computer science

KiXtart

KiXtart is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand KiXtart rather than just read about it. In short: KiXtart is a closed source free-format scripting language for Windows. It is described as a logon script processor and enhanced batch scripting language by the official website.

Key takeaways

KiXtart belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect KiXtart to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of KiXtart from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

KiXtart is a closed source free-format scripting language for Windows. It is described as a logon script processor and enhanced batch scripting language by the official website. Its name is a portmanteau of "kick start".

Overview KiXtart is developed by Ruud van Velsen of Microsoft Netherlands. It is now provided as careware. Development started in 1991 to provide login scripting for the Microsoft LAN Manager environment. It has rich built-in functionality for easy scripting and provides access to ADSI, ADO, WMI, etc. The language can be used to display information, set environment variables, start programs, connect to network drives, read or edit the registry, change the current drive and directory, and much more. With KiXforms, the user can create a GUI for KiXtart.

Code example Read the Windows product ID

; Read value from registry $ProductID = ReadValue("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion","ProductId")

; Display result or error message If @ERROR = 0 ? "ProductID=$ProductID" Else ? "Error reading product ID" Endif ?

; Done Exit @ERROR

Versions Development of KiXtart as a logon scripting language started in 1991. Later versions were released on these dates:

3.63 23 October 2000 KiXtart 2001

4.00 19 November 2001 4.02 21 January 2002 4.10 8 July 2002 4.11 26 August 2002 4.12 11 November 2002 4.20 17 February 2003 4.21 15 July 2003 4.22 14 November 2003 4.23 31 December 2004 KiXtart 2010

4.50 1 July 2005 4.51 6 October 2005 4.52 21 July 2006 4.53 15 September 2006 4.60 3 October 2007 4.61 24 September 2009 4.62 12 August 2011 4.63 4 September 2012 4.64 25 February 2014 4.66 24 July 2015 4.67 10 October 2016 4.70 17 October 2022

Books Kelly, Bob. Start to Finish Guide to Scripting with KiXtart / Bob Kelly. Greenland, NH : Agility Press, 2004. ISBN 1-932577-09-2 Jesse M. Torres. Windows Admin Scripting Little Black Book, 3rd Edition / Jesse M. Torres. Paraglyph Press, 2006. ISBN 1-933097-10-8

See also AutoHotKey AutoIt AutoKey (for Linux) Automator (for Macintosh) Automise Bookmarklet FastTrack Scripting Host iMacros for Firefox Macro Express Winbatch

References

External links KiXtart.org KiXforms.org

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with KiXtart

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what KiXtart claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to KiXtart before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about KiXtart ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of KiXtart

In research: KiXtart appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses KiXtart in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: KiXtart is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Proprietary software, Scripting languages, Software engineering stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for KiXtart outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study KiXtart in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what KiXtart means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain KiXtart out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is KiXtart in simple terms?

KiXtart is a closed source free-format scripting language for Windows. It is described as a logon script processor and enhanced batch scripting language by the official website.

Why does KiXtart matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study KiXtart?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on KiXtart.