If you spend a lot of time at your computer it probably means you are going to be doing a lot of typing. That will be the case if you use the computer to work, write letters, documents, emails, articles or simply spend time on forums or social networks. Whether you realize it or not, you’ll very likely be typing in the same things like long words or common phrases, names, addresses or email signatures over and over again. That all takes time that could be saved if you shorten the process.
So say you do make install oops need root C-a! Now you have!cursormake install and typing the space doesn't expand the! I'm gonna try to work around this with commandline -C. A third problem, which might be a feature, is that it's only expanded when you type a space or enter after an abbreviation. Looking for the definition of ROCKET? Find out what is the full meaning of ROCKET on Abbreviations.com! 'Recumbents Of Central Knoxville and East Tennessee' is one option - get in to view more @ The Web's largest and most authoritative acronyms and abbreviations resource.
It’s possible to use something like the Clipboard to paste in the same text over and over, but the Windows Clipboard has it’s limit of pasting a single copied item at a time. Users of Microsoft Word will likely know about the Autocorrect function that can take an abbreviation or short string and replace it with another word or short phrase. While that works in Word it doesn’t help when you want to use something similar in other applications or web browsers.
As Windows doesn’t have the ability to expand words or strings into phrases a third party application will be needed. We’ve previously written about how to insert words or phrases with hotkeys, but here we list 5 free tools that can quickly or automatically expand a short typed string into a longer string. All programs were tested in Windows 7 and 10 64-bit.
1. PhraseExpress
PhraseExpress is probably the most feature rich and comprehensive free text replacement tool around today. Depending on your needs it may be exactly what you want or you might prefer to use something smaller and simpler. There’s an add-on system where phrase files can be downloaded and imported, such as sample phrases, special functions, English contractions, autocorrect words, chat acronyms and sample macros. Even Autotext and Autocorrect From Word and emails from Outlook can be imported. PhraseExpress has both portable and setup installer versions.
Adding a phrase can be done a couple of ways, either open the main window and press the Phrase button in the ribbon toolbar, or highlight a phrase in some text and press Ctrl+Alt+C. The second method is simpler and quicker because you only need to supply the abbreviation autotext. The first method is more powerful as the replacement text can include a massive array of content. It includes text formatting, images, URLs, tables, date and time, automation such as create email or run program, text operations, clipboard operations and mouse/keyboard functions.
After typing the autotext shortcut the phrase content can be inserted immediately, after a delimiter such as Enter, Space or Tab is pressed, in a manual confirm popup menu (press Tab to accept), with a predefined hotkey or SmartComplete suggests as you type. PhraseExpress also has a clipboard cache that stores clipboard data allowing you to select it from a menu, and an option to include or exclude individual phrases or whole phrase libraries in specific programs. Memory usage is a touch high at around 30-40MB.
Download PhraseExpress
2. TyperTask
TyperTask is from the same developer as the popular TinyTask macro creation tool. It’s a plain no frills program that does the task at hand with a few more interesting features besides. These include entering text snippets via keyboard shortcut, launching programs/websites, creating list menus and emulating keyboard keys/mouse actions. It can do all that from a portable executable of only 56KB and consuming only 1-2MB of RAM in the background.
As it packs several features into a tiny package that does also make TyperTask a touch more difficult to setup. This is because the settings have to be configured manually in a user interface that closely resembles Notepad. Luckily, creating a simple text expansion is easy. Enter the abbreviation on a new line, add an equals (=), then add the expanded text snippet. For a line break add {enter} into the text. Additional keyboard keys and abbreviations for date and time can also be used.
Go to File > Save and minimize TyperTask to the tray. An informative Readme file is available for the more advanced uses of the program and how best to use text snippets. Go to Help > Help Reference to open it.
Download TyperTask
3. WordExpander
WordExpander is by Bartels Media, the people behind Sharemouse, and advertised as a free alternative to the shareware and quite expensive PhraseExpander. The program is a traditional text replacement tool and not stuffed with features like PhraseExpress, which is good if that’s all you want. There are two modes of operation (called Libraries) in WordExpander, phrase replacement shortcuts or autocorrection.
For a Phrase you supply a shortcut word and then add the snippet or block of text to replace it with. When you type the shortcut a menu will popup with one or more snippets that are configured for that shortcut. Press the default qualifier key Shift to insert the replacement text. Autocorrection is different because it’s meant for auto correcting misspelled words but can also be used for phrases or sentences. Enter the Typo (shortcut phrase) and replace with text in the Correction box. As soon as you enter the typo text and press space it will automatically be replaced.
WordExpander has some downloadable phrase libraries but they’re all medical related for some reason. There is an English autocorrect file which has over 4,100 word corrections. Download it then use the Import Library function to import the text file into the program. WordExpander was a bit erratic on memory usage, averaging anywhere between 20MB and 60MB.
Download WordExpander
4. Texter
Texter was developed by an editor working at Lifehacker and created in the AutoHotKey scripting language. Sadly Texter is not in active development and the last version was from back in 2007. That’s not to say it doesn’t work on newer operating systems because we tested it in Windows 10 and it worked OK. Any found issues or bugs are never going to get fixed though. Both setup installer and portable versions are available, as is the AutoHotKey source code if you want to have a look.
After launching Texter and it’s sitting in the tray press Ctrl+Shift+H to open the create hotstring window. Alternatively double click the tray icon and press the plus button. Enter the hotstring into the small box which is the abbreviation text, then enter the replacement text into the large box. A new line here will also insert the text as a new line in the software. The Trigger is how you would like the text to be expanded, either after you press Enter, Tab, Space or instantly after the hotstring has been typed. Press OK when done and test out your new hotstring.
To edit or delete the hotstrings open the management window by double clicking the tray icon or pressing Ctrl+Shift+M. Texter also has a basic scripting mode which can add keystrokes to the text, change the Text drop down to Script to enable that function. More help can be found on the Lifehacker page for the program. Texter uses about 4MB of memory sitting in the tray
If you only want to use text expanding capabilities within your web browser to fill online forms or forum posts etc, it makes sense to use a browser extension. That way only the browser will be affected and other software on the computer will not, and nothing will be running in the background while the browser is closed. ProKeys is a Chrome extension that can do the job.
The extension works much like the other tools by adding a keyword or phrase and then entering the expanded text to replace it with. Text replacement is not automatic and you press a hotkey after typing the abbreviated word to expand it, the default is Shift+Space but can be changed. ProKeys also has an auto character pair insert option (if you type a left bracket it will add a right bracket and place the cursor in between them) and an exclusion list where specific websites can be added that ProKeys will ignore.
Download ProKeys Chrome Extension
We did look at some other extensions for both Chrome and Firefox, such as Auto Text Expander and Text Complete, but found they didn’t work very well or never worked at all. One issue with using an extension is it will use more memory than the lighter tools listed here. If your system is quite old or its memory is limited it might be better to use something like Texter or TyperTask instead.
You might also like:
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7 Comments - Write a Comment
Austin13 years ago
It appears that TyperTask is no longer on the vtaskstudio.com web site. It available for download from CNet.com and other download web sites. There is also a Typer Task program on SourceForge.net, but it is not clear if this is the same program.
Reply
Thanks for the report, we’ve changed the download link to Softpedia. The tool at Sourceforge is different and never really got off the ground by the look of it.
Reply
Austin13 years ago
My attempts to use TyperTask have been somewhat disappointing. It seems to work very nicely, but the help information included with TyperTask says that there is an additional online help file with a complete list “bracket codes” that allow you to use non-alphanumeric keys on the keyboard. TyperTask is handicapped without this additional information.
It appears that all references to TyperTask have been purged from the vTaskStudio,com web site. They have shut down their support forum and they say that they don’t respond to requests for help via E-mail or phone.
If someone has saved a copy of the online help file or the “bracket codes”, it would be a great service to the user community if they could post that information somewhere online. Perhaps someone could find the unknown bracket codes by examining the executable file and looking for ASCII strings that correspond to the known bracket codes.
Reply
The help file says the extra bracket codes are contained within the help files of vTask Studio. Those files are still online so you will have to search through and find what you are looking for. The below help page might be of some use.
vtaskstudio.com/help/lookup.htm#keys
It’s a shame when a developer completely disowns its own software. TinyTask and WhatChanged are other free tools we have mentioned before that have been erased from their website.
Reply
Lee8 years ago
I am an advanced user of this program and I can highly recommend the Pro version for business use. I use it every day and consider it indispensable. To use the advanced features you do need to sit down and read the user manual, but once you do you will be amazed at what it can do and how much time it can save you? Texter is good, but PE offers a whole new level of customization and features that become hard to live without.
Reply
thanks ray….its nice to see you post regularly these days…
Reply
suja8 years ago
I use Texter -simple and good
Reply
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Best text expansion app for Mac
Forget retyping. Rocket Typist saves text snippets.
Whether you’re new to Mac or have been using it for years, highly specialized things like shortcuts, special Mac symbols, and accented characters might result in a web investigation spiralling out of control.
If you’ve just recently switched from Windows, you should know that Macs don’t really use alt codes to type special symbols. Instead, all of the most popular Unicode characters can be typed in right from the keyboard. Unfortunately, Apple could do a much better job of shining light at this functionality.
Truth is there are many more like this and below we’ll explore different ways of how to type copyright symbol on Mac or any special characters Macs allow, where to find Apple keyboard symbols, and whether there’s an emoji keyboard on Mac.
What Are All The Mac Keyboard Symbols?
While a standard computer keyboard contains around 80 keys, you’re able — in one way or another — use it to input all of the Unicode characters, of which there are about 130,000.
To start, simply explore how all the face-value characters change when you combine them with modifier keys — Control, Option, and Command. You can even combine multiple modifiers together as well. To see all Mac keyboard shortcuts symbols clearly, however, you need to turn on the full keyboard layout.
Download Setapp to accelerate typing special keyboard symbols on Mac – bypass any limitations right now.
Display all Mac keyboard symbols
Even if you’ve been using your Mac for a while, it’s useful to look at all the possible keyboard combinations from time to time to refresh your memory and discover new ways of quickly inputting information.
Luckily, it’s easy to show all Mac key symbols at once:
Go to System Preferences ➙ Keyboard
Check the box next to “Show keyboard and emoji viewers in menu bar”
Now you can click on the language flag in your menu bar and choose Show Keyboard Viewer. The interactive display will appear, showing all the keyboard symbols and altering the view in real time when you use modifier keys.
Of course, even using all the modifier keys and combinations available, it’s impossible to fit all the characters in such constrained amount of space. To see all Mac key symbols, you need to select Show Emoji & Symbols option from the same language flag menu, or use a shortcut Control + Cmd + Space.
Here, you’ll see all kinds of categories on the left: Emoji, Arrows, Currency Symbols, etc. In the center are all the characters within a given category. And on the right you can pick a font variation of the same symbol.
To type in a TM symbol Macs use, for example:
Open your word processor of choice
Call the Mac symbols menu
Navigate to Letterlike Symbols on the sidebar
Double-click on ™ to paste it into your editor
How to create custom Mac keyboard shortcuts symbols
With the Show Emoji & Symbols window, you have access to nearly all Unicode characters you’ll ever need. However, if you need to use some special characters — such as a copyright symbol on Mac — rather frequently, it would be quite inconvenient to call up a menu and search for what you need every time. Of course, you can add the copyright symbol to your favorite characters, which will save you some time, but there’s a much better way.
Macs allow you to create shortcuts for all keyboard symbols to be able to easily type them in whenever you need. For example, to create a shortcut for the copyright symbol on Mac:
Type in a desired key combination to trigger the copyright symbol on Mac in the Replace column on the left
Although this default shortcuts method works well for characters or emoji, it doesn’t effectively translate into longer strings of text or paragraphs. If you want to, for instance, create a shortcut that outputs a sales email template, you’d need to use a little nifty tool called Rocket Typist.
Rocket Typist is a full-featured text expansion app created to minimize repetition in composing any form of text-based communication. It’s essentially a small database of text snippets you’ll use over and over again.
Starting with Rocket Typist is easy: use File ➙ New to create a new snippet, specify the abbreviation, fill out as much text (sentences or even paragraphs) as you need, and then use the abbreviation to expand text in any application.
Sometimes, the Mac keyboard symbols you need are only available in another language — say, they could be Cyrillic-based. To access them, you’d need to enable another keyboard layout on your Mac.
Luckily, it’s easy to do:
Go to System Preferences ➙ Keyboard
Navigate to Input Sources
Click the plus sign
Choose the language you need and press Add
Now, the second keyboard layout will be activated. Don’t forget to check the box next to “Show Input menu in menu bar” to see which layout is currently active. The standard shortcut to switch between layouts is Cmd + Space, but you can also change it to Caps Lock key in the Input Sources options.
Extra tip: typing emoji on iPhone is much easier if you add an emoji keyboard layout to your languages.
Special Characters: Type in various symbol variations
In some cases, you might just want to access a variation of the symbol that’s already on your keyboard, such as an accented letter.
One way to do this is to find the character of your choice in the Keyboard Viewer, as described above. Another way is to use a keyboard shortcut. You can get an acute accent by typing Option + E and then the letter. Similarly, circumflex is Option + I, grave accent is Option + backquote, tilde is Option + N, and umlaut is Option + U.
A quicker option though is to simply press the key of the letter you want to modify and hold it for a second until a small menu appears. Then just choose a number that corresponds to the modification you seek.
Digitize complex math expressions
If your studies or line of work require the use of complex math, you might be spending too much time crafting LaTeX and MathML expressions by hand. But as with nearly everything else nowadays, there’s an easier way.
MathKey is a Mac app specifically developed to write complex equations in academic papers and math documents. Instead of composing dozens of obscure symbols together, the app allows you to hand-write the equation using your trackpad (or mouse) and output perfect LaTeX or MathML, ready for publication.
Search for anything instantly
It’s likely that you won’t retain all the information provided here. Devious machines pitch monster 1 2 1 download free. But don’t worry, the only thing you need to keep is a supercharged search that can take you right back to the answer you’re looking for.
Lacona is an intelligent search for your Mac that contextually analyzes the query and outputs a range of possible solutions, whether it’s launching a certain app, looking it up online, or performing a pre-defined action.
Any question about Mac keyboard shortcuts symbols — such as “how to type copyright symbol on Mac?” — would be met with a guiding response. And all you have to do to start Lacona is press Option + Space.
So there are a lot of things your Mac is capable of that you might have not even considered before. With regards to symbols and characters, what you see on the keyboard is just a tiny slice compared to the total amount available. Using Mac symbols properly will enrich your communication, making it clear and efficient, especially if you get used to creating snippets with Rocket Typist, transferring math equations with MathKey, and keeping everything at the tips of your fingers with Lacona.
Best of all, the apps mentioned above are available to you on a free trial through Setapp, a platform of more than 150 specific Mac apps that are designed to make your days more productive and fun. Now you’re ready to solve some equations!
Setapp lives on Mac and iOS. Please come back from another device.
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
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Rocket Typist 1 3 – Expand Typed Abbreviations Copy Paper