Text substitution: gateway drug to TextExpander

Now that Apple has announced a release date for Snow Leopard, we can clear the air on text substitution. For those who use TextExpander, text substitution is not particularly interesting. It works only in Cocoa applications, and its interface is not well-suited to large snippets or managing snippets.

For those new to text expanding utilities, welcome! Here are some great reasons to go beyond text substitution all the way to TextExpander:

  • Organize snippets into groups
  • Insert the date and time in any format you prefer
  • Perform date math (for example, insert tomorrow’s date)
  • Predefined snippets for spelling correction, symbols, accented words, HTML, CSS, and URL shortening
  • Sync snippets via MobileMe or DropBox
  • Position the cursor wherever you want in your expanded snippet
  • Nest snippets — include one snippet within another
  • Print your abbreviations and snippets (cheat sheet)
  • Invoke AppleScripts and shell scripts as snippets
  • SALE!! To celebrate the release of TextExpander touch for iPhone (available August 26), TextExpander is 50% off through September 9. Please visit our web store or purchase directly from TextExpander.

    2 Responses to “Text substitution: gateway drug to TextExpander”

    1. mds says:

      SALE!! To celebrate the release of TextExpander touch for iPhone (available August 26), TextExpander is 50% off through September 9. Please visit our web store or purchase directly from TextExpander.

      … and I was stupid enough to buy TextExpander at the end of July at full price.

      Lesson learnt: Never buy Mac software at full price (the same goes for iPhone apps).

    2. Dav id says:

      So, being honest about it, are there any advantage to the Snow Leopard system? Is it perhaps faster? Can in be run in parallel with Text Expander?

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