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It is trigger by Ctrl+Shift+N that I still press the same hotkeys. You can also press Ctrl+Alt+F7 and you will get a pop to select from your list of store text phrases.Įxcept for text snippets, you can also manipulate hotkeys to modify app launches. When you type in the abbreviation, Autokey replaces it by the text phrase. Autokey has a GUI wherein you can set up text abbreviations and phrases. But it can also double up as a text expander app. Also, it is more of an automation tool that enables setting up macros using your keyboard. Once you made changes to the configuration file, Espanso needs to be restarted for changes to take effect.Īutokey is also the most powerful text expansion tool available for Linux.Includes pre-built packages which provide support for smileys, Italian letters, Greek Letters, etc.Also, it supports macros, shell scripts.It works in every app and browser irrespective of the environment and interface.The only issue that annoys me was that I had to restart the app every time I made changes to the configuration file. However, the official website has fantastic documentation to guide you through the process. It still running in the background with minimal interference.Īlthough Espanso app has a sharp learning curve. Also, just type a colon(:) and the text will get replaced. The good thing about Espanso is that it works on every app, browser, website that you use. You have to enter all your shortcuts in the Espanso “default.yml” configuration file in the following format. However, All the configurations need to be done via the command line. The app is minimal and doesn’t have a GUI. Also, it would appeal to you if you have a code ninja. Needs a huge setup and various text file creationĮspanso is another least text expansion app.It doesn’t auto-detect your abbreviations.But, if you want your text phrases to have dynamic data like the current date, time, you would be disappointed. Texpander is quite the least text expander app and would suit the needs of most of the users. However, once you set up the keyboard shortcut, just trigger the app within any application.
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For instance, I have plotted the Ctrl+Shift+Space to open the shell script file. However, you need to set up a keyboard shortcut within “Keyboard preferences” to open the file when you press a particular hotkey. Next, you move to the downloaded “texpander.sh” script file to “/usr/bin/” directory. echo "Do Not Disturb" > ~/.texpander/dnd.txt Simply, replace “Do Not Disturb” with your required text phrase and “dnd.txt” with the intended abbreviation. Rename the file as DND.txt and the file contents will be “Do Not Disturb”.Īlso, you can create the abbreviation files using the following command. Also, if you like DND on “Do Not Disturb”, move and create a text file in the “.texpander” directory. Make sure the name of these files has to be the abbreviation and the content of the file has to be the phrase. Furthermore, you need to manually create text files under the “/home/ubuntu/.texpander” directory. It’s just a single shell script file and the setup needs a lot of configuration. However, it neither has a GUI nor a command line. Texpander is the least text expansion script written in bash. Best Text Expander Apps For Ubuntu Texpander So, here are some of the best text expander apps for Ubuntu. Hence, I like a similar alternative but it turns out text expander apps for Ubuntu. Earlier, I used Breevy for a long time on Windows before making the switch to Ubuntu. However, setting up text snippets within a text expander app saves a lot of time. For instance, I usually type around 8-10 hours a day and some phrases are repetitive. Text Expansion apps can also come in handy. Best Text Expander Apps For Ubuntu: Most of the work is done on the keyboard.
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