Read Me First

Welcome to Take Control of TextExpander, Second Edition, version 2.0, published in July 2015 by TidBITS Publishing Inc. This book was written by Michael E. Cohen and edited by Kelly Turner.

This book covers how you can use version 5 of Smile’s TextExpander text-substitution utility for Mac and TextExpander touch 3 for iOS to make your writing, programming, and editing far more efficient and enjoyable. (TextExpander 3 and 4 users can download an older edition from this ebook’s blog; see Ebook Extras.)

If you want to share this ebook with a friend, we ask that you do so as you would with a physical book: “lend” it for a quick look, but ask your friend to buy a copy for careful reading or reference.

Copyright © 2015, Michael E. Cohen. All rights reserved.

Updates and More

You can access extras related to this book on the Web (use the link in Ebook Extras, near the end; it’s available only to purchasers). On the ebook’s Take Control Extras page, you can:

• Download any available new version of the ebook for free, or purchase any subsequent edition at a discount.
• Download various formats, including PDF, EPUB and Mobipocket. (Learn about reading on mobile devices on our Device Advice page.)
• Read the ebook’s blog. You may find new tips or information, as well as a link to an author interview.

If you bought this ebook from the Take Control Web site, it has been added to your account, where you can download it in other formats and access any future updates. If you bought it from Smile (or elsewhere), you can add it to your account manually; see Ebook Extras.

What’s New in This Edition?

This edition covers TextExpander 5, which has been redesigned for (and which requires) OS X 10.10 Yosemite or later. It also covers the latest iOS app, TextExpander touch 3.5 (see Use TextExpander touch).

Here are some the new features in TextExpander 5 and TextExpander touch that this edition covers:

• Suggestions: This completely new feature is covered in Use Suggestions.
• Inline Search: This recasting of the old Suggest Abbreviations command is described in Search Inline.
• Cloud syncing: Learn new ways in which TextExpander can sync with cloud services, including iCloud Drive, in Sync with the Cloud.
• JavaScript scripting: Script with JavaScript explains how to add executable script snippets in this language to TextExpander.
• TextExpander touch keyboard: This addition to TextExpander touch brings TextExpander snippets into any app; read Use the TextExpander Keyboard to find out about it.

In addition, lots of little bits of new information, too numerous to list, have been incorporated into the book.