MacMost Now 202: TypeIt4Me

In this MacWorld Expo special, check out TypeIt4Me, a productivity enhancer that allows you to trigger long sequences of text with only a few keystrokes.

You can also watch this video at YouTube (but with ads).

Video Transcript: Gary: 
Hi this is Gary with MacMost Now. On this episode I'm going to show you some software that takes keyboard shortcuts to whole new level. So type it for me is software that's been around for awhile. Basically what it allows you to do is assign a series of keystrokes to something longer. Like for instance having to type my whole name every time. I can simply type GA and automatically fill out Gary Rosenzweig. You can add a whole bunch of different shortcuts including scripted ones. Let's go ahead and take a look at what Ricardo had to say about his software at the Mac World Expo. 
Ricardo: 
So Type It For Me as the name tries to convey is a program that will actually type text on your behalf on the computer. Now it is not dictation software, so you don't speak and it actually types for you. It types for you for the extent that you type a little, an abbreviation a shortcut and it can actually then expand that into a longer bit of text it could be a word it could be a complete paragraph, a whole note or boiler plates of text. So it's extremely useful when you need to say some of the things. What it can also do is, you type an abbreviation and it can actually invoke an apple script. So if you know a bit of scripting, you could type something and then maybe that launches an application. I use it all the time to launch Safari and go to a URL where i pick up my web mail for example. When it prompts me, my webmail page prompts me to enter my user name and password i type another abbreviation that actually does that for me, user name tab, password, return and it logs me in. So type it for me lives in the system preferences and that's where you actually set up the abbreviations but the application is also available as a pull down menu from the top right of the screen. In here you can actually pick an abbreviation and have it expand into the open document. You will do that occasionally if you can't remember an abbreviation, but most of the time where it's really useful is where you actually type an abbreviation. So if I type RET it actually expands to my name. If I type TY it expands to Type It 4 Me. Earlier I was showing someone i can type much longer text. I copied some text from the web and with 2 letters I can actually get that text going. You can use it to type a complete boiler plate letter if you need to. Also you can use it to launch an Apple Script. So if I type go OWA that's my way of remembering the script that will actually then launch Safari and then go to where I pick up my office mail. 
Gary: 
Now in addition to Type It 4 Me there's also Tap it 4 Me, which is Iphone software which allows you to use the same sort of functionality to type short documents and emails and send them using the Iphone. 
Ricardo: 
Tap it 4 Me which is what we are calling it for the Iphone addition. Reflected the fact that you actually tap your letters on the screen, actually works as a stand alone application. You can use the same abbreviations that you might have created on the Mac or you don't need a Mac or a PC you can just do it on the phone. You create a shortcut, you say what it stands for, you tap the shortcut and it expands. Then what you do when you do this is you're actually able to save it as a note. So you can use it for note taking with abbreviations. Or you can you can use it to reply or compose new emails. We think this is where you'll be doing 80% of your typing. 
Gary: 
You can find more about Type it 4 Me and Tap it 4 Me and ettoresoftware.com. Until next time this is Gary Rosenzweig with MacMost Now.

MacMost Now 202: TypeIt4Me

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