What do you use for typing shortcuts?

Marzipan · Jan 23, 2009

("a keyboard" is not the answer I'm looking for....)

I've been trying the free version of a little program for shortcuts when typing to save a lot of the repetitive stuff, it seems to fit the bill for what I need so I was all set to pay up for it and I see there's an extra fee (optional) of around 15% for them to maintain a backup of the reg code for a year in case you need it. Now, this is only piddly amounts but I don't like the principal of being held to ransom like this - I'd rather they just give me the reg code and I keep it safe.

So, any recommendations as to others I could look at? I like the idea of typing in a word string that then gets replaced by the full text, hotkeys are ok but more than half a dozen and I stand no chance of remembering them.

FireFleur · Jan 23, 2009

Well I use vim, so:

:ab teh the
:ab sc supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

I actively move clients over to vim or a text editor, word processors are the domain of beelzebub or bz as I have him

A good editor is a wise investment if you type a lot, and the investment is generally only in time, a bit of effort every day and you will be yanking and puting in no time.

:wq

Marzipan · Jan 23, 2009

Jeepers! - perhaps it was the Yiddish version I was looking at but I can't make head nor tail of that

Thanks for the recommendation though FireFleur, and thank you also for crediting me with more intelligence than I actually have

Perhaps I'll forgo my principles (not for the first time) and stick with the very simple QuickType....!

FireFleur · Jan 23, 2009

It is actually simpler than perhaps it looks

:ab teh the

is the command to set the abbreviation up, after that it is:

teh and it just changes to the automatically, teh is a common typo.

So, what I do is make a file of abbreviations, and just load them when necessary. Lots of projects tend to have their abbreviations, so it saves a fair amount of time.

Another idea is auto completion, if you have used the word before a few characters and then auto completion will normally list it.

Most text editors have these features and then a shed load more, word processors perhaps a few do, but because they play with the format, text is just simpler for all involved.

Vim uses a mnemonic style of commands, I did a list at one point:

http://www.poisedsolutions.com/vim-commands/

had to play with the mnemonics in some places, it is up for revision I think there are some better ones. The learning curve is steep, but not that bad for basic usage, we are talking 2 hours for basic, and there is gvim, if you want a gui.

Techsyn · Jan 23, 2009

This sort of thing? Free to try then cheapish:

http://www.nch.com.au/fastfox/index.html

Marzipan · Jan 23, 2009

FireFleur said:
and there is gvim, if you want a gui.

I'm sorry, I'm from the planet Earth, I do not speak your language very well....

Sorry FireFleur, I know you're doing your best to educate me but perhaps I shouldn't have opened that bottle of red tonight after being on the wagon for the last six months

I do appreciate your help, it's just that I'm thinking I must be a lot thicker than I realised because looking at this I'm getting a sense of what it must be like to be dyslexic :| Many thanks for your input, I'll look at it again tomorrow with hopefully a better head on.

Techsyn · Jan 23, 2009

I suggested Fastfox simply because I Googled after seeing your post. I have now installed the trial version and it's actually quite good!! I might even buy it myself!

Marzipan · Jan 23, 2009

Thanks Techsyn, that's very much like what I've been trialling but it does more - like coloured text - plus I recognised quite a lot of the words used on their website

When I googled for something it either didn't bring this one up or else I missed it out - looks good, many thanks!

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What do you use for typing shortcuts?

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