textexpander help: index

© 2006-2015 SmileOnMyMac, LLC, dba Smile. All rights reserved. TextExpander is a registered trademark, Smile and the Smile logo are trademarks of SmileOnMyMac, LLC, dba Smile.

version 5

About TextExpander

TextExpander Basics (features, installation, purchase & registration)

What's New in This Version?

Getting Started: Guided Tour

Main Window

Menu Bar

Preferences

Working with Snippets

Creating Snippets

Conflicting Snippets

Formatting Snippets

Date/Time Macros

Snippet Labels

Snippet Preview

Suggest Snippets

Deleting Snippets

Expanding Snippets

Search

Grouping Snippets and Importing Groups

Auto-correction

Sorting and Filtering

Syncing Snippets

Duplicating, Saving and Printing Snippets

Working with Snippets: Advanced

Creating and Using Fill-in Fields

Date, Time, and Math Macros

Advanced Snippet Functions: Macros

AppleScript, Shell Script, and JavaScript Snippets

General Tasks

Backup and Restore

AppleScripting TextExpander

Sharing Snippet Groups With Your Team

Getting Answers

Transitioning to TextExpander 5

TextExpander Support and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) [web]

TextExpander Video Tutorial [web]

Visit the TextExpander Website [web]

Take Control of TextExpander ebook [web]

TextExpander User Tips [web]

How Much Time Has TextExpander Saved Me?

© 2006-2015 SmileOnMyMac, LLC, dba Smile. All rights reserved.TextExpander is a registered trademark, Smile and the Smile logo are trademarks of SmileOnMyMac, LLC, dba Smile.

http://www.smilesoftware.com/

http://smilesoftware.com/help/TextExpander5/readme.html

http://smilesoftware.com/help/TextExpander5/whatsnew.html

http://www.smilesoftware.com/TextExpander/faq.html

http://www.smilesoftware.com/TextExpander/screencast/index.html

http://www.smilesoftware.com/TextExpander/index.html

http://www.smilesoftware.com/TextExpander/takecontrol.html?crcat=help&crsource=te

http://smileonmymac.net/blog/category/user-tips/textexpander/

Help: Guided Tour – Main Window

a. Snippets and groups list

b. Add snippets and groups (see Creating Snippets and Grouping Snippets and Importing Groups)

c. Tool menu (see Sorting and Filtering and Duplicating, Saving and Printing Snippets)

d. Conflicting snippets (See Creating Snippets > Conflicting Abbreviations.)

e. View snippet usage statistics (see How Much Time Has TextExpander Saved Me?)

f. Preferences and settings (See Preferences.)

g. Filter snippets for search and sorting (See Filtering.)

h. Snippet format drop-down menu (see Creating Snippets: Format)

i. Snippet content (See Creating Snippets)

j. Insert built-in macros: date, time, clipboard, cursor position etc. (see Creating Snippets: Adding Macros to Snippets)

k. Formatted text style options (see Creating Snippets: Format)

l. Preview expanded snippet (See Preview Snippets.)

m. Snippet label (see Creating Snippets: Labeling Snippets)

n. Snippet abbreviation, case sensitivity setting (see Creating Snippets: Setting Case Sensitivity)



Help: Guided Tour: Menu Bar Item

The TextExpander icon appears in the menu bar by default. Clicking the icon provides a convenient

way to:

Search Snippets

Type a few letters into the search field and all the matching snippets are presented. For

more search options see Search Snippets.

Click on a snippet to insert it. If you prefer not to use a mouse, press return or tab to

move into the results list. Once there, use up and down arrow keys to navigate the list.

Press return to insert the selected snippet.

Open TextExpander

Reveal TextExpander's main window.

(If you choose to hide TextExpander in the Dock (see Preferences: Appearance),

TextExpander's Main Window is also hidden.)

Enable/Disable Expansion

Useful when you want to temporarily disable TextExpander so that you can type without

any expansions being triggered.

Create New Snippet...

Opens the Create Snippet window. Enter the snippet content and abbreviation, choose a

snippet group to assign it to, and click Create.

Create Snippet from Selection...

Opens the Create Snippet window with the currently selected text as the snippet content.

Create an abbreviation, choose a snippet group to assign it to, and click Create.

Create Snippet from Clipboard...

Opens the Create Snippet window with the current content of the Clipboard as the

snippet content. Create an abbreviation, choose a snippet group to assign it to, and click

Create.

Edit Last Expanded Snippet...

Opens the snippet you expanded last so that you can edit it. After you make the desired

changes, click Save.

View all your snippets

All your snippet groups are accessible from the TextExpander menu bar item.

Many of these menu items can be used with hotkeys.

The appearance of the TextExpander icon varies to indicate expansion status. If the icon is gray,

expansion is disabled.

If a yellow triangle appears on top of the icon, expansion is blocked by some other application

which has enabled Secure Event Input. Click on the TextExpander icon in the menubar and

examine the Enable/Disable Expansion menu item to see which application appears to have enabled

Secure Input. You can read more about Secure Event Input and TextExpander on this web page.



http://www.smileonmymac.com/cgi-bin/redirect.pl?product=textexpander&cmd=secureinput&app=menubar.html&lang=en

Help: Guided Tour: Preferences

Expansion ' Options ' Suggestions ' Hotkeys ' Appearance ' Sync ' Backup ' Update

Expansion

Expand abbreviations

TextExpander expansions can be triggered three ways:

immediately when typed

When you type an abbreviation, the expansion occurs immediately (depending on Group

Settings for "Expand after:")

at delimiter (keep delimiter)

You must type a "delimiter" key (such as space or tab) to trigger the expansion; the

delimiter remains after the expansion

at delimiter (abandon delimiter)

As with the previous option, a delimiter must be typed to trigger the expansion, but the

delimiter does not remain in place after the expansion.

If you choose to use one of the delimiter options, click the button Set Delimiters... to select the

desired delimiter key. There are over 30 delimiters to choose from, including most punctuation

keys, as well as space, return, tab and esc.

When expanding

You can specify what happens when a snippet expands in TextExpander by checking the boxes in

this section.

Play sound

You can choose the default sound that TextExpander makes when an expansion is

triggered. (You can also specify a sound for individual snippet groups in the Snippets pane;

see "Grouping Snippets and Importing Groups.")

Use cross-platform compatible images (PNGs)

If you use images in your snippets, TextExpander always pastes the image in PNG format

when the snippet is expanded. Some programs, like Microsoft Entourage, work much

better with PNGs. Other programs, like Microsoft Word and Excel, may have problems

with PNGs. Uncheck this option if you want your images to be pasted in their original file

format, such as JPG or GIF.

Include HTML data

This allows TextExpander to paste formatted text and images into web-based tools, such

as Gmail. Depending on the application you are expanding your snippets in, you may notice

a formatted snippet does not expand as expected. It could be that the enhanced data

allowed by this menu option is not being interpreted well, and turning off this option will

allow a formatted snippet to expand properly again.

Run script snippets (AppleScript, shell script, JavaScript)

This allows TextExpander to run AppleScripts, shell scripts, and JavaScripts when

expanding snippets. If you share snippets with others and don’t use script snippets yourself,

you might choose to turn this off as a safety measure so that you don’t inadvertently run

someone else’s script snippets.

Restore clipboard

In cases where TextExpander must use the clipboard, (e.g. in Carbon applications),

TextExpander restores the Clipboard to the contents it had prior to the expansion.

Depending on your typing speed you may wish to decrease or increase the time delay

between when a snippet expands and the Clipboard is restored.


Default Snippet Format

Set the default format of newly created snippets to one of these formats:

Plain Text

When expanded, the snippet content conforms to the current text style.

Formatted Text, Pictures

Color, size, font and alignment can be specified for text. Images can be used.

AppleScript, Shell Script, and JavaScript

These three formats are available only on a per snippet basis (See "AppleScript, Shell

Script, and JavaScript Snippets.")

The default snippet format is applied to newly-created snippets. Changing the default does not

affect the snippets you have already created.

You can change the format on a per snippet basis in the main window. (See "Creating Snippets:

Format.")

Default Case Sensitivity

Choose whether a snippet will expand, and in what letter case, depending on the case you type the

abbreviation with. You can set the default case sensitivity to one of these options:

Case Sensitive (aB, Ab, ab, AB differ)

Example: "YT" expands to "Yours Truly", "yt" does not.

Ignore Case (aB, Ab, ab, AB same)

Example: either "YT" or "yt" expands to "Yours Truly"

Adapt Snippet to Case of Abbreviation

Example: "Yt" expands to "Yours truly", "yt" expands to "yours truly"

The default case sensitivity is applied to newly-created snippets. Changing the default does not

affect the snippets you have already created.

You can change the case sensitivity on a per snippet basis in the main window. (See "Creating

Snippets: Setting Case Sensitivity")

Default is to expand snippet groups in

You can customize which applications work with TextExpander.

all applications

By default, TextExpander is enabled for all applications.

all applications except...

Excludes specified applications from working with TextExpander.

only these applications...

Specifies which applications work with TextExpander exclusively.

You can change this default on a per group basis in the main window. (See "Snippet Groups: Group

Settings")

Options

Capitalize new sentences

The first letter after a period and a space is capitalized automatically.

Double capitals

If two capital letters are typed at the beginning of a word and a third lower case letter is typed, the

second letter will be converted to lower case automatically (unless Caps Lock is on).

Eliminate at sentence start

Corrects double capitals at the start of a new sentence (after a period and a space.)

Eliminate at word start

Corrects double capitals at the start of a new word.

Do not correct

Turns off this feature, all double capitals are left as is.

Correct capitalization in

You can customize which applications capitalization correction works within.

all applications

By default, capitalization correction is enabled for all applications.

all applications except...

Excludes specified applications from capitalization correction.

only these applications...

Includes only the selected applications for corrected capitalization.

Suggestions

TextExpander can suggest new snippets based on what you type. For more explanation see

Creating Snippets. TextExpander can also notify you when you forget to use an existing snippet.

Suggest snippets based on my typing habits: Turn on or off the suggest snippets

feature.

Suggest when typing in: Limit the applications where TextExpander will observe your

typing for suggesting snippets.

All Applications

By default, TextExpander suggests snippets when typing in all applications.

All Applications Except…

Excludes the specified applications from TextExpander suggestions.

Only These Applications…

Includes only the specified applications for TextExpander suggestions.

Snippet Reminders: Notifies you of the snippet abbreviation when you type out the

content of a snippet that already exists. See Snippet Reminders.

Hotkeys

To set a hotkey, click the "Push to set Hotkey" button, then press the desired hotkey combination

(for example, Control + 1, Option + S). Hotkey combinations must include Control, Option, Shift

and/or Command.

Open TextExpander

Displays the main TextExpander window. Especially useful if you have the Dock icon

hidden and do not have the menubar icon displayed.

Enable/Disable Expansion

Useful when you want to temporarily disable TextExpander so that you can type without

any expansions being triggered.

Create New Snippet

Opens the Create Snippet window. Enter the snippet content and abbreviation, choose a

snippet group to assign it to, and click Create.

Create Snippet from Selection

Opens the Create Snippet window with the currently selected text as the snippet content.

Create an abbreviation, choose a snippet group to assign it to, and click Create.

Create Snippet from Clipboard

Opens the Create Snippet window with the current content of the Clipboard as the

snippet content. Create an abbreviation, choose a snippet group to assign it to, and click

Create.

Edit Last Expanded Snippet

Opens the snippet you expanded last so that you can edit it. After you make the desired

changes, click Save.

Inline Search

Press this hotkey combination for TextExpander to show an inline search window

hovering near where you type. Type a couple letters of any part of a snippet to search.

This is useful if you have a large snippet library or have trouble remembering all your

abbreviations. (See Expanding Snippets: Inline Search.)

Search Snippets

Opens the Search Snippets window near the menu bar.

Appearance

Show TextExpander in menu bar

Here you can specify the width of the list of snippets that appears when you click on the

TextExpander icon in the menu bar.

You can also choose the style of the TextExpander icon itself.

Hide TextExpander icon in Dock

Check this option if you don't want TextExpander to appear in the Dock or in the task switcher.

Note: If you opt to hide the TextExpander icon in the Dock, that will also hide the

TextExpander main menu from view. You can still access TextExpander by choosing Open

TextExpander from the TextExpander menubar icon, using the Open TextExpander hotkey,

or double-clicking the TextExpander application icon in the Finder.

Launch at Login

Check this option if you want TextExpander to start up automatically when you login to your

computer.

Show main window at launch

By default, TextExpander opens its main window when the application launches. If you wish the

main TextExpander window to remain closed upon startup, uncheck this option.

Display font for plain text snippets

Select the font for the appearance of your plain text snippets in the TextExpander window. When

the snippet expands, it will take on the formatting of the text around it, regardless of how it is

displayed in TextExpander.

Default font for formatted text snippets

Set the font your formatted text snippets start with. This is the font the snippet will expand with.

Edit the format in the Fonts window by going to Format > Font > Show Fonts (Command +T) or

by clicking on the Formatted Text button located below the Content box.

Sync

Sync your snippets with TextExpander on another Mac, iPad or iPhone using any syncing folder on

your Mac. Use Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Google Drive, or any cloud service which provides a

syncing folder on your Mac.

The options you will see depend on whether you currently have sync setup.

Don't Sync: Turn off sync. This will move the location of your snippets file to a default location

on your hard drive.

Link to Snippets…: Turn on sync and use snippets already synced from another device. You will

need to locate the snippet file already in a syncing folder and select it.

Save Snippets As…: Turn on sync by saving your snippet file to a sync folder. Choose this

option to setup sync on your first device.

Sync with TextExpander 4 or TextExpander touch 3.4 (Dropbox only): Sync snippets

with older versions of TextExpander for Mac, iPad or iPhone. Older versions use a different

snippet format that can only use Dropbox in a default Dropbox location. You cannot customize

the location of the snippet file in Dropbox.

For more information on setting up sync with TextExpander, see Syncing Snippets.

Share groups on a local network

You can share your snippets with other devices on your local network, including another Mac, iPod

touch, iPhone and iPad. The device must have TextExpander installed.

Note: When groups are shared, they are not synchronized, but rather copied to the other

device.

For more information on setting up a transfer, see Syncing Snippets.

Backup

Perform automatic backups of TextExpander data

TextExpander can automatically create backup copies of your snippets and settings. The backups

are created at the frequency you select from the accompanying popup menu (if you have made

changes).

If you choose not to have periodic automatic backups, TextExpander updates a single backup each

time it starts up.

Backup to folder

By default TextExpander's automatic backup creates a folder called Backups inside the

TextExpander folder within your [home]/Library/Application Support folder. You can specify a

different location by dragging a folder to the path control, or by double-clicking the path control.

Maximum number of backup files

The oldest backup files will be deleted when the number of backup files exceeds this limit during an

automatic backup. Specify "No Maximum" if you don't want any backup files automatically deleted.

Update

TextExpander uses an automatic updating service to alert you when new releases of TextExpander

are available. By default, TextExpander will check daily for updates, but you can modify that to

hourly, weekly or monthly.

The update service also collects anonymous system profile information, which helps us better plan

the ongoing development of TextExpander. If you do not wish to share this information, uncheck

the box.


Help: Creating Snippets

Three Steps to Creating a Basic Snippet

1. Click on New Snippet in the toolbar or choose File > New Snippet from the

menu.

2. Add the snippet content in to the "Content" box on the right.

3. Assign an abbreviation in the "Abbreviation" box below the content.

Optional: Add a label for your snippet in the "Label" box, see below.

Note: You can also create new snippets from selected text or from the Clipboard contents. For

more details, see below.

If you have TextExpander hidden in the Dock (see Preferences: Appearance), you will need to

access the snippet creation menus via the TextExpander menu bar item or via predefined hotkey

shortcuts.

What Makes a Good Abbreviation

A good abbreviation is:

short

easy to remember

unlikely to be typed by accident

unique

Duplicating an abbreviation's first character (ddate, ssig, zzip) is one way of creating abbreviations

that meet these critieria. Another way is to use a period or other punctuation mark as the first

character of your abbreviation (;date, 'sig, /zip).

Conflicting Abbreviations

If abbreviations are too similar, they will conflict. A small conflict indicator or duplicate

indicator will appear at the bottom of the snippet list, and the abbreviation of the snippet will

be highlighted in orange in the snippet list, or in blue if the snippet is an exact duplicate of another.

Conflicting abbreviations may not expand as desired, as the conflicting snippet may expand instead.

(Duplicate snippets do not cause problems.)

If the conflict or duplicate indicator appears, you can edit the abbreviation of the snippet you are

creating so it is unique, and the indicator will disappear. Or you can click the indicator to display a

window showing the conflicting snippet or snippets. There you can resolve the problem by deleting

the abbreviation of the other snippet, deleting the other snippet entirely, or editing the other

snippet.

Format

Snippet content has four format options:

Plain Text

When expanded, the snippet content conforms to the current text style. This is the

standard snippet format, it works best for autocorrection and any other snippets where

you want it to fit in with the format of the surrounding text. This can work with the

macros listed below, but not with images.

Formatted Text, Pictures

Color, size, font and alignment can be specified for text and maintained upon expansion.

Good for email signatures and graphics, this format can include hyperlinks.

AppleScript (advanced)

The snippet content can be an AppleScript, which is triggered by the abbreviation. (See

Script Snippets)

Shell Script (advanced)

The snippet content can be a shell script, which is triggered by the abbreviation. (See Script

Snippets)


JavaScript (advanced)

The snippet content can be a JavaScript or JavaScript for Automation (JSA), which is

triggered by the abbreviation. (See Script Snippets)

To set content format, click on the drop down menu at the top of the Content box.

Using Formatted Text in Snippets

1. Set the content format to Formatted Text, Pictures.

2. Add snippet content in the Content box.

3. Select text to be formatted.

4. Click on the button below the Content window to access Font and Text options for

fonts, size, color, and alignment.

Note: Not all fonts have all typeface options. For example, if you want italics you will need to find

a font that offers that option.

Adding Images to Snippets


2. Drag your image into the Content box or copy it to the Clipboard and use Command + V

to paste it into TextExpander.

3. To remove an image, use the Delete key.

A default content format is set in TextExpander > Preferences under the Expansion tab.

Adding Hyperlinks to Snippets


2. Place a complete web address in the snippet, e.g. http://www.smilesoftware.com/

3. If your link does not appear to be active immediately, then select it and Control-Click on

it.

4. In the following menu select "Make Link."

If you want to edit the visible text to say something else, or include an image in the link:

1. Arrow your cursor into the active link text.

2. Type or paste in the new text within the text of the active link so that the new text takes

on the link properties. If you are adding an image, drag and drop it into the middle of the

active link text.

3. Delete the original text from around the new text or image.

You can also perform these steps in a word processor, and then copy/paste the results into the

snippet content area.

Adding Macros to Snippets

Insert predefined macros to snippets via the insert button below the Content box.

Predefined macros include:

Date

Inserts the day, month and year of the current date in a variety of formats.

Time

Inserts the current time in hours, minutes, seconds and AM/PM.

Date/Time Math

Inserts a date or time that takes the current date/time and adds to or subtracts from it;

e.g. five days from today.

Snippet

Nest a snippet within your snippet. For example, you might want to use your telephone

number snippet in your email signature snippet. If your telephone number changes, you

need only update one snippet.

Key

Inserts a key press for Enter, Esc, Return or Tab; useful for web forms.

Fill-in

Inserts custom fields into your snippets that can be filled in while expanding the snippet;

useful for form letters, e.g. "Dear ____, Thank you for the ____." Other field options

include popup menus and optional text sections. (See Creating and Using Fill-in Fields)

Clipboard

Inserts whatever is on the Clipboard into your snippet when expanded.

Picture...

Browse for an image to insert. Images can also be dragged directly into the content box or

pasted from the Clipboard. The content menu of the snippet must be set to “Formatted

Text, Picture.” Images can also be made into hyperlinks.

Cursor

Specify where you want the cursor to appear after the snippet is expanded. TextExpander

repositions the cursor automatically if you use Position Cursor Here.

In cases where your editor might automatically add indenting to your snippet, or for other

reasons, you can specify up, down, left and right arrow movements. These codes must be

at the end of the snippet, and TextExpander processes them in reverse order.

For more information on Date, Time, and Date/Time Math, see Date, Time, and Math Macros. For

more information on Snippet, Key, Clipboard, and Cursor, see Advanced Snippet Functions:

Macros. For more information on Fill-ins, see Creating and Using Fill-in Fields.

Labeling Snippets

By default, a snippet's label is a shortened version of the snippet contents. You can specify a short,

more useful label to appear in the snippet list instead. Enter the label in the Label field below the

Content Box.

Preview Expanded Snippet

Preview a snippet's expanded state in the TextExpander window by clicking the Preview (eye)

button next to the Label field. Particularly useful when creating date or time snippets.

Setting Case Sensitivity

TextExpander abbreviations can be case sensitive. There are three options:

Case Sensitive (aB, Ab, ab, AB differ)

Example: "YT" expands to "Yours Truly", "yt" does not.

Ignore Case (aB, Ab, ab, AB same)

Example: either "YT" or "yt" expands to "Yours Truly"

Adapt Snippet to Case of Abbreviation

Example: "Yt" expands to "Yours truly", "yt" expands to "yours truly"

A default case sensitivity is set in TextExpander > Preferences under the Expansion tab. (See

Preferences.) You can change the case sensitivity setting on individual snippets by clicking the drop-

down menu bar above the Abbreviation box.

Create Snippet from Selection or Clipboard

A quick way to add snippets to your collection is to create new snippets based on a text selection

or on the Clipboard contents. If you've just typed something and realize that it would be a useful

snippet for future use, follow these steps:

1. Select the text you want for the snippet content.

2. Click the TextExpander menu bar item

3. Click Create Snippet from Selection... (or Create Snippet from Clipboard... if you have copied

the text to the Clipboard.)

The Create Snippet window opens with your selection (or the Clipboard contents) already

entered in the Content field. Assign an abbreviation and a snippet group and click Create.

You can also access Create Snippet from Selection or Create Snippet from Clipboard via hotkey.

Edit last expanded snippet

You can easily edit snippets as you are using them. If you expand a snippet and realize that it needs

to be revised (e.g. new phone number in your signature, new product name in your boilerplate),

try this:

1. Click the TextExpander menu bar item

2. Click Edit Last Expanded Snippet.

3. Make your revisions in the Edit Snippet window and click Save.

You can also access Edit Last Expanded Snippet via hotkey.

Suggest Snippets

TextExpander can suggest new snippets based on what you type. After you have typed the same

group of characters, letters or words enough times, it will suggest you create a snippet. All the

snippet suggestions are collected in a Suggested Snippets group where they remain without

abbreviations. You may choose to ignore them, add an abbreviation to complete them, or delete

them.

Privacy Details

TextExpander observes your keystrokes, as well as the contents of the pasteboard, or, what you

copy then paste using ⌘V.

TextExpander will track how many times you repeat the same group of characters and create a

new suggestion after a certain amount of repetition. However, it does not save the tracking of

what you type so the tracking is lost with each TextExpander restart. Therefore, frequent

restarting of TextExpander won't result in many suggestions. None of what you type is saved by

TextExpander except for the snippets listed in the Suggested snippets group

“Tracking” does not mean TextExpander keeps a list of the actual characters you type. Instead, it

keeps an encoded record (called a “hash”) of that group of characters that cannot be deciphered,

similar to the way a password is securely stored so that no one reading it knows what it is. You

might type “yourpetsname” but what TextExpander sees and records is “1739405847385.”

Notifications

Once a word or phrase is typed often enough, TextExpander will inform you about this new

snippet using Notification Center. From there you can choose:

Keep Suggestion: Assign the suggested snippet an abbreviation.

Drop Suggestion: Never recommend this group of characters as a snippet again.

For details on the settings see Preferences > Suggestions.

Deleting a Snippet

1. Select the snippet in the Snippet list on the left side of the TextExpander main window.

2. Click on Delete in the toolbar, or use the Delete key on your keyboard.


Help: Expanding Snippets

Expand immediately vs. using delimiters

Under TextExpander > Preferences > Expansion, you can set when TextExpander expands a snippet.

TextExpander can expand your snippets immediately when you type the abbreviations. Many users

prefer this mode because it feels faster and more seamless. However, you need to choose

abbreviations that would not appear in your normal typing. For example, "sig" is a poor

abbreviation when using "Expand immediately", because your snippet will be expanded every time

you want to type the word "sign" or "signal".

If you use delimiters, you have more flexibility with abbreviations. No expansion occurs until you

press a delimiter key, indicating that you want the abbreviation to be expanded. For example, you

could use "sig" to enter your signature if you were using delimiters. Your signature snippet would

not be expanded until you pressed a specified delimiter after typing "sig".

By default, space, tab, return and esc keys are designated delimiters, but you can use any of a

large group of characters as additional delimiters. Go to TextExpander > Preferences > Expansion and

click on the Set Delimiters... to see all the choices.

Search: Inline Search

If you have a large snippet library, or you have trouble remembering your abbreviations, you will

find the Inline Search useful. To use this feature, you need to set a hotkey.

Setup Inline Search:

1. Go to TextExpander > Preferences > Hotkeys.

2. Click Click to set Hotkey next to Inline Search.

3. Press a key combination that includes Command, Control, Option and/or Shift plus

any letter or number to set your hotkey; e.g. Control + s.

Use Inline Search:

1. Type your hotkey. The TextExpander search window will appear near your cursor.

2. Type any part of your snippet, abbreviation, content, or label. Scroll through the results

and click the one you want, or press Command + # for the option you want.

For information on other hotkeys, see Preferences: Hotkeys.

Search Snippets

Another way to find snippets is to use Search Snippets. You can open the Search Snippets window

by clicking on the TextExpander icon in the menu and then clicking Search Snippets. You can also

set a hotkey to open the Search Snippets window in TextExpander > Preferences > Hotkeys. (Note

that the hotkey will work even if you do not have the TextExpander icon displayed in the menu

bar.)

Find snippets by typing part of the snippet's contents, label, or abbreviation into the search field in

the Search Snippets window. The search results are updated as you type.

Click on a snippet to expand it, or type the Command+1 through 9 key equivalent shown beside

the first nine matching snippets, or press return or tab to jump to the list of search results,

where you can use the arrow keys to move up and down in the list. Press return to expand the

selected snippet.


Enable/Disable TextExpander

Occasionally, you might want to disable TextExpander temporarily, when you don't want your

snippet expansions to occur. You can do this by clicking on the TextExpander icon in the menu

and then clicking Disable Expansion. To enable TextExpander again, click again on the TextExpander

menu bar icon and then click Enable Expansion.

You can also accomplish this easily by assigning a hotkey for Enable/Disable TextExpander.


1. Go to TextExpander > Preferences > Hotkeys.

2. Click Push to set Hotkey next to Enable/Disable TextExpander.

3. Press a key combination that includes Command, Control, Option and/or Shift plus

any letter or number to set your hotkey; e.g. Control + d.

TextExpander will remember your assigned hotkey combination. You can use it to toggle

TextExpander on and off.


Snippet Reminders

Type out the content of a snippet you already have, and TextExpander will send a notification to

remind you of its abbreviation.

This is helpful once you have created more snippets than you can easily remember. Also, if you find

yourself remembering the snippet but forgetting the abbreviation, search for it using Inline Search.

Turn on snippet reminders:

1. Open Preferences > Suggestions and check On Snippet Reminders.


Help: Grouping Snippets and Importing Groups

TextExpander lets you organize your snippets into groups, as well as import snippet groups from

files and the web. Preferences can be set by group, including application exclusion, expansion

behavior and sounds. (See "Group Settings" below.)

When you first launch TextExpander, you are provided with one group of sample snippets.

Creating A New Group

To create a new group, click on New Group or choose File > New Group from the menu.

You can add snippets to the group by clicking on New Snippet in the toolbar or choose

File > New Snippet from the menu. You can also drag snippets from other groups into the new

group's folder. (For more about snippet creation, see "Creating Snippets")

Add Group from File

You can add a group from an existing file of snippets.

1. Choose File > Add Group from File... from the menu.

2. Find the snippet file that you want to import as a snippet group.

3. Click Open.

The allowable snippet file formats are:

TextExpander

TypeIt4Me (v2 and v3)

Text files (comma- and tab-separated)

RTF files (comma- and tab-separated)

RTFD files (comma- and tab-separated)

Note: When using comma or tab-separated text, TextExpander looks for the abbreviation first,

then the snippet content, and examines only the first two "separated" items per line. For example,

the file's content will look something like this:

ttyl,Talk to you later!,greeting 1

em1,lisanewton @ acmecompany.com,work email

…

Add Group from URL

You can add a group from a file of snippets hosted on the internet.

1. Choose File > Add Group from URL... from the menu.

2. Enter the URL of the snippet group you want to import from the web, e.g.

http://www.smilesoftware.com/te/example.textexpander.

3. Click OK.

The allowable snippet file formats are the same as listed above.

Add Predefined Group

TextExpander offers several snippet groups that you can link to. To add a group:

1. Choose File > Add Predefined Group from the menubar.

2. Click on one of the groups in the list. You will see that group added to your list of snippet

groups.

3. Alternately, you can access this menu by clicking the plus "+" in the lower left corner of

the the TextExpander window.

The groups you can choose from are:


Accented Words

Over 50 English words of non-English origin that are spelled using diacritical accent marks.

For example, crème, brûlée, protégé.

HTML & CSS Snippets

HTML tags and special character codes, CSS selectors and declarations.

Internet Productivity Snippets

Shorten URLs automatically using services like bit.ly; validate URLs. To use one of these

snippets, copy a URL, then type the abbreviation of one of the productivity snippets. A

shortened URL will expand.

Symbol Snippets

Insert common symbols, such as ®, ©, and €.

AutoCorrect Snippets

Over 100 of the most commonly-misspelled words in English.

AutoCorrect Snippets (Deutsch)

Over 100 of the most commonly-misspelled words in German.

AutoCorrect Snippets (Français)

Over 100 of the most commonly-misspelled words in French.

TidBITS AutoCorrect Dictionary

2400+ English-language misspellings based on the exhaustive AutoCorrect Dictionary

created by TidBITS publisher Adam Engst and collaborator Micah Alpern. (For more

details, go to http://db.tidbits.com/article/6103.)

Note: For best results when using AutoCorrect files, TextExpander should be set to expand

"immediately when typed" instead of "at delimiter". See Preferences: Expand Abbreviations for

more details.

Group Settings

To access a group's settings, select the group in the list on the left. The following preferences

appear on the right:

Name

You can rename the group here.

Location

This indicates where the group's snippet file is located, whether "Local" (within your

TextExpander preferences), "External File" (elsewhere on your hard drive) or "URL"

(online).

Expand in

You can disable TextExpander to prevent it from working in specific applications. The

default is set in TextExpander > Preferences under the Expansion tab, but you can customize

which applications work with specific TextExpander groups. The options are:

All Applications

Enables a group to work with all applications. This overrides any exclusions set in

the Preferences Pane.

All Applications, Except...

Excludes certain applications from working with this group's snippets.

Only These Applications...

Specifies which applications will work with this group's snippets.

No Applications (Disable)

This group's snippets will not work in any application.

Sound

Choose the sound that is played when a snippet is expanded, or choose "none".

Expand After

Expansion options are set on a per-group basis. They determine whether an abbreviation is

expanded or not, depending on what precedes the abbreviation.

Whitespace

The abbreviations are expanded only when preceded by a space. This is the default

option.

All but letters and numbers

The abbreviations are expanded when preceded by any character, excluding letters

and numbers.

http://db.tidbits.com/article/6103

All characters

The abbreviations are expanded wherever they are typed, even in the middle of a

word. Use this option cautiously.

Inline Search

Uncheck this box if you do not want the snippets in this group to be included when using

Inline Search.

See Using TextExpander: Inline Search for more information about using this feature.

Update

(for URL-based groups only)

TextExpander can check whether a URL group's source file has been updated. You can set

the frequency to Never, Daily, Weekly or Monthly.


Help: Auto-correction

Add common typos to your snippet library

If you find yourself consistently misspelling certain words, you can add them to your TextExpander

snippet library to be corrected automatically.

Example: If you always type "recieve" instead of "receive", create a new snippet with "receive" as

the content and "recieve" as the abbreviation. When you type the misspelled word, TextExpander

replaces it with the word spelled correctly.

Note: For best results when using auto-correction, TextExpander should be set to expand

"immediately when typed" instead of "at delimiter". (See Expanding snippets: Expand immediately

vs. use delimiter)

Use a predefined auto-correction snippet group

TextExpander offers two predefined auto-correction groups for commonly-misspelled words in

English. To add these groups to your snippet library, choose File > Add Predefined Group >

AutoCorrect Snippets to add 100 commonly-misspelled English words, or choose the TidBITs

AutoCorrect Dictionary with over 2000 entries in English for industrial strength auto-correction. (See

Grouping Snippets and Importing Groups: Add Predefined Group)

Capitalize new sentences

TextExpander can automatically correct the capitalization of the first letter in a sentence. Choose

TextExpander > Preferences > Options to enable this feature. The first letter after a period and a

space will be capitalized automatically. (See Preferences: Options)

Eliminate double capitals at sentence start

TextExpander can automatically correct the double capitals at the beginning of a sentence. Choose

TextExpander > Preferences > Options to enable this feature. If two capital letters are typed after a

period and a space, the second letter will be converted to lower case automatically. (See

Preferences: Options)



Help: Sorting and Filtering

Sorting

TextExpander can sort your snippet library in a variety of ways, either alphabetically or

chronologically, based on the Sort by… option. To reach these options go to TextExpander's View

menu, or go to the Tools menu located in the lower left corner of the TextExpander

window.

Sort by content

Sort by abbreviation

Sort by date created

Sort by date modified

Sort by most recently used

Sort by most used

Sort by label

Filtering

You can also find snippets easily using the Filter box in the toolbar, which allows you to search for

snippets in the TextExpander window. Just type in a few letters contained in the snippet,

abbreviation, or label you are looking for. Only groups and snippets containing those letters are

shown. If you type more than one word, the search looks for snippets where the content or label

contains all of the words in any order. To search for words in an exact order, surround the search

in quotation marks.

To see all groups and snippets again you must clear the filter.



Help: Syncing Snippets

Setup TextExpander to sync your snippets by saving the snippets file to any syncing folder on your

Mac. Examples of cloud services that can be setup as syncing folders are iCloud Drive, Dropbox,

Google Drive, etc.

Setup Sync

1. On your first computer (the one with your snippets) open TextExpander to Preferences >

Sync and click Save Snippets As…

2. Select a location to store your snippet file, Settings.textexpandersettings. In order to make

the snippets sync choose a location which syncs, such as a Dropbox or Google Drive

folder.

3. On your second Mac open TextExpander to Preferences > Sync and click Link to

Snippets… Locate the snippet file just saved. It will be located in whichever folder is

synced with your first Mac.

Or, if your second device is an iPad or iPhone, open TextExpander touch to Settings >

Synchronization, choose Link to Snippets… and locate your snippet file.

Sync with older TextExpander versions

If you use an older version of TextExpander (4.x and earlier) or TextExpander touch (3.4 and

earlier) you can only use Dropbox to sync your snippets. To continue syncing with these versions

successfully:

1. In Preferences > Sync turn on Sync with TextExpander 4 or TextExpander touch

3.4 (Dropbox only). This will place your snippet file here: Dropbox > TextExpander >

Settings.textexpander.

2. On your second Mac, the one running TextExpander 4 or earlier, go to TextExpander's

Preferences > Sync and check “Dropbox”.

Or, if your second device is an iPad or iPhone running TextExpander touch 3.4 or earlier,

go to TextExpander touch's Settings > Synchronization and set "Use Dropbox" to "On".

3. When given the option, choose "Link to Dropbox Data."

Transfer Snippets

If you do not have sync setup, or do not want to use sync, you can still transfer your snippets from

one device to another over your local network. Each transfer is a one-way transfer that copies

your snippets to another device. When transferring to or from an iOS Device, you can only

transfer one group at a time.

Mac to Mac

If you are transferring your snippets from one computer to another, you can copy the

settings file, Settings.textexpandersettings (v5.x and later) or Settings.textexpander (v4.x

and earlier), which contains all of your snippets, and move it to a second computer.

TextExpander places this file in the following default location, but you can place it

anywhere assuming you are using v5.x or later:

[Home] / Library / Application Support / TextExpander / Settings.textexpander

To access your [Home] / Library folder on OS X 10.7 (Lion) and later, please hold

the Option key and choose Go > Library from the menu in the Finder.

Mac to iOS Device

Important: Your Mac and your iOS Device must be on the same WiFi network. On your

Mac, go to TextExpander's Preferences > Sync and make sure to check "Share groups on

local network."

1. On your iOS Device, from the Snippet Groups screen of TextExpander touch, tap

the plus (+) button at the bottom.

2. Tap "Add via Local Network."

3. Tap the name of the Mac from which you'd like to add a snippet group.

4. Tap the name of the group you'd like to add.


5. An alert will appear in TextExpander on your Mac asking you to confirm that you

want to send the group to your iOS Device. Click "Send."

iOS Device to Mac / iOS Device to iOS Device

Important: Your Mac and your iOS Device must be on the same WiFi network. On your

iOS Device go to TextExpander's Settings > Local Network Sharing and turn on "Share

Groups."

1. From the Snippet Groups screen, tap the snippet group you want to send.

2. Tap the Share button at the bottom left.

3. Tap "Send via Local Network."

4. You’ll see a list of available Macs and iOS Devices on the network. Tap the name

of the device where you want to send your snippet group.

5. That device will display an alert asking for confirmation. Click "Add" and your

snippets will be added to TextExpander on that device.


Help: Duplicating, Saving and Printing Snippets

Duplicate a Snippet

1. Select the snippet you want to duplicate.

2. Choose File > Duplicate from the menu.

The original and the duplicate will have the same abbreviation, so you'll need to change the

abbreviation on one to something unique.

Duplicate a Group

1. Select the group you want to duplicate.

2. Choose File > Duplicate from the menu.

Snippet groups from external files and from URLs cannot be edited. If you want an editable version,

duplicate the group and then delete the original URL- or file-based group. The duplicate group will

not be updated from its original source.

Save a Copy of a Group

It's always a good idea to back up your snippets. (Also see Backup and Restore)

1. Select the group you want to save.

2. Choose File > Save a copy of group <group name>... from the menu.

3. Choose a location on your hard drive and click Save.

To restore a group that you have saved, choose File > Add Group from File...

Printing Snippets

As your snippet groups grow, it can be helpful to print out a list of abbreviations and snippets.

Print a Single Group

1. Select the group you want to print.

2. Choose File > Print group <group name>… from the menu.

Print All Groups

1. Choose File > Print all groups... from the menu.



Help: Creating and Using Fill-In Fields

Introduction to Fill-in fields

You can add fill-in fields to a snippet to make it easy to create customized boilerplate text at the time you expand an

abbreviation.

Here is an example of a snippet with fill-in fields in action:

TextExpander supports four kinds of fill-in fields, as seen above:

a. Single line fields:

Type or copy / paste in a customer's name or numerical quantity.

b. Popup menus:

Assign a few standard options, like “today”, “tomorrow”, “in two days.”

c. Optional sections:

This content will always be the same, but does not have to appear every time.

d. Multi-line fields:

Allows for multiple lines of text to appear.

Creating a Fill-in Snippet

1. Create a new snippet by clicking New Snippet in the TextExpander menubar.

2. Click the Insert menu located just above the Abbreviation box.

3. Go to the Fill-ins option and select one of the four types listed.

You will notice a fifth option, “Show at top.” This will allow all the single-line and popup fields to appear at

the top of the fill-in window, useful if you create a very long snippet with lots of fields.


4. Select a Field Name. (If two different fill-in fields have the same Field Name, the same text will appear in both.)

5. Click Done to close the popup window. To edit later, double-click on the field entry text to open the popup. (The

field entry text is what will appear in your snippet content, it will look something like this: %filltext:name=field 1%.)

Popup Window

All of the fields are optional. The fill-in will work even if you don't change any of the defaults. Note: All fill-ins with the

same Field Name will have the same value.

Field Name:

A descriptive name helps you organize if you have several fields. For example: “name”, “date”, “quantity”, etc.

Default Value:

Choose what will appear if nothing is added at the time of expansion. If you prefer the field to remain blank if

nothing else is added, uncheck this option.

Width:

The default width is 20, shown in the example snippet above for the “customer name” field. The quantity field in

the example has a specified width of 4.

Features

Access Fill-ins via the insert button beneath the Content box.

Double-click within a field entry to edit in a popup window.

Expand snippets when entering information into fill-in fields.

Switch applications without dismissing the fill-in window.

Text and popup fill-in fields support default values.

“Show at top”: For longer snippets, set the single-line and popup fields to appear along at the top of the fill-in

window to make filling out the fields easier. Turn on this feature in Preferences. This also works for longer script

snippets.

Advanced: Fill-in Syntax

If you want to skip the Insert menu, you can find the syntax for each of the four types of fill-ins below.

Single-line fields

Syntax:

%filltext[:name=<field name>][:default=<default value>][:width=<width>]%

Field name, default value, and width are all optional. Default width is 20.

Example:

%filltext:name=quantity:default=1:width=4%

Multi-line fields

Syntax:

%fillarea[:name=<area name>][:default=<default value>][:width=<width>][:height=<height>]%

Area name, default value, width, and height are all optional. Default width is 30. Default height is 5.

Example:

%fillarea:name=custom:default=Thanks for ordering from Acme Widgets. Weare a family owned business, established in 1891. We really appreciateyour business.:width=40:height=4%

Popup menus

Syntax:

%fillpopup[:name=<popup name>]:[default=]<value>:[default=]<value>…%

Name is optional. At least one <value> should be specified. Multiple <value>s are encouraged. If no

default is specified, the first <value> will be the default.

Example:

%fillpopup:name=ship timeframe:today:default=tomorrow:next week%

Optional sections

Syntax:

%fillpart[:name=<section name>]:[default=yes'no]%<content of optionalsection>%fillpartend%

Example:

%fillpart:name=Payment Due:default=yes%You did not include paymentinformation with your order. Please call our office at 555-1212 toprovide payment details.%fillpartend%

Name is optional. Default is optional: yes or no; if not specified, no is used. Content can contain other fill-

ins.

Show at top

Syntax:

%filltop%

Place this macro anywhere in the snippet content, including nested snippets, for it to have the effect of

placing single-line and popup fields at the top of the fill-in window upon snippet expansion.

Notes

Fill-in field names and default values cannot contain % (percent sign) or : (colon).

If two fill-in fields in a snippet have the same name, their value will be synchronized when you expand the snippet.

For information on other macros used in TextExpander, see Date, Time, and Math Macros and Advanced Snippet

Functions: Macros.


Help: Date, Time, and Math Macros

Date / Time Snippets

Create a date or time snippet using the Insert menu

1. Create a new snippet by clicking New Snippet in the TextExpander menubar.

2. Click the Insert menu located just above the Abbreviation box. You will see both

Date and Time options.

3. Select a series of Year, Month, Day or Hour, Minute, Second options. Include any

punctuation you would like.

For example, if you want a date to appear in this format “January 3, 2012”, insert the

following:

Choose Date > Month > January. Add a space.

Choose Date > Day > 1. Add a comma and a space.

Choose Date > Year > 2001

4. Choose an abbreviation in the Abbreviation box. We like abbreviations like “ddate” and

“ttime”.

How date / time snippets work

TextExpander allows you to create snippets which expand the current time and date. These types

of snippets use special codes (macros) to do so, and are easily customizable.

For example, TextExpander comes with a sample snippet, “ddate”, for the current date. Type the

abbreviation, “ddate”, and the current date will appear like this : January 3, 2012 (assuming this is

the current date).

Each portion of the date is represented by a percentage sign and letter combination (macro), each

of which stands for a particular format for showing Month, Day, and Year. In order to change a

given date format, change the macros involved and their order. For example:

For this date format “January 3, 2012”, where Month is a word, Day is a number, and Year

is a number, use these characters “%B %e, %Y”.

For this date format “12-01-03”, where Year is a number, Month is a number, and Day is a

number, use these characters “%y-%m-%d”.

The following is a list of macros that can be used in TextExpander in date and time snippets:

Time

%1H = Hour, 24-hour clock, 1-2 digits (0-23)

%H = Hour, 24-hour clock, 2 digits (00-23)

%I = Hour, 12-hour clock, 2 digits (00-12)*

%1I = Hour, 12-hour clock, 1-2 digits (0-12)*

%M = Minute, 2 digits (00-59)

%1M = Minute, 1-2 digits (0-59)

%S = Second, 2 digits (00-59)

%1S = Second, 1-2 digits (0-59)

%p = Time, AM/PM

%z = GMT offset

%Z = timezone

*Note the codes for 12-hour clock use a capital letter i

Date


%Y = Year, 4 digits (2011)

%y = Year, 2 digits (11)

%B = Month, long name (January)

%b = Month, short name (Jan)

%m = Month, 2 digits (01-12)

%1m = Month, 1-2 digits (1-12)

%A = Day, long name (Monday)

%a = Day, short name (Mon)

%d = Day, 2 digits (01-31)

%e = Day, 1 digit (1-31)

%j = numerical day of year

%date:<Unicode Date Format>%

(where <Unicode Date Format> is defined here: http://unicode.org/reports/tr35/tr35-

dates.html#Date_Format_Patterns)

Date / Time Math

Make a snippet to show a past or future date or time using math macros. This involves placing a

math macro directly in front of a date or time macro. Date/time macros are explained above. For

example, say you are in the Accounts Receivable department and routinely need to remind people

to pay you in 15 days time. You can create a date snippet that will always expand to a date 15 days

in the future.

Create a snippet using date / time math:

1. Create a new snippet by clicking on New Snippet in the TextExpander menubar.

2. Click on the Insert menu located just above the Abbreviation box. Navigate to

Date/Time Math > Add Day(s).

3. TextExpander inserts the special code %@+1D, aka math macro, into your snippet

content. Change “1D” to “15D”.

4. Insert the date format you wish to appear using the Insert menu, located just above the

Abbreviation box. For example, if you want the date to appear in this format “January 3,

2012”, insert the following:

Choose Date > Month > January. Add a space.

Choose Date > Day > 1. Add a comma and a space.

Choose Date > Year > 2001

5. When you are done, the snippet content should be “%@+15D%B %e, %Y”, without the

quotation marks.

6. Give your snippet an abbreviation, such as “d15” or “payupnow”.

Here is a list of the math macros used in TextExpander:

%@+1Y = Add Year(s)

%@+1M = Add Month(s)

%@+1D = Add Day(s)

%@+1h = Add Hour(s)

http://unicode.org/reports/tr35/tr35-dates.html#Date_Format_Patterns

%@+1m = Add Minute(s)

%@+1s = Add Second(s)

To subtract the value instead of add, change the plus “+” to minus “-”. To change the amount of

value, change the “1” to another number.

Date and time math macros apply to all subsequent date and time formats, including to embedded

snippets. Date and time math macros are not cumulative. If another date and time math macro

appears in a snippet, it replaces the previous date and time math macro. For example, assuming it is

now September 2014: "One year from now: %@+1Y%Y, more specifically %B, %Y. Two years from

now: %@+2Y%Y." expands to "One year from now: 2015, more specifically September, 2015. Two

years from now: 2016."

For more information on special characters and macros used in TextExpander, see Advanced

Snippet Functions: Macros.


Help: Advanced Snippet Functions: Macros

What is a Macro?

In the context of TextExpander, a macro is a short code that begins with a percent sign (%). That

code is like a placeholder for information you want to insert in your snippet, like today's date or

someone's name. When a snippet that contains a macro is expanded, that code is replaced by the

information you specified.

TextExpander provides several different macro options to choose from. These macros are

accessible in the TextExpander window through the Insert menu located just above the

Abbreviation box.

Note: Since TextExpander uses the percent sign (%) to indicate a macro, it will not appear in the

expanded snippet text. In order for it to appear in the expanded snippet, it will need to be doubled

(%%). For example, if you want your expanded snippet text to be “50% discount”, enter it as

“50%% discount”.

Date / Time Snippets

Insert the current date or time with a snippet. Or use date/time math to add a past or future

date/time, e.g. the date five days from now. For a full explanation, see Date, Time, and Math

Macros.

Clipboard

%clipboard

Have your clipboard contents included as part of your snippet upon expansion. For example, say

you want to customize just one portion of a form letter.

1. Create a snippet with content:

Hello %clipboard,

It was a pleasure meeting you! Thank you for coming.

Cheers,

Ann

2. Copy something to the clipboard (Command + C), in this case "Bob".

3. Type the snippet abbreviation. It will expand:

Hello Bob,

It was a pleasure meeting you! Thank you for coming.

Cheers,

Ann

Fill-in Fields

Inserts custom fields into your snippets that can be filled in while expanding the snippet; useful for

form letters, e.g. "Dear ____, Thank you for the ____." For a full explanation of these macros, see

Creating and Using Fill-in Fields.

Cursor Position

%| = (Shift + \) Position Cursor Here

Specify where you want the cursor to appear after the snippet is expanded. (The insertion cursor

appears at the end of the snippet by default.)

%\ = Select To Here (must appear after %|)

In combination with %|, this specifies a range of text to be selected within the snippet after

expansion.


Cursor Movement

%> = cursor right

%< = cursor left

%^ = cursor up

%v = (letter v) cursor down

In cases where your editor might automatically add indenting to your snippet, or for other reasons,

you can specify up, down, left and right arrow movements to occur after the expansion, relative to

the end of the snippet. These codes must be at the end of the snippet, and TextExpander

processes them in reverse order. They cannot be used in combination with %| or %\.

Delimiter Overrides

%+ = keep delimiter

%- = abandon delimiter

These delimiter modifier codes override the Preferences > Expansion > Expand abbreviations

setting. These codes must be at the end of the snippet (after Cursor Movement).

Key Presses

%key:tab%

%key:esc%

%key:return%

%key:enter%

Insert the equivalent of the press of a key into a snippet. Available key options are Enter, Escape,

Return and Tab. This is useful for web forms where a single snippet can fill in a field, tab to the

next field, then submit the form with the Enter key. Also, useful in emails where you want one

snippet to fill in the Subject line then tab to the email body and fill it in. That snippet might look like

this:

Nested Snippets

%snippet:<snippet abbreviation>%

(where <snippet abbreviation> is the abbreviation assigned to the snippet you would like

to nest.)

Nest a snippet within another snippet. For example, you might want to use your telephone number

snippet in your email signature snippet. If your telephone number changes, you only need to update

one snippet. Here is a telephone number snippet (ttel) nested in an email signature snippet (ssig):

ssig =

Ciao,

Lisa

---

Lisa Newton

Acme, Inc.

[email protected]

%snippet:ttel%

The snippet will expand to this:

Ciao,

Lisa

---

Lisa Newton

Acme, Inc.

[email protected]

1-408-996-1010

Nested snippets also work with AppleScript, Shell Script, and JavaScript Snippets.


Help: Script Snippets

AppleScript Snippets

In the content format drop-down menu, choose "AppleScript" as the format type. In the content

field, enter an AppleScript such as this one:

-- Adjust greetingsList values to your preferred greeting

set greetingsList to {"Sincerely", "Yours Truly", "Peace Out", "Have a good day",

"kthxbai"}

set listLength to count greetingsList

set randomNumber to (random number from 1 to listLength)

set selectedGreeting to item randomNumber of greetingsList

return selectedGreeting

The script executes in the context of the TextExpander application. The script can perform various

actions such as controlling or requesting information from other applications, but the snippet will

expand to whatever text is returned. The script should not use display dialog or

display alert because all keystrokes are buffered while the snippet is expanding.

Shell Script Snippets

In the content format drop-down menu, choose "Shell Script" as the format type. In the content

field, enter a shell script such as this one:

#!/usr/bin/perlprint "Hello from Perl!\n";Your shell script must have the “shebang” (#!) on its first line and that must specify the interpreter

to be used for your script.

Here is an example of a Unix shell script

#!/bin/bashecho "Hello from Bash!"The snippet will expand to the standard output of the shell script.

Shell scripts inherit TextExpander’s environment, so no shell configuration or profile, such as

.bashrc / .bash_profile, is executed. TextExpander sets LANG to [current locale].UTF-8 before

executing a shell script. The result of a shell script must be encoded in UTF-8.

JavaScript Snippets

In the content format drop-down menu, choose "JavaScript" as the format type. In the content

field, enter a JavaScript such as the example below.

In the content field, you may enter:

Plain old JavaScript, as you might write for a web browser, in an environment provided by

TextExpander. This script can also operate in TextExpander touch for iOS.

JavaScript for Automation (JSA) which is a superset of JavaScript and can be used to

automate OS X applications, but it cannot share context with other embedded script

snippets, and the expansion text is always the value of the last statement executed in the

script. It cannot operate in TextExpander touch for iOS.

TextExpander will automatically detect JSA because almost all JSA scripts must contain some

specific keywords. If needed, force the script to execute in JavaScript for Automation by setting the

first line to: //JSA or // JSA, (a comment with or without a Space to start).

Here is an example of plain old JavaScript:

a = "Hello, "; b = "world!";


https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/releasenotes/InterapplicationCommunication/RN-JavaScriptForAutomation/

a + b;

Here is an example of JavaScript for Automation:

Mail = Application('Mail'); firstMessage = Mail.inbox.messages[0]; firstMessage.subject();

In both cases, the snippet expands to the content of the last expression.

The TextExpander environment includes a global TextExpander variable with the following

properties:

appendOutput()

This function allows the script to build up the text to be expanded, otherwise the expansion

will default to the value of the last statement executed in the script (see also

TextExpander.ignoreOutput)

ignoreOutput

A boolean flag the script can set indicating it will return no text for expansion. Useful in the

case where the script only has some side effect. Default value is false.

triggeringAbbreviation

A string which tells what abbreviation triggered the expansion of the script. The triggering

abbreviation may not be the abbreviation of this snippet if the snippet was embedded as

discussed below. The abbreviation may be empty if the snippet was expanded via the

TextExpander menu.

baseDate

A Date holding the time the snippet is being expanded.

adjustedDate

Initially holds the same Date as TextExpander.baseDate, but may hold a different time if

a snippet embedding this one used a Date Math macro. The script can modify

TextExpander.adjustedDate, then that date will be used for subsequent date and time

macros.

pasteboardText

A string with the text contents of the pasteboard. The script can modify this to place the

specified text on the pasteboard after the expansion is completed.

expansionContext

A string with the bundle identifier of the application where the snippet is being expanded. May

not always be available. Will be "com.textexpander.preview" when previewing the

snippets, or when creating text to be Copied or Shared.

filledValues

Holds fill-in field values as properties, or nil when snippet is not a fill-in. Text fields, text areas,

and popup menus have string values, conditional parts have values 1 or 0. Values are accessed

via their field name. If no field name has been specified, a default name is built with the format

string "Variable %d".

If JavaScript snippets are embedded as discussed below, all the scripts share the same context, so

global variables created in one snippet are available in following snippets.

An example TextExpander environment JavaScript snippet, which only adjusts the date used for

date macros to four non-weekend days from the current date:

// Find the first non-weekend day four days from nowvar p4bd = new Date();p4bd.setDate(TextExpander.baseDate.getDate() + 4); //add 4 days to current

// skip Saturdays and Sundayswhile (p4bd.getDay() == 6 || p4bd.getDay() == 0) { p4bd.setDate(p4bd.getDate() + 1);}TextExpander.adjustedDate = p4bd; // adjust for allsnippets in this expansionTextExpander.ignoreOutput = true;

Nesting Script Snippets

Script snippets can be nested within text snippets using the nested snippet macro %snippet:

[snippet name]%.

Example: if the AppleScript snippet above had the abbreviation "eend", and the date-adjusting

JavaScript had the abbreviation "+4nwd", you could use them both in a text snippet:

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your feedback on my book. I will analyze your question in depth and

get back to you %snippet:+4nwd%on or before %A, %B %e.

%snippet:eend%,

- Author

which would expand to:

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your feedback on my book. I will analyze your question in depth and

get back to you on or before Monday, March 23.

Have a good day,

- Author

The promised date is four non-weekend days in the future, and the signature is one of the random

choices in greetingsList.

Feel free to share your cool scripts with us.

For information on other macros used in TextExpander, see Date, Time, and Math Macros and

Advanced Snippet Functions: Macros.


mailto:[email protected]

Help: Backup and Restore

Backing Up Settings and Snippets

TextExpander stores your settings (including your snippets) in a file on your Mac and updates that

file as you make changes.

TextExpander has two backup options:

At any time, you can manually create a backup file of your current settings and snippets by

clicking on Backup Now in the toolbar or choosing File > Backup TextExpander

Data from the menu.

TextExpander can also automatically create backup files periodically (see Preferences:

Backup).

All backup files are stored in the Backup folder specified in Backup Preferences.

Restoring Settings

If you have accidentally deleted some snippets, or for some other reason want to return to an

earlier version of your settings, click on Restore in the toolbar or select File > Restore

Data from Backup. The window that appears lists the date and number of snippets of each of the

backup files in the Backup folder.

When you select a backup file and click Restore Backup, TextExpander will first create a new

backup file of your current settings (if you have any changes that are not backed up), then restore

the settings to those from the selected file.

Click Select Backup File... to restore from a backup file in some other location.

Another way to restore deleted snippets is to choose File > Add Group from File... to import all the

snippets from a backup file (see Grouping Snippets and Importing Groups).



Help: AppleScripting TextExpander

You can use AppleScript to change many of TextExpander's preferences, or to add or remove

snippets and groups.

Scriptable Preference Settings

The preferences you can access or change via AppleScript include some of the settings available in

TextExpander's Preferences window as well as several settings which do not have any

corresponding controls.

expansion enabled

A boolean flag controlling whether expansion (and capitalization correction) is enabled.

(See Expansion Preferences)

include HTML

A boolean flag controlling whether HTML data is included on the pasteboard when inserting

Formatted snippet content.


restore pasteboard

A boolean flag controlling whether the previous pasteboard contents are restored after Pasting

snippet content.


Note: If this flag is set, and your clipboard history utility is showing TextExpander expansions

in the history, direct the developer to www.nspasteboard.org.

capitalize new sentences

A boolean flag controlling whether capitalization correction automatically capitalizes the first

word new sentences.

(See Options Preferences)

suppress double capitals

An enumeration controlling whether capitalization correction corrects two capital letters at

the start of a word to just one.

(See Options Preferences)

restore clipboard regardless

A boolean flag controlling whether TextExpander will restore a clipboard that does not match

the snippet content that it placed there to expand a snippet. This is useful if an application or

utility modifies the contents of the pasteboard.

For example, TextMate 1.5.10 modifies the pasteboard as soon as text is placed on it, resulting

in TextExpander not restoring the previous clipboard contents.

avoid Caching Embedded Snippets

A boolean flag controlling whether TextExpander will cache computed content of an

embedded snippet while expanding the containing snippet. If this flag is set, a formatted text

snippet which embeds a script snippet will execute the snippet once to compute the plain-text

expansion, then execute it again to compute the formatted expansion.

The default value is false so that script snippets which may have other side-effects execute

only once per expansion.

generate suggested snippets

A boolean flag controlling whether TextExpander will suggest snippets based on analyzing

typed text. Corresponds to the "Suggest snippets based on my typing habits" preference.

The default value is true.


http://nspasteboard.org/

notify when suggesting

A boolean flag controlling whether TextExpander will present a notification when suggested

snippets are created.


avoid suggesting in bundles

A list of text strings with the bundle IDs (ex. com.apple.Terminal) of applications where

typing should be excluded from suggested snippet analysis.

preview executes scripts

A boolean flag controlling whether the snippet preview area will execute script snippets to

preview the result.


tutor Typed Snippets

A boolean flag controlling whether TextExpander will present a notification when you type the

contents of a snippet when you could have used the abbreviation instead. Corresponds to the

"Notify me of the abbreviation when I type a snippet that already exists" preference.


tap key up events

A boolean flag controlling whether TextExpander will tap key-up events as well as the key-

down events that it normally taps to detect when you type a snippet abbreviation.

This can help make TextExpander work better with other applications or hardware drivers

that generate artificial keystrokes, such as Nuance's Dragon products, or the Microsoft

IntelliPoint mouse driver.

avoid querying keyboard layout

A boolean flag controlling whether TextExpander will avoid querying the active Input Methods

for keyboard layout information.

This can help avoid slow typing with certain Input Methods, such as the Sugou IM. However, it

also prevents TextExpander from detecting the correct 'V' key (for sending Command-V to

Paste in snippet expansions) when using, for example, the Dvorak keyboard layout.

always pause before Pasting

A boolean flag controlling whether TextExpander will pause briefly before Pasting, regardless

of which application is active while expanding a snippet.

TextExpander places the snippet expansion on the clipboard, then immediately sends

Command-V to Paste it in. Some applications seem to require a short delay in order for the

new clipboard contents to "register" and the expansion to work as desired. A pause before

Pasting can help overcome problems with the pasteboard contents appearing instead of a

snippet expansion, possibly because some clipboard utility is modifying or otherwise slowing

the change of the pasteboard.

By default, TextExpander pauses before Pasting in: Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Mail, Spotlight,

Fantastical, Xcode, and most Microsoft applications.

pause before Pasting bundles

A list of text strings with the bundle IDs (ex. com.apple.Safari) of additional applications

to pause before Pasting into (the default applications are listed above).

pause before Pasting time

A real number controlling the number of seconds TextExpander will pause before Pasting

(when pause applies). The default value is 0.2 seconds.

pause after Pasting bundles

A list of text strings with the bundle IDs (eg. com.apple.Safari) of additional applications

to pause after Pasting into.

After TextExpander sends Command-V to Paste in snippet content, it may send additional

keystrokes very quickly immediately afterwards. If you are expanding with delimiters, or your

snippet contains Tab, Return, etc. keystrokes, or arrow keys are required to place the

insertion cursor at some location within the snippet, some applications seem to require a short

delay to process the Paste before receiving subsequent keystrokes. If snippet parts are

appearing in the wrong order or wrong locations, try adding the application to this list.

By default, TextExpander pauses after Pasting into: Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Microsoft Word,

Microsoft Powerpoint, Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox, Camino, and SeaMonkey.

pause after Pasting time

A real number controlling the number of seconds TextExpander will pause after Pasting (when

pause applies). The default value is 0.2 seconds.

pasteboard data types to avoid accessing

A list of text strings of pasteboard data types that TextExpander should avoid accessing when

saving and restoring the pasteboard.

Some pasteboard data types represent data that is "promised" to the pasteboard, but not

actually present on the pasteboard. When TextExpander tries to copy the pasteboard before

inserting a snippet, some of these "promised" data types take a long time to actually be

provided, sometimes slowing expansion or causing instability.

If restore pasteboard is enabled, data types in this list will not be restored to the pasteboard

after TextExpander expands a snippet.

avoid expansion bundle prefixes

A list of text strings with the bundle IDs (or partial prefixes, eg. com.mozilla will cover

com.mozilla.firefox and com.mozilla.camino, etc.) of applications to avoid

expanding or correcting capitalization in.

By default, TextExpander avoids expanding into applications where the bundle ID begins with

com.parallels or com.vmware.

This can be useful to prevent TextExpander from interacting with certain applications or Java

applets which do not appear in the "all applications, except..." listing in Expansion Preferences.

(To prevent expansion in Java applets, add com.apple.javajdk16.cmd to this list

(change appropriately for different versions of the JDK).)

allowed computation time

Seconds before snippet content computation times out. By default, TextExpander allows script

snippets 5 seconds to compute. This value can be adjusted up to 28 seconds if some of your

script snippets take a long time to execute.

unibar bundle_role_identifier triplets

A list of strings in triplets:

Bundle ID - application bundle identifier such as com.google.Chrome (used in a

case-insensitive comparison)

AXRole - the Accessibility Role of a focused text item, such as AXTextField, or an

empty string for both this and AXIdentifier to match any typing in the given Bundle ID

AXIdentifier - the Accessibility Identifier of a focused text item, such as

WEB_BROWSER_ADDRESS_AND_SEARCH_FIELD (note, if an empty string is

provided, all areas with the given AXRole will be matched)

These triplets define text areas within applications where Shift-Left-Arrow keystrokes will be

used to remove/replace the snippet abbreviation instead of the usual Backspace. (Browser

"unibars" and other auto-completed text areas respond better to Shift-Left-Arrow keystrokes.)

ignore clicks in bundles

A list of text strings with the bundle IDs of applications to allow mouse clicks in without

resetting the typing log (eg. virtual keyboards). That is, usually any mouse click will clear the

typing log, so if you type part of an abbreviation, click the mouse, then finish the abbreviation,

TextExpander will not expand the snippet.

By default, TextExpander ignores clicks in: the system's KeyboardViewer, KeyStrokes (by

AssistiveWare), and VirtualKeyboard (by Corallo Software).

expand with repeated keys

A boolean flag controlling whether TextExpander will expand snippets when keys are held

down to repeat letters. By default, repeated keys do not trigger expansion or capitalization

correction.

wait for modifier release

A boolean flag controlling whether TextExpander will wait for shift/option/control/command

modifier keys to be released before expanding snippets. By default, TextExpander waits for

these keys to be released before expanding in case they affect how snippet content is Pasted in.

non expanding language codes

A list of text strings with the two-letter language codes of Input Methods where expansion is

disabled.

By default, TextExpander does not expand when using Input Methods identified with any of the

following language codes: "ja", "zh", "sa", "ar", "hi" (Japanese, Chinese, Sanskrit, Arabic, Hindi).

additional contraction characters

A text string containing punctuation characters in addition to apostrophe and right single

quotation mark to be treated as letters by capitalization correction. (eg. "i'm" corrects to "I'm")

adjust linebreaks after empty optional parts

A boolean flag controlling whether TextExpander will try to remove what will seem like an

extra blank line if an optional section of a fill-in snippet is not included. That is, if an optional

section which starts on a new line is not checked, and there is a line break just afterwards, that

linebreak will not be expanded in the snippet. TextExpander defaults to performing this

adjustment.

adjust linebreaks after linebreak keystrokes

A boolean flag controlling whether TextExpander will avoid expanding what may be an extra

blank line if a %key:return% or %enter% is followed by a line break. TextExpander

defaults to performing this adjustment.

include paragraphs in HTML

A boolean flag controlling whether TextExpander will include <P> tags and associated styles

with HTML data. <P> tags are only included if the snippet contains linebreaks.

TextExpander defaults to including paragraph tags for multi-line snippets.

Scripting Groups and Snippets

You can use AppleScript to access snippet groups by name, or you can enumerate through all the

groups. Once you access a group, you can enumerate the snippets it contains. Group and snippet

properties can be edited. You can create or delete groups or snippets.

Here is a sample script which changes any Formatted text snippets in the My Snippets group to be

Plain Text snippets instead:

tell application "TextExpander"

set theGroup to group "My Snippets"

set theSnippets to snippets of theGroup

repeat with theSnip in theSnippets

if ((content type of theSnip) = rich_text) then

set the content type of theSnip to plain_text end if

end repeat

end tell

Expanding Snippets

You can use TextExpander's expand command to expand a snippet into the currently active

application. You can either specify a snippet reference (expand snippet aSnippet), or you can

provide a snippet abbreviation (expand abbreviation "abbreviation").

Here is a sample script that creates a reply to the currently selected message in Mail and inserts a

snippet as the reply text:

-- create a reply to the currently selected Mail message with a snippet

tell application "Mail"

activate

set current_messages to selected messages of message viewer 1

set theMessage to last item of current_messages

set new_message to reply theMessage with opening window and reply to all

tell application "TextExpander"

expand abbreviation ";fbreply"

end tell

end tell


Help: Sharing Snippet Groups With Your Team

Here are two ways you can share snippet groups with your team. If everyone uses Dropbox and

you'd like for everyone to edit the group, see Case #1. If the team lead can use Dropbox or a web

server and others need not edit the group, see Case #2.

Note: If you hide TextExpander in your Dock, you'll need to access the menu commands from the "+" or

gear menus beneath the snippet list.

Case #1: Everyone uses Dropbox; Everyone can edit the Group

Steps for the team lead:

1. Create a "Shared Snippets" folder within your Dropbox folder, or use an existing shared

folder.

2. In TextExpander, select the snippet group you wish to share, then choose Save a Copy

of Group "X"… from the File menu, and save the snippet group to the desired location

on Dropbox.

3. On www.dropbox.com, use the web interface to share the "Shared Snippets" folder from

step 1 with everyone on your team.

4. Return to TextExpander and delete the group you just saved to avoid duplicating it later.

Steps for everyone, including the team lead:

1. Accept Dropbox's shared folder invitation so that the "Shared Snippets" folder will appear

in your Dropbox folder.

2. Choose Add Group from File… from the File menu and navigate to the group file

inside the "Shared Snippets" folder in your Dropbox folder. Make sure "Import as editable

local copy" is NOT checked. Click Open.

3. Once the shared group has been added, select it and choose the Update: frequency.

Dropbox will handle syncing the file to your machine, and this setting will handle picking up

the changed file.

How to make changes to the shared group:

1. Select the group in TextExpander's snippet list and duplicate it using Command-D or

Duplicate from the Edit menu. This will create a copy of your group.

2. Make changes to the newly copied group -- add, edit, and/or remove snippets.

3. Choose Save a Copy of Group "X"… from the File menu and save over the existing

group file by using the same name and allowing replacement when prompted.

4. Select the original group and click Update Now. Your changes should appear. You may

now delete the copied group from step 1.

5. Other people on your team can either click Update Now, perhaps prompted by an email,

or their group will be updated at the next interval.

Case #2: Team leader is only editor of group

Steps for the team lead:

1. In TextExpander, select the snippet group you wish to share, then choose Save a Copy

of Group "X"… from the File menu. Do not use spaces in the name (i.e. use

"MyGroup.textexpander" rather than "My Group.textexpander"). Save the snippet group

to your Desktop.

2. Put the file saved in step 1 on a web server where everyone in the team can access it:

1. Dropbox: Put the file into your Dropbox / Public folder, then go to the Finder and

control-click the file and choose Copy Public Link from the popup menu. A URL

will be placed on your clipboard like:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1234567/MyGroup.textexpander.

2. Intranet / own server: Put the file in a suitable location on your web server and

note the URL.

3. Send the group URL to everyone on the team along with the instructions below.

4. Optional: As team lead, you can keep the group as is if you plan to update the snippets

frequently. If you are not going to update the shared snippets frequently, you can avoid


making changes accidentally by deleting the shared snippet group you created and linking to

the group by following the steps for team members below.

Steps for the rest of the team:

1. Choose Add Group from URL… from the File menu and paste in the group URL.

2. Once the new group has been added, select it and choose an Update: frequency. This tells

TextExpander to automatically reload the group at the specified frequency.

How to change or update the group:

1. If you, the team lead, deleted your copy earlier, make a new one: Select the group in

TextExpander's snippet list and duplicate it using Command-D or Duplicate from the

Edit menu.

2. Make changes to the group -- add, edit, and/or remove snippets.

3. Choose Save a Copy of Group "X"… from the File menu, and replace the existing

group file.

4. If you, the team lead, deleted your copy earlier: Select the original group and click Update

Now. Your changes should appear. You may now delete the copied group from step 1.

5. Other people on your team can either click Update Now, perhaps prompted by an email,

or their group will be updated at the next interval.


Help: Transitioning to TextExpander 5

Welcome to TextExpander 5! We've put a lot of effort into improving it. Here are a few

adjustments you can make to get the most out of version 5.

Setup New Sync

Sync with any syncing folder, including Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Google Drive, and more.

1. Open TextExpander to Preferences > Sync.

2. Click Save Snippets As…

3. Choose a location on your hard drive to store your snippets. If you choose a syncing

folder, then your snippets will sync.

Update your other devices:

1. On your second Mac open TextExpander to Preferences > Sync. On an iOS device open

TextExpander's Settings to Sync Snippets.

2. Click on Link To Snippets…

3. Locate your Settings.textexpandersettings file and select it.

If you have an older version of TextExpander for Mac (4 or earlier) or TextExpander touch (3.2.4

or earlier), then you need to keep using the Older Version Dropbox sync by clicking Sync

with TextExpander 4…

Setup New Search

Can't remember snippets? Use search. It's more convenient to use than before.

1. Open TextExpander to Preferences > Hotkey.

2. Click the Click to Set Hotkey button next to Inline Search.

3. Press your preferred hotkey combo. (Note: hotkey combinations must include Command,

Option, Control and/or Shift plus any character or number key.)

Use the Inline Search:

1. Type your hotkey. The TextExpander search window will appear near your cursor.

2. Type any part of your snippet, abbreviation, content, or label. Scroll through the results

and click the one you want, or press Command + # for the option you want.

Here are a few other differences you may notice as a veteran TextExpander user.

Snippet Suggestions

TextExpander 5 will suggest new snippets from words and phrases you habitually type.

Adjust this feature in Preferences > Suggestions.

Abbreviation Reminders

Type out a snippet and TextExpander 5 will notify you of its abbreviation. Adjust this

feature in Preferences > Suggestions > Notify me of the abbreviation when I type a snippet that

already exists.

Sync snippets with any sync folder

Save you snippets file to any location on your hard drive. To sync save your snippets file to

any Dropbox folder, iCloud Drive folder, or other syncing folder.

Simplified expansion of lengthy fill-ins

Make filling out complex snippets, like fill-ins and scripts, easier by setting single-line and

popup fields to “Show at top” of the expanding window. The “Show at Top” macro is

located in the Insert > Fill-ins menu. Place this macro anywhere in your snippet for it to

take effect.

Search

The “Suggest Matching Abbreviations” hotkey has been replaced with “Inline Search”.

Setup instructions above. This new search window will appear at the press of your hotkey


right next to where you are typing and will search abbreviations, snippet contents, labels,

and snippet suggestions.

Snippet Preview

Preview snippets in the editor. Helpful when dealing with complex macros, dates, and

times.

JavaScript

JavaScript support has been added to the list of supported scripting languages, previously

just AppleScript and Shell script. JavaScript comes in two types, one which will function in

TextExpander on iPad and iPhone, and JavaScript for Automation, which can automate

your Mac, but won't function in iOS.

Complete list of what's new in TextExpander 5

© 2006-2014 SmileOnMyMac, LLC. All rights reserved.SmileOnMyMac and TextExpander are trademarks of SmileOnMyMac, LLC.

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