There are a variety of tools which will expand a block of text based on the input of a simple keyword. For example, simply typing sub could expand to Substitute ( text; [ searchString ; replaceString ] ). The following list of software is capable of doing this.

Macintosh

  • TextExpander
    • If you're looking for pre-established snippets for FileMaker then you can try FMSnippets by Camp Software

Windows

  • Breevy
    • Allows import of TextExpander ( Mac ) snippets.
  • PhraseExpander
    • Can import from many other formats including TextExpander, Breevy, AutohotKey
    • Contact Daniel Smith if you want a copy of the phrases he uses for FileMaker
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7 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    There's also a lot of functionality hidden in those keyword expansion tools.  TextExpander, for example, will let you trigger AppleScripts and shell scripts too.  That unlocks a whole world of possibilities.

    Or, on the simpler side, you can perform actions with calculated dates or with your clipboard.  For example, this could speed up some modification of some text; you can copy a string, then paste your snippet with the clipboard inserted somewhere in the string.

    Donovan Chandler, Beezwax Datatools

  2. Anonymous

    Another one I use (mainly as it came part of a bundle deal) is Typinator has most filemaker functions out of box. Been solid for me.

  3. For Windows, AutoHotKeys is pretty neat.  I will probably be putting together a file with the scripts to work within FileMaker.  Like Donovan mentioned, it also allows you to trigger other code/scripts within the OS.

    1. Anonymous

      Here are my scripts to emulate QuickCursor.

      https://github.com/rjkantor/FM-HK-WinAutomation

  4. Anonymous

    I use Breevy on Windows and it works great.  It also will import TextExpander Snippets with ease.

    Russell Barlow

  5. I finally gave up on AutoHotkey as my main keyword expansion tool on Windows. The biggest issue I had was escaping characters (like colon, curly brackets, hash, etc.). The next issue I had was when I wanted to enter longer expressions with returns and tabs. Not only was escaping characters a nightmare, but typing a tab character produced unexpected results (sometimes doing nothing, other times exiting the form).

    So, after trying all the programs available for Windows, I settled on PhraseExpander. I've been using it for a few weeks and I'm really happy with it so far. Not only is it already a great program, but I emailed the developer about a few issues/ideas I had and he was very responsive and open to suggestions. He said I should see some of my suggestions in the next release.

    I've also started using keyword expansion to access commonly used help info. So, for example, I use the keyword "gwm" to expand to "Get ( WindowMode )", but "gwmh" expands to:

    Get ( WindowMode )
    
    /**
     * 0 for Browse mode
     * 1 for Find mode
     * 2 for Preview mode
     * 3 if printing is in progress
     * 4 (FileMaker Pro Advanced) if evaluating the function from the Data Viewer and the current window is in Layout mode 
     */

     

     
  6. Michael Wallace wrote...

    have used Autohotkey for a long time and one of the best things I have found for it is this macro creator that allows you to write the code by just doing what you want to do as it records you.

    http://ahkscript.org/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=143

    (note: the macrocreator.com site seems to be unavailable, but it can be downloaded from Softpedia)