AutoHotkey Migration: DLL And Native Interop

Planned mapping for AutoHotkey DllCall, callbacks, buffers, structs, and native interop to C# and EyeAuras APIs.

AutoHotkey Migration: DLL And Native Interop

Use this page for DllCall, CallbackCreate, Buffer, NumGet, NumPut, raw pointers, native structs, and direct Win32 interop.

This area starts with literal DllCall migration. Higher-level EyeAuras or PoeShared APIs are still useful, but they are rewrite options, not the direct equivalent of DllCall.

Quick Map

AutoHotkey Need	AHK APIs	EyeAuras Route	First C# Shape	Judgment	Notes
Call native DLLs	`DllCall`, `Buffer`, `NumGet`, `NumPut`, `CallbackCreate`	Typed C# P/Invoke wrappers; optional rewrite to existing EyeAuras/PoeShared APIs	`[DllImport("user32.dll")] static extern IntPtr GetForegroundWindow();`	Good for simple calls, but more explicit and more boilerplate than AHK.	Show the direct P/Invoke signature first. Mention an EyeAuras/PoeShared API only as a nicer rewrite path, not as the only answer.

Simple DllCall

AutoHotkey v2:

hwnd := DllCall("user32.dll\GetForegroundWindow", "ptr")

EyeAuras C# script:

using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

var hwnd = NativeMethods.GetForegroundWindow();
Log.Info($"Foreground HWND: 0x{hwnd.ToInt64():X}");

static class NativeMethods
{
    [DllImport("user32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
    public static extern IntPtr GetForegroundWindow();
}

The C# version moves AHK's string-based call into a typed signature. The helper class can live in the same script file for a small script or in a separate .cs file for larger projects.

Optional EyeAuras rewrite when you want an IWindowHandle instead of a raw HWND:

IWindowListProvider WindowsProvider { get; init; }

var foreground = WindowsProvider.GetForegroundWindow();

Recommendation: Good shape for simple native calls. Show the direct P/Invoke migration first; then mention an EyeAuras/PoeShared API if it is a better user-facing rewrite.

DllCall With Arguments

AutoHotkey v2:

DllCall("user32.dll\MessageBoxW", "ptr", 0, "str", "Hello", "str", "EyeAuras", "uint", 0, "int")

EyeAuras C# script:

using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

NativeMethods.MessageBoxW(IntPtr.Zero, "Hello", "EyeAuras", 0);

static class NativeMethods
{
    [DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "MessageBoxW", CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
    public static extern int MessageBoxW(
        IntPtr hWnd,
        string text,
        string caption,
        uint type);
}

Recommendation: Better than raw AHK strings once the signature is correct. The risk moves from runtime type strings to choosing the correct C# types, charset, calling convention, and lifetime rules.

Type Mapping Starter

AHK Type	C# Shape	Notes
`ptr`	`IntPtr` or `nint`	Use `IntPtr` in snippets for widest familiarity.
`int`, `uint`	`int`, `uint`	Match signedness; many Win32 booleans are `bool` with `[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]`.
`int64`, `uint64`	`long`, `ulong`	Keep pointer-sized values as `IntPtr` instead.
`float`, `double`	`float`, `double`	Match the native ABI exactly.
`str`	`string`	Set `CharSet.Unicode` or use the `W` entry point for modern Win32 calls.
Output string buffer	`StringBuilder` or allocated buffer	Plain `string` is for input strings.
`Buffer`, `NumGet`, `NumPut`	`byte[]`, `Span<byte>`, `MemoryMarshal`, `StructLayout` structs	Prefer typed structs when the layout is known.
`CallbackCreate`	delegate plus `Marshal.GetFunctionPointerForDelegate(...)`	Keep the delegate alive for as long as native code can call it.
`Cdecl` option	`CallingConvention = CallingConvention.Cdecl`	Use only when the native function is actually cdecl.

Verification Links

AHK docs: DllCall, CallbackCreate, Buffer, NumGet, NumPut.
EyeAuras docs: Window Handles, Scripting Runtime.
EyeAuras source: UnsafeNative.WindowUtils.cs, WindowHandleExtensions.cs.