Type Less, Write More with PhraseExpress - luftacte1966

PhraseExpress is a utility ($50 for transaction use, on the loose for personal use) that helps automatise the typing of unremarkably-used textbook or phrases, much as "Please check up on snopes.com earlier forwarding me another imperative message, Mom." Patc many word processors have such features constitutional, PhraseExpress is oecumenical; it will enter the text in whatever application that accepts text, including browser forms, spreadsheets, etcetera. Thus, users need to set up their text sole one time, and have it available in any context.

PhraseExpress screenshot — PhraseExpress has powerful macro features in addition to simple word substitution.

There are different slipway to get the text. The first is to assign an autotext letter succession that PhraseExpress testament look for. For example, you might assign the formulate "Sincerely, John Smith" to "SNC." Whenever you type SNC and hit a formed delimiter key, such every bit infinite or get in, it will flourish the textbook. You can filter this by application, so that PhraseExpress does non activate in several contexts.

The second way is to define a key out combo, so much as Alt-Win-F, or whatever mightiness work for you. This method requires you to remember the keys, of course. PhraseExpress also can detect reserved winder combos, and will warn you if you assign peerless it knows is used by another platform. One of the useful features of this method is that you can assign a key compounding to an smooth folder of phrases within PhraseExpress, allowing you to bring up a set of them then select your desired school tex.

The third method involves clicking the tray icon, which brings up a list of all delimited phrases, in their folders. This is the slowest, because it requires you to leave your app, go to the task bar, click, and select. The Professional version of PhraseExpress includes a feature article that allows you to tear away a floating window containing phrases, which you nates and then drag-and-drop from. (The lack of a right-click menu for PhraseExpress is attributable the desire for universality; it would need to be coded for all specific lotion in order to insert itself.

PhraseExpress contains a simple, but effective, system of macros that allow for to a greater extent than typographical error schoolbook insertion. You rear end, for example, define a phrase which includes a large to need the user for text; this text is then ordered into the phrase as it's entered. The macro functions can embody omnipotent and send away automate a dispense of processes. A particularly handy one will perform math calculations in-railway line, so you don't need to bring up a calculator–antimonopoly type the equation and it is replaced with the result. (Obviously, you want this wrong-side-out off if you're trying to make out the par itself.)

Another feature of Phrase Express I set up useful is the clipboard cache, which retains quadruplicate recent clipboard items. The default number is 20, but this can be changed by the substance abuser.

At that place are a some minor issues with PhraseExpress. Archetypal, to suffer the most out of it, you need to configure it for your most commonly used text strings, quotes, and so on. This clearly isn't a bug; information technology's a necessity for this kinda software package, but we live in a cud-and-play era where personalization of software is sometimes seen as a hurdle. Another aspect that is both a feature and occasionally an chafe is that it whole shebang everywhere, aside default, including places you might not want it to work. IT's easy to locating this by excluding applications within the settings, but, again, it's something users need to think almost.

The PhraseExpress license allows for loos use for non-commercial purposes, and it defines "commercial" within reason broadly–basically, if you wee money using any application PhraseExpress hooks into, that's commercial use, flat if you're not doing so as your primary intent. If I enjoyment PhraseExpress to help with PCWorld reviews, for example, including sending out boilerplate queries or correcting typos, this counts as commercial use, and I must pay the $50. An algorithm within PhraseExpress monitors utilization and attempts to find "commercial" demeanour, such as the use of professional salutations.

There's also a $140 Professional version of PhraseExpress, which has several interesting extras. You terminate create a floating menu of phrases then drag and drop them to your document. You can include fillable forms as start of phrases, with the signifier data and then being entered into the text edition. And phrases in the Pro version can include Word data format, not just the text.

PhraseExpress is a great tool that can lay aside a lot of typing time, if the substance abuser makes a comparatively slim initial investment in time to set information technology ahead in good order, and keeps this up by adding in phrases as the user discovers they are often typing the same text. The macro facility allows for some fairly sophisticated uses, as well. Information technology's completely self-governing for non-commercial purposes, and well Worth checking out.

–Ian Harac