Replicate ++ operator via AutoHotKey script? - autohotkey

Question

Let's say I'm programming in a text editor and want to iterate a variable:
i++
Now, let's say for whatever reason, this language doesn't ++ but rather:
i = i + 1
this is annoying when you are used to the first syntax. I want a script which when receiving ++ translates this to a series of commands I send (control shift left arrow, etc, this is not the part I'm having trouble with).
However I cannot seem to get this method to execute:
+ & +::
Msgbox test
return
For whatever reason though, this is not fully being called - I do not see the keystroke for + when typing so I know it is somehow getting to that method, but, not registering the second +.
How can I call a method using the keystrokes ++ as a trigger?

Answer 1

There's a really great library called RegEx Powered Dynamic Hotstrings. And replacing someVar++ with someVar = someVar + 1 reeks of RegEx!
This one line will do what you want:
hotstrings("(\w+)\+\+", "%$1% = %$1% {+} 1")
This will work for every variable name that's alphanumeric (plus underscore): [a-zA-Z0-9_]
Of course, this won't work for every language since it strongly depends on the syntax. For example, some languages use := to assign expressions, other languages need a semicolon to complete a statement and so on...

Answer 2

Hotstrings WILL work for this occasion, however, you might need the "?" modifier for it to grab even within a "word" try it like this:
:*?:++::
ClipboardOld := ClipboardAll,Clipboard := ""
Send, +^{Left}^c
Clipwait
Send, ^{Right} = %Clipboard% {+} 1
Clipboard := ClipboardOld,ClipboardOld := ""
return
This also preserves the clipboard.