pyautoit

0.6.5 verified Mon Apr 27 auth: no python maintenance

Python binding for AutoItX3.dll, enabling automation of Windows GUI interactions. Current version 0.6.5. Released infrequently; last update in 2020.

pip install pyautoit

Common errors

error ImportError: DLL load failed while importing autoit: The specified module could not be found. ↓

cause AutoItX3.dll is not registered or not in PATH.

fix

Install AutoIt and run 'regsvr32 AutoItX3.dll' as administrator, or copy the DLL to system32.

error AttributeError: module 'autoit' has no attribute 'run' ↓

cause Using 'from pyautoit import autoit' results in importing the package's __init__.py instead of the autoit module.

fix

Use 'import autoit' directly; it is the correct module.

error OSError: [WinError 193] %1 is not a valid Win32 application ↓

cause Running 64-bit Python with a 32-bit DLL. pyautoit only supports 32-bit Python.

fix

Switch to a 32-bit Python interpreter (e.g., C:\Python32\python.exe).

Warnings

breaking pyautoit requires the AutoItX3.dll to be installed on the system. The DLL is not bundled; you must install AutoIt or AutoItX separately. Without it, import will fail silently or raise a RuntimeError. ↓

fix Download and install AutoIt from https://www.autoitscript.com/site/autoit/downloads/. Ensure AutoItX3.dll is registered (or use regsvr32).

gotcha Function names differ slightly from AutoIt VBA. For example, use 'win_wait_active' instead of 'WinWaitActive'. Case-insensitive but underscores matter. ↓

fix Refer to the official pyautoit documentation or source code for exact function signatures.

gotcha The library is 32-bit only. On 64-bit Python, loading AutoItX3.dll may fail with a 'BadDll' error. You must use 32-bit Python. ↓

fix Install a 32-bit version of Python (e.g., from python.org) and ensure dependencies are 32-bit.

deprecated The project has not been updated since 2020. It may not work with newer AutoIt versions or Python 3.10+ due to potential changes in ctypes or DLL handling. ↓

fix Consider alternatives like pywinauto or use the AutoItX COM interface directly via win32com.

Imports

autoit
wrong
```
from pyautoit import autoit
```
correct
```
import autoit
```
The package exposes the module directly as 'autoit'; importing from pyautoit is unnecessary.

Quickstart

Open Notepad, write text, and close the window.

import autoit

# Launch Notepad
autoit.run("notepad.exe")
autoit.win_wait_active("Untitled - Notepad", 5)

# Send text
autoit.send("Hello, world!", 0)

# Click the 'X' button to close
autoit.win_close("Untitled - Notepad")