Main menu
Menu entries of the group File
New catalog file…
This menu entry opens a file selection
dialog to specify the directory in which the catalog should be created
and to name the catalog. After successful creation of the catalog, a dialog
window for editing the catalog settings will be opened.
Open catalog file…
This menu item opens a dialog to select the
catalog file to be opened.
New shared catalog file …
This menu entry opens a file selection
dialog to specify the directory in which the catalog should be created and to name the catalog. As directory, select the
folder, that should be shared with other users and is monitored by a
synchronization program such as DropBox. After successful creation of the catalog, a dialog window for editing
the catalog settings will be opened.
Open shared catalog file…
This menu item opens a dialog to select the
shared catalog file to be opened.
Restore catalog…
AutoText Master creates
automatically backups for local and shared catalogs as soon as a change is
made. The number of backups to be stored can be set in the program options.
Clicking on this item opens a dialog box in which a backup can be selected that
should be restored. For network catalogs, the respective system administrator
is responsible for regularly backing up the catalog database.
Remove catalog
Using this menu item, the selected catalog can
be removed. Removed catalogs are no longer available in the program, but not
deleted from the hard drive.
Connect to a catalog server…
This menu item opens a dialog for adding or
integrating a network catalog. As database server, only Firebird is initially
supported. In the dialog box, the credentials can be entered, which are
required to connect to a server on the local network. After successful opening
of the catalog, a dialog window for editing the catalog settings will be
opened.
Import (into selected group)
Import from CSV file
After selecting the CSV file to be imported, the settings window opens where you specify the separator
and determines whether the first line of the CSV file contains column labels. Then you assign the properties
of the AutoText entries to be generated to the corresponding column indices. The Name property needs to be
assigned a column index in any case. If a column is assigned to Group 1 and the respective row contains a
value, a group is created named with this value and the created AutoText entry will be incorporated in this
group. Other subgroups can be generated by mapping the columns for the groups 2 to 10. After clicking on
Import, the import process is started and the number of imported entries will be displayed upon completion.
When importing multiline values are supported.
Import list (name = content)
This menu item serves to import simple lists. For each line of the list, an AutoText entry is created,
having the text of the respective line assigned as name and content.
Options…
Using this menu item, the program options can
be accessed to customize the program.
Menu entries of the group Groups
New…
A click on this menu entry creates a new group
and opens a dialog to configure the newly created group.
Edit…
This menu item opens a dialog to edit the
settings of the selected group.
Delete
Using this menu item, the selected group will
be removed along with all contained sub-groups after confirmation.
Import (into selected group)
Import from CSV file
After selecting the CSV file to be imported, the settings window opens where you specify the separator
and determines whether the first line of the CSV file contains column labels. Then you assign the properties
of the AutoText entries to be generated to the corresponding column indices. The Name property needs to be
assigned a column index in any case. If a column is assigned to Group 1 and the respective row contains a
value, a group is created named with this value and the created AutoText entry will be incorporated in this
group. Other subgroups can be generated by mapping the columns for the groups 2 to 10. After clicking on
Import, the import process is started and the number of imported entries will be displayed upon completion.
When importing, multiline values are supported.
Import list (name = content)
This menu item serves to import simple lists. For each line of the list, an AutoText entry is created,
having the text of the respective line assigned as name and content.
Menu entries of the group Entries
New…
A click on this menu entry creates a new entry
and opens a dialog to configure the newly created group.
Edit…
This menu item opens a dialog to edit the
settings of the selected entry.
Copy to clipboard
Use this menu item, the content of the
selected item is copied to the clipboard. Embedded objects or macros are
applied.
Delete
Using this menu item, the selected entry will
be removed after confirmation.
Menu entries of the group Help
Enter license key…
This menu entry opens the registration
dialog to enter the license key respectively to unlock the full version of the
program.
Online help…
Clicking on this menu item opens the online
help in the default browser. To use the online help, an active Internet
connection is required.
Info about AutoText Master…
Using this menu item, the dialog window to
display the program version of the license state will be opened. This dialog
window contains also links to contact the technical support, the product's web
page etc.
Create error report
In case of technical problems, you can
create an error report by using this menu item. The created file is named "AutoText
Master - error report" and located on the Desktop. You can then send us
the error report attached to an email with a short description of the problem.
Catalogs
AutoText Master supports the simultaneous use
of multiple catalogs. It supports any combination of catalog types listed
below. A catalog can be disabled by removing the preceding checkmark.
Local catalog
This catalog type includes AutoText entries
that are specific to a user and not to be shared with other users. The entries
could, for example, contain data that are not relevant to, or should not be
made available to other users.
Shared catalog
This catalog type includes AutoText entries
that are to be shared with other users via a synchronization service and thus jointly used. A shared catalog allows collaborative
editing of AutoText entries and is updated when the program starts and after
closing the main program window.
Network catalog
This catalog type includes AutoText entries
that are shared by multiple users on a network. A network catalog can be edited
by all users.
Groups
Groups are used to divide AutoText entries.
They are arbitrarily deep nestable and can be
integrated into another group within the same catalog via drag & drop. A
group can be disabled along with contained
subgroups and AutoText entries by removing the preceding checkmark.
With a text or keyboard shortcut, groups
can be made available in almost all applications as selection menu. This allows
convenient access to the elements contained in that specific group. After
clicking on a menu entry, the corresponding text block will be inserted at the
current insertion point in any text.
If a group has a text shortcut or keyboard
shortcut assigned, it is appended to the group
name.
Tool bar
New…
A click on this menu entry creates a new group
and opens a dialog to configure the newly created group.
Edit…
This menu item opens a dialog to edit the
settings of the selected group.
Delete
Using this menu item, the selected group will
be removed along with all contained sub-groups after confirmation.
Import
Import from CSV file
After selecting the CSV file to be imported, the settings window opens where you specify the separator
and determines whether the first line of the CSV file contains column labels. Then you assign the properties
of the AutoText entries to be generated to the corresponding column indices. The Name property needs to be
assigned a column index in any case. If a column is assigned to Group 1 and the respective row contains a
value, a group is created named with this value and the created AutoText entry will be incorporated in this
group. Other subgroups can be generated by mapping the columns for the groups 2 to 10. After clicking on
Import, the import process is started and the number of imported entries will be displayed upon completion.
When importing, multiline values are supported.
Import list (name = content)
This menu item serves to import simple lists. For each line of the list, an AutoText entry is created,
having the text of the respective line assigned as name and content.
Edit group settings
Tab „General“
Description
Here, the name of the group and an optional
comment are entered. The assigned name is used to
display the group in the group list.
Text shortcut
In this area, a text shortcut can be
entered, which induces an invocation of a
selection menu starting with the respective group. To
minimize unwanted invocations, it is advisable to prepend a special character
to the text abbreviation, such as a pound sign (#). This ensures that the text shortcut
is not part of a word. Optional can be determined whether the upper / lower
case of the text shortcut should be considered.
Furthermore, the type of prefix and suffix can
be determined here which can alternatively be used instead of preceding special
characters to define exactly when the group selection menu should be invoked.
The prefix in this context is the type of the character that was entered immediately
before the text shortcut. For example, it can be specified that the group
selection menu should only be invoked if previously a digit or a space has been
entered. The suffix corresponds to the type of character that has been entered
directly after a text shortcut.
Keyboard shortcut
Here, a keyboard shortcut can be determined
which serves to invoke a selection menu starting
with the respective group.
Tab „Exclusion“
Using the application filter, applications
can be defined that AutoText master should ignore. In these applications,
keystrokes are not evaluated. As criterion, the path of an application or the
text in the title of a window can be used. A global application filter can be
set in the program options.
The number of filters used is displayed in the tab's label.
Tab „Extended“
Include in completion suggestions
If this option is enabled and one or more text blocks begin with the characters you entered, a pick
list is displayed that contains all AutoText entries matching the input. By pressing the SHIFT key,
you can switch into this selection window and select the entry to be used. After double-clicking the
entry or pressing the ENTER or RIGHT ARROW key, the corresponding text block is inserted into the text.
If only one match is displayed, pressing the SHIFT key triggers the direct use. By pressing the ESCAPE
key, the pick list can be closed without selecting an entry.
The activation of this option is independent of the activation status of parent groups.
The minimum number of matching characters can be set in the program options in the category Suggestions.
Allow usage in Explorer
Normally, AutoText Master remains inactive when the Windows Explorer is the active application. You can
override this behavior by enabling this option.
AutoText entries
With a text or keyboard shortcut or by using completion suggestions, AutoText
entries can be used in almost all applications. When
applied, the text block that is assigned to an AutoText entry is inserted at
the current insertion position within any text. AutoText entries can be moved
via drag & drop to another group within the same catalog. By removing the
preceding checkmark, AutoText entries can be disabled.
Tool bar
New…
A click on this menu entry creates a new entry
and opens a dialog to configure the newly created AutoText entry.
Edit…
This menu item opens a dialog to edit the
settings of the selected entry.
Copy to clipboard
Use this menu item, the content of the
selected item is copied to the clipboard. Embedded objects or macros are
applied.
Delete
Using this menu item, the selected entry will
be removed after confirmation.
Edit entries
Tab „General“
Text editor
AutoText Master supports three different
text types: plain text and text in RTF or HTML format. The text entered here
will be sent to the active application when a text-insertion operation is
triggered e.g., by a text shortcut. By embedding objects, the text can also be
supplemented with dynamic content such as a pick list or daily date.
Description
Here, the name of the entry and an optional
comment are entered. The assigned name is used to
display the entry in the list of AutoText entries.
Text shortcut
In this area, a text shortcut can be
entered, which triggers the insertion of the respective text block. To minimize
unwanted invocations, it is advisable to prepend a special character to the
text abbreviation, such as a pound sign (#). This ensures that the text shortcut
is not part of a word. Optional can be determined whether the upper / lower
case of the text shortcut is to be considered.
Furthermore, the type of prefix and suffix can
be determined here which can alternatively be used instead of preceding special
characters to define exactly when the text block should be inserted. The prefix
in this context is the type of the character that was entered immediately
before the text shortcut. For example, it can be specified that the text should
only be inserted if previously a digit or a space has been entered. The suffix
corresponds to the type of character that has been entered directly after a
text shortcut.
Keyboard shortcut
Here, a keyboard shortcut can be determined
which signals the program that the respective text block should be inserted at
the current position in the active application.
Tab „Exclusion“
Using the application filter, applications
can be defined that AutoText master should ignore. In these applications,
keystrokes are not evaluated. As criterion, the path of an application or the
text in the title of a window can be used. A global application filter can be
set in the program options.
The number of filters used is displayed in the tab's label.
Tab „Send options“
AutoText Master makes it possible to use
two different sending methods for text-insertion operations using plain text.
Changing the send method may be necessary if an application does not support
one of the two send methods. The standard send method is set in the program
options, however, it can be set separately for each AutoText entry.
Tab „Extended“
Include in completion suggestions
If this option is enabled and one or more text blocks begin with the characters you entered, a pick
list is displayed that contains all AutoText entries matching the input. By pressing the SHIFT key,
you can switch into this selection window and select the entry to be used. After double-clicking the
entry or pressing the ENTER or RIGHT ARROW key, the corresponding text block is inserted into the text.
If only one match is displayed, pressing the SHIFT key triggers the direct use. By pressing the ESCAPE
key, the pick list can be closed without selecting an entry.
The minimum number of matching characters can be set in the program options in the category Suggestions.
Allow usage in Explorer
Normally, AutoText Master remains inactive when the Windows Explorer is the active application. You can
override this behavior by enabling this option.
Details
The details pane displays information about
the currently focused entry.
Selection menu
The selection menu lists all entries of the invoked group hierarchically. The LEFT ARROW button or key can
be used to switch to the parent group. The RIGHT ARROW button as well as the corresponding key trigger the use
of the selected entry. The ARROW UP and ARROW DOWN keys can be used to navigate within the list. With the F3
key, the input field for search is activated. The search results are live (updated after each character entered).
The search is case-insensitive.
Program options
General
Language
Sets the language of the user interface.
Start program with Windows
Specifies whether the program should start
automatically when Windows starts.
Show main window at startup
Determines whether the main window should
be shown at program start.
Close data entry forms contained in the AutoText at loss
of focus
Determines whether data entry forms such as
a date selection dialog will be closed and the insertion of the text block will
be canceled when switching to another window (when the data entry form no
longer is focused).
AutoText defaults
Here, the default type of prefix and suffix
can be determined. Using prefix and suffix can prevent that text shortcuts which
are part of a word trigger unwanted text-insertion operations. The prefix in this
context is the type of the character that was entered immediately before the
text shortcut. For example, it can be specified that the text should only be inserted
if previously a digit or a space has been entered. The suffix corresponds to
the type of character that has been entered directly after a text shortcut.
Suggestions
In this category, the minimum number of characters can be specified which a text module
must match before a pick list of matching AutoText entries will be displayed.
Sending options
AutoText Master makes it possible to use
two different sending methods for text-insertion operations using plain text.
Changing the send method may be necessary if an application does not support
one of the two send methods. Here, the default send method can be set, however,
it can be overridden and set separately for each AutoText entry in the entry
settings.
Exclusion
Using the application filter, applications
can be defined that AutoText master should ignore. In these applications,
keystrokes are not evaluated. As criterion, the path of an application or the
text in the title of a window can be used. Here you can define global rules.
Backup
For local catalogs, AutoText Master automatically creates a
backup as soon as a change is made. Here, the number of backups to be stored
and the directory in which the backup files are kept, are set.