Another sucess: AI and human collaboration

Estimated reading time at 200 wpm: 7 minutes

This will mean nothing to most people – like in the old days when people were scared to touch the very first prototype telephones. It was like, “I don’t know what that thing will do to me!😨😱” If you consider yourself a luddite or partial luddite, skip though to the conclusion at the end, to learn what it means. Oh – and don’t forget to get that lead apron!

What happened

I had TextBlaze which creates shortcuts of various kinds. They charge a subscription fee. Me being the sort who don’t like paying if I can do it for free realised that I could achieve it in AutoHotkey v2 which is good and free software.

So the ‘challenge’ (hate the word) was to create the same keyboard shortkcuts that would work in MS Word. I had about 200 of those in TextBlaze.

Here’s the thing; you have freedom of choice a) not to use your brain or b) to type everyword you need to generate or c) spend your time how ever you like. I’m lazy so I like shortcuts to text generation and formating. [Caution: I require no advice on alternative methods.]

The process involved

1. Exporting those shortcuts into .json files.
2. Asking Gemini to convert those into the shortcuts for AHK, which it did in short time (seconds).
3. Test out the new AHK script.

But then problems arose because formatted text in TextBlaze would come out as plain text in MS Word. Gemini then struggled and was going down rabbit holes. I know when an AI is taking me down rabbit holes from the last experience. So, I went to Qwen. Then Qwen began to do the same thing. I then moved to Claude 4.1.

Claude was fantastic (hate the word). It spotted the circular paths the other two AIs were in. It then adopted a whole new strategy. Eventually the rubbish code introduced by Gemini and Qwen was not needed at all!

The following is my notes on how Claude.ai achieved it, with my guidance. Well, it’s more like orchestration. Yuh know like a conductor waving the baton to create great music. I don’t need to know what exactly each person in the orchestra is doing.

🎯 The Core Concept

MS Word responds to keyboard shortcuts for formatting. AutoHotkey can send these shortcuts before/after text to create formatted output.

📋 Key Commands Reference

Basic Formatting Toggles

Send("^b")    ; Toggle Bold ON/OFF
Send("^i")    ; Toggle Italic ON/OFF  
Send("^u")    ; Toggle Underline ON/OFF

Text Sending in v2

Send("text")      ; Sends text WITH special key interpretation
SendText("text")  ; Sends text literally (use for your actual content)
Send("{Enter}")   ; Sends special keys like Enter, Tab, etc.

🔧 The Basic Pattern

For Bold Text:

Send("^b")                ; Turn bold ON
SendText("Your text")     ; Send the actual text
Send("^b")                ; Turn bold OFF
Send(" ")                 ; Continue with normal text

For Italic Text:

Send("^i")                ; Turn italic ON
SendText("Your text")     ; Send the actual text
Send("^i")                ; Turn italic OFF

For Bold AND Italic:

Send("^b^i")              ; Turn BOTH on
SendText("Your text")     ; Send the actual text
Send("^i^b")              ; Turn BOTH off (reverse order)

📝 Complete Working Template

#Requires AutoHotkey v2.0

; Template for a formatted snippet
::/shortcut::
{
    ; Plain text line
    Send("Regular text here{Enter}")
    
    ; Bold text
    Send("^b")
    SendText("Bold text here")
    Send("^b")
    Send(" {Enter}")
    
    ; Italic text
    Send("^i")
    SendText("Italic text here")
    Send("^i")
    Send(" {Enter}")
    
    ; Bold AND Italic text
    Send("^b^i")
    SendText("Bold and Italic text")
    Send("^i^b")
    Send(" {Enter}")
    
    ; Mixed formatting on same line
    Send("^b")
    SendText("Bold part")
    Send("^b")
    Send(" then normal then ")
    Send("^i")
    SendText("italic part")
    Send("^i")
    Send("{Enter}")
}

🎨 Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Section Headers (Bold + Italic)

Send("^b^i")
SendText("Section Name:")
Send("^i^b")
Send(" {Enter}")   ; Space then newline for user to type

Pattern 2: Numbered Lists with Bold Keywords

Send("1. ")        ; Start numbered list (Word auto-continues)
Send("^b")
SendText("Key Term")
Send("^b")
Send(" - explanation here{Enter}")
; Next line auto-numbers to "2. "

Pattern 3: Definition Lists

Send("^b")
SendText("Term to Define:")
Send("^b")
Send(" ")
Send("Explanation goes here{Enter}")

⚠️ Important Notes

1. AutoHotkey v2 Changes:
   • Use SendText() not SendRaw() (v1 syntax)
   • Use Send() for special keys and shortcuts
2. Word Auto-Features:
   • Let Word handle auto-numbering (only send “1. “)
   • Let Word handle auto-bullets (send “* ” or “- “)
3. Timing:
   • Usually no delays needed
   • If issues occur, add Sleep(50) between commands
4. Testing:
   • Always test in Word first
   • Check if formatting is already ON before running

🔨 Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Text appears but no formatting	Check if ^b is inside Send() not SendText()
Weird characters appear	Use SendText() for content, Send() for shortcuts
Formatting stays on	Ensure you toggle OFF after text
Double numbering	Only send “1. “, let Word auto-number rest

💡 Quick Conversion Checklist

When converting any text to formatted version:

1. Identify what needs formatting (bold, italic, both?)
2. Before the text: Send the toggle(s) ON
3. Send the text: Use SendText("your text")
4. After the text: Send the toggle(s) OFF
5. Continue with normal text or {Enter}

📚 The Working Examples

The MSE Interview format:

• Bold + Italic: Section headers
• Pattern: Toggle both on → Text → Toggle both off → Space → Enter

The Capacity Interview format:

• Bold only: Main headings and key terms
• Mixed: Bold terms within normal sentences
• Auto-numbering: Let Word handle the list

💬Conclusion

So what does this all mean? It means we’ve officially entered the era of “Code Without Tears™.” No more late nights sobbing over syntax errors or wondering why your loop is looping into oblivion. You don’t need to understand the code. You don’t even need to like the code. Just point, grunt, and let the machine do its thing.

Because let’s be honest—unless you’re building a nuclear reactor in JavaScript or accidentally summoning Skynet with a Python script, who cares what the code does? It runs. It works. It doesn’t explode. That’s a win.

Remember when microwave ovens first appeared and half the population thought they were radioactive death boxes? “Oh no, I can’t possibly eat that potato—it’s been irradiated by the Devil’s Box!” Fast forward to today: we’re nuking leftovers while watching AI write code that could run a space shuttle. Progress!

And now we’ve got AI tools most of them free, that can whip up code like Gordon Ramsay on a caffeine bender. They stir, sauté, and flambé your logic until it’s medium-rare and ready to deploy. Testing? Sure. Debugging? Sometimes. Sanity checks? Don’t push it.

But don’t be a complete idiot. AI still needs supervision. You wouldn’t tell your microwave, “Make me a Michelin-starred dinner, I’ll be back after my nap,” unless you enjoy chewing on frozen peas and existential despair. And if you do, congrats – you’ve discovered the AI diet plan. Guaranteed weight loss through starvation and disappointment.

AI isn’t psychic. It doesn’t know what you mean when you say “make it better” or “fix it.” It’s not your mum, your therapist, or your fairy godmother. You give it clear instructions, feed it some data, and babysit it like a toddler with access to your bank account. You learn from the interaction, mostly what not to do next time.

So go ahead. Embrace the chaos. Let the machines code. Just don’t forget to wear your lead apron and keep a fire extinguisher handy. You know, just in case.