Text Expander for Windows

[Josh]

Greetings all, it has been quite a while due to lots of things going on over the last few years (personally, professionally, medically, etc.). That said, I know I can come here for honest and open recommendations so that is what I seek to aid my wife.

She has recently started her own business as a copy editor (much thanks to Stephen for his help in getting her launched) and I am looking for a text expander product for her for the Windows platform. I wanted to see what everyone's thoughts were in the area as I know this has been a long and discussed topic in the past. I use Keyboard Maestro on my MBP and am hoping for something as simplistic. I know there are free scripting tools such as AutoHotKey which is used by quite a few folks here, but I am looking for something with a nice UI she can use on her own.

What recommendations does the group have for this category of software?

Thanks in advance!

[cranioscopical]

Since you like AHK, perhaps take a look at FastKeys click here. The web site shows quite a bit of the interface so you and your wife could see if it looks to be a good fit. (It's inexpensive, too.)

[Josh]

Oooh! That looks promising. Thanks

[Shades]

Ethervane Echo from DC member Tranglos comes to mind. But I'm pretty sure it is not actively maintained. The domain where you used to be able to download from is not there anymore.

PhraseExpander - pretty pricey commercial software, but there is a freeware version for personal use.
WordExpander - looks to be freeware
Breevy - commercially licensed
FastKeys - commercially licensed

[Lintalist]

Perhaps Lintalist https://www.donation...ex.php?topic=41475.0
(not directly suitable for typos and "one word" only replacements, but it has some nice "plugins" which may be useful for larger texts.

[cyberdiva]

I have used a program called Active Words for well over a decade, and I recommend it very highly.  I've used it to substitute words, paragraphs, and full documents. I've used it to automatically correct some of my frequent typos. I've used it to insert passwords, open files, launch programs, navigate to web sites, etc. etc. etc. All these are simple, straightforward procedures. Active Words also has a scripting language that considerably expands what you can have it do. 

Active Words is one of the very first programs I install on any computer. However, I should mention that I am using an old version.  For some reason that neither I nor their tech support could pinpoint, the current version didn't work well on my Windows 7 computer, so I've continued to use version 2.1. That version won't work on Windows 10, however, so if/when I eventually buy a new computer, I'll move to Active Words 3, which is available for an annual fee of $30.  In many cases, that annual fee would be a deal breaker for me, but I think Active Words is worth it.

[IainB]

Perhaps Lintalist https://www.donation...ex.php?topic=41475.0
(not directly suitable for typos and "one word" only replacements, but it has some nice "plugins" which may be useful for larger texts.

-Lintalist (April 01, 2019, 03:35 PM)

Yes, a very good suggestion. A rather powerful tool.
For "...suitable for typos and 'one word' only replacements" I would recommend tacking on the AutoHotkey script AutoCorrect. It's a brilliant script, and the user can dynamically add new words/strings, or make changes to the existing store.
Pathagoras Document Automation and Management might be worth a look as well. That's also a pretty powerful tool.

[Curt]

Pythagoras might be worth a look as well. That's also a pretty powerful tool.

-IainB (April 03, 2019, 01:08 AM)

^ 12.400.000 results. I couldn't find it.

[IainB]

^^@Curt: Oops, sorry. Have corrected it and put the link in. (Yes, I could do better, I know you know. Story of my life...)

[Lintalist]

TypingAid https://github.com/ManiacDC/TypingAid could be useful as well, also AutoHotkey, also free.

[Curt]

Both Pathagoras and TypingAid are really fine, it seems. But, hey, the difference in the asking prices!    Let me see, should I pay a fortune, or have the free one?    

$0:

TypingAid https://github.com/ManiacDC/TypingAid could be useful as well, also AutoHotkey, also free.

-Lintalist (April 04, 2019, 01:28 PM)

As you type your word, up to 10 (or as defined in Settings) matches will appear in a drop-down dialog, numbered 1 - 0 (10th). To choose the match you want just hit the associated number on your keyboard (numpad does not work). Alternatively you can select an item from the drop-down using the Up/Down arrows or the mouse. You can define a fixed position for the drop-down dialog to appear by hitting Ctrl-Shift-H to open a small helper window, or by specifying a list of programs in the preferences file.

-TypingAid

At the moment I am using the free & fine AHK script, AutoCorrect, from IainB's post. It's big, so your browser may not answer at first: https://www.autohotk...load/AutoCorrect.ahk

[IainB]

@Josh: For US$40, Ace Text from JustGreatSoftware.com might be worth a look. It's a sort of "companion" tool to their superb EditPad Lite (FREE). I have used the latter regularly for years, and am trialling AceText at present.
(Copied below sans embedded hyperlinks/images.)

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