Poster presented at the 2013 Texas Conference on Digital Libraries. This poster discusses open source software tools coded with AutoHotkey that the UNT digital libraries group has developed for digital curation during the pre-ingest stage of the digital resource lifecycle

Alemneh, Daniel Gelaw

Weidner, Andrew

Wilson, Robert John

UNT Digital Library

Digital curation activities enhance access and retrieval, maintain quality, add value, and facilitate use and re-use over time. This poster demonstrates open source software tools coded with AutoHotkey that the UNT digital libraries group has developed for digital curation during the pre-ingest stage of the digital resource lifecycle. AutoHotkey (AHK) is free and open source software for the Windows operating system which helps digital curators to create customized micro-applications for digital lifecycle management.  Developers write scripts that embed multiple keystrokes and system commands in a single key combination, or hotkey.  In addition to a portable version for script developers who frequently change workstations, AutoHotkey allows users to create executable files from source scripts for use on any Windows computer. The AutoHotkey scripting language supports programming constructs (e.g., variables, loops, conditionals) and dynamic graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Simple AutoHotkey scripts are particularly useful for large projects that require repetitive file management actions.  More complex scripts provide batch processing capabilities for those who are unfamiliar with command line equivalents.  Custom AutoHotkey applications streamline repetitive tasks associated with the creation of digital objects and their associated metadata so that digital curators can focus on image quality and descriptive content. AutoHotkey Documentation:  http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/ NewspaperNotes.ahk:  https://github.com/drewhop/AutoHotkey/wiki/NewspaperNotes ETD_Metadata.ahk:  https://github.com/thebraino/AutohotKey.git Description:  digital newspaper metadata creation tool. The application simplifies data entry by automatically typing values from a local data entry standard.  In the example below, Ctrl + 4 triggers the “Incorrect Issue Number” hotkey. Digital Curation Micro-Applications: Digital Lifecycle Management with AutoHotkey Andrew Weidner, Robert Wilson & Daniel Alemneh   University of North Texas Libraries: Digital Libraries Division AutoHotkey Basics Summary Introduction Simple Scripts NewspaperNotes.ahk ; Create a New Folder  ; plain text file ; .AHK extension ; comment with semicolons  ; define the hotkey: Win + k #k::  ; file menu key command Send, {AltDown}f{AltUp}  ; 200 millisecond delay Sleep, 200  ; send keys to create folder Send, w Sleep, 200 Send, f ; Rename a File  ; keep old file name ; and add new text  ; hotkey: Ctrl + r ^r::  ; rename selected file Send, {F2} Sleep, 200  ; move to start of string Send, {Home} Sleep, 200  ; type the new text ; e.g. beginning of a date Send, 2013 ; Open First File ; in Selected Folder  ; hotkey: Alt + o !o::  ; open selected folder Send, {Enter} Sleep, 400  ; move to first file Send, {Down} Sleep, 100 Send, {Up} Sleep, 100  ; open file with the ; default application Send, {Enter} Description:  author-created metadata re-formatting tool. The application harvests thesis or dissertation metadata provided by the author in a Word document. Using WordPad, jEdit, variables, loops, and AutoHotkey GUIs, the tool automatically reformats the text and inserts the metadata in an XML template. Above: The script copies author provided keywords with WordPad’s ‘Find’ function. Left:  The input GUI for up to ten keywords.  Below:   The script opens the XML template in jEdit and uses the ‘Search And Replace’ function to replace the #KeywordMeta placeholder with the keyword variables . ETD_Metadata.ahk SCRIPT CODE APPLICATION GUI METADATA FILE 

Digital Curation Micro-Applications: Digital Lifecycle Management with AutoHotkey

https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc159530/m2/1/high_res_d/TCDL13_DigitalCurationMicroApplications.pdf

Digital Curation Micro-Applications: Digital Lifecycle Management with AutoHotkey

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