| Output Panels |
|
|
autoit.multiOutput |
Separate output panel for each script |
true |
autoit.multiOutputReuseOutput |
Reuse output panel for the same file |
false |
autoit.multiOutputMaxFinished |
Output panels to keep after script finishes |
2 |
autoit.multiOutputFinishedTimeout |
Seconds until finished output panels are discarded (0 = indefinitely) |
0 |
autoit.clearOutput |
Clear output before each run (when multiOutput is disabled or multiOutputReuseOutput is enabled) |
true |
autoit.multiOutputShowProcessId |
Show process ID in AutoIt output |
"Single" |
autoit.outputCodePage |
System code page for output encoding (if text appears garbled) |
"" |
autoit.outputShowTime |
Show timestamp for each output line |
"None" |
autoit.outputMaxHistoryLines |
Number of output lines to keep |
5000 |
| IntelliSense |
|
|
autoit.enableParenTriggerForFunctions |
Use ( to select function completion, add parens, and trigger signature help. Requires reload. |
true |
| Code Authoring |
|
|
autoit.UDFCreator |
Author name for Insert Function Header command |
"Your Name" |
Keyboard Shortcuts
Script Execution & Building
| Shortcut |
Command |
F5 |
Run Script |
Ctrl+F5 |
AutoIt Check (Syntax Check) |
F7 |
Build Script (AutoIt3Wrapper) |
Ctrl+F7 |
Compile Script |
Shift+F8 |
Set Command Line Parameters |
Ctrl+Pause/Break |
Kill Running Script |
Debugging
| Shortcut |
Command |
Ctrl+Shift+D |
Debug to MsgBox |
Alt+D |
Debug to Console |
Ctrl+Alt+z |
Debug Remove Lines |
Navigation & Help
| Shortcut |
Command |
F12 |
Go to Definition |
Alt+F12 |
Peek Definition |
Ctrl+Shift+O |
Go to Symbol in File |
Ctrl+F1 |
Open AutoIt Help |
Alt+I |
Open Include File |
| Shortcut |
Command |
Ctrl+F6 |
Launch Au3Info |
Alt+M |
Launch Koda Form Designer |
Code Editing
| Shortcut |
Command |
Ctrl+Alt+H |
Insert UDF Header |
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
Extension features don't work / "AutoIt3.exe not found"
Configure autoit.aiPath in settings to point to your AutoIt installation:
"autoit.aiPath": "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\AutoIt3\\AutoIt3.exe"
Compile and Build commands don't work
These features require the full SciTE4AutoIt3 installation, which includes AutoIt3Wrapper and related tools.
Diagnostics (error checking) isn't working
Ensure:
- Au3Check.exe is installed (comes with AutoIt)
autoit.enableDiagnostics is set to true- You're on Windows (Au3Check is Windows-only)
Output shows garbled/incorrect characters
Set autoit.outputCodePage to match your system code page (e.g., "437" for US English, "850" for Western European).
IntelliSense not showing custom UDF functions
Add your UDF include paths to autoit.includePaths:
"autoit.includePaths": [
"C:\\MyAutoItUDFs",
"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\AutoIt3\\Include"
]
Keyboard shortcuts conflict with other extensions
Customize keybindings via File → Preferences → Keyboard Shortcuts or Ctrl+K Ctrl+S.
Contributing
Contributions are welcome!
Please follow the existing code style and include tests for new features.
License
See LICENSE file for details.
Changelog
See CHANGELOG.md for version history and release notes.
Quick Links: Installation | Features | Quick Start | Configuration | Keyboard Shortcuts | Platform Support | Troubleshooting | Contributing
