Numerical Algorithms for Nonlinear Dynamics
&
Existing Program Implementations

Basic AUTO features are summarized in the tables (what-it-can и usability-and-requirements), in comparison with several other packages.

Though AUTO is a program designed to do the bifurcation analysis for ODEs, it may work with maps too. It is achieved by some kind of a trick and looks unnatural (for me).

For computation and continuation of periodic solutions for systems of ODEs the collocation method is employed. There are no time-integration procedures for ODEs (cf. table) included in the AUTO package. In particular, to start from the given periodic solution you must set it in the form of the file, containing trajectory points. Or, alternatively, you may start from the Hopf bifurcation point.

Interface of AUTO is extremely laconic, the learning curve is rather steep. I think this is one of the reasons why there are so many interface wrappers I've mentioned above.

In order to work with AUTO under WINDOWS you must know how to program (at least, a little) in C (or, correspondingly, FORTRAN). However, there are third party solutions, for example, it is likely here one may find a kind of codegenerator for required files in C for AUTO2000 (I did not try anything).