This is the first instance of snippet expansion in Alfred and what's there works well, but I would hope to see them bring a few enhancements to this feature as they continue development. TextExpander also has support for smart forms, sync with your iOS devices, and a few other advanced features that Alfred doesn't touch. Alfred will always put the cursor at the end of the expanded text, but for snippets like my Markdown link example, it would be nice to put the cursor between the so that I could type the link text without moving the cursor there every time. You can also tell TextExpander where you want the cursor to be after the snippet expands. Some basic examples are that TextExpander can simulate non-character keystrokes such as the Escape, Tab, or Return keys as a part of a snippet. There are some limitations to this feature though, especially if you're coming from a dedicated text expansion app like TextExpander. In addition, you can use uppercase and capitals to apply those styles to your clipboard text.Īlfred has a page explaining this a little bit more on their website, and I'd suggest checking it out to see what's possible. By using the dynamic placeholders variant to drop all characters to lowercase. You may have noticed that the Markdown link and date examples above use some smarts to dynamically determine what will be expanded when I type in the keyword. They're all things I type all the time, but don't want to think about. There are infinite ways to use these snippets, but those are some of my most-used ones. v expands to a test Visa card number I use for testing at work thank expands to a standard close to my typical support email Here's a few expands to my email addressĭdate expands to the date in this format I have quite a few of these set up for home and work that help me get through the day quicker. This is where snippet expansion comes into play. It's monotonous and wastes tons of time over the long run. You probably have things like your email address, phone number, or standard email response that you find yourself typing out all the time. If you know how apps like TextExpander and aText work, you'll have a good idea of why this is such a useful feature. Let's start with the surprise new feature first: Basic snippet auto-expansion If you bought a Powerpack license in 2016, you get a free upgrade.Īlfred 3 enhances the things that it already did well, and added one key feature that puts this over the top for me. However, most of the new features, and things that make this such an amazing app are only available to those who purchase the Powerpack, which runs you £17 ($25 USD) for a single user license, and £12 ($17 USD) if you brought the Powerpack for Alfred 2. I should note that Alfred is free and will function as a basic, but fast app launcher on its own. I trust this developer, and I'm extremely happy to say they delivered with this excellent release. This is why when I saw earlier in the week that developer Running with Crayons had released version 3 into the world, I went to their website and paid for the update before even looking at what new features were in the release. In terms of apps that help me get my work done, it's right up there with Photoshop, Atom, and Ulysses in letting me be as productive as I need to be. There are few apps on my Mac that I find as indispensable as Alfred. App review Alfred 3 Review: More Power Than Ever
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