This product is no longer supported. Please see below for a recommended solution.
The PICkit™ 3 Programming App and Scripting Tool was developed to control the PICkit 3 In-Circuit Debugger independently from the MPLAB® IDE. This software tool has been replaced by the MPLAB Integrated Production Environment (IPE) application that is included with the MPLAB X IDE installation package.
The PICkit 3 Programming App and Scripting Tool is still available in the archive area of the Microchip.com website. This software tool requires an operating system on the PICkit 3 In-Circuit Debugger that is not compatible with either the MPLAB X IDE or MPLAB IPE; therefore it can create a communication or connection error when using MPLAB X IDE. It is recommended that MPLAB IPE be used for independent control of the PICkit 3 In-Circuit Debugger.