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PhraseExpress v9 DocumentationUsing PhraseExpress on USB flash drives First Steps with PhraseExpress How do I……insert a phrase into a document? Additional functionsRestrict phrases to certain programs Restrict phrases to individual users Secure PhraseExpress against operating errors Perform Calculations As-You-Type Macro functionsHow do I……add time/date stamp to a phrase? …link a phrase with another phrase? …add manual text input to a phrase? …create a conditional If-Then-Else phrase? MiscellaneousDisable PhraseExpress temporarily Remove license from PhraseExpress Launch PhraseExpress automatically with the Computer Changing the phrase file location Document ConventionsYou are currently reading this manual in your web browser. Like in any webpage, you can jump between sections, set bookmarks or print this manual. The online version of the manual may contain newer information than any offline version.
This symbol indicates a useful hint. Tips & Tricks are marked with this icon. These hints simplify the use of PhraseExpress by explaining procedures which you may not discover through simple use of the software. This symbol indicates very important notes. Software InstallationPhraseExpress is installed like most Windows software in following easy steps:
The PhraseExpress Autotext feature will interfere with the MS Office AutoCorrect function as both programs are triggered by your text input. You will recognize that abbreviations are expanded twice. We strongly recommend that you import the MS Word AutoCorrect entries into PhraseExpress and disable the function in MS Word (see Microsoft help).
Additional information about remote installations can be found in the manual of the PhraseExpress Network Edition. PhraseExpress can optionally install a phrase file containing some usage examples and common spelling corrections. You can easily edit or delete the sample phrases if you do not need them. You can also download additional free add-ons from our web site. PhraseExpress on USB drivesPhraseExpress must not necessarily be installed on a computer. You can alternatively run PhraseExpress directly from a USB memory stick which allows you to use a single PhraseExpress license on any computer wherever you insert the USB stick.
PhraseExpress recognizes automatically if it is running from a USB memory device and switches to a special portable mode which is indicated in the main program window title. In portable mode, PhraseExpress stores user and application data into the same directory the program is running from. The program will not write any data on the host PC while in portable mode. If you already have created phrase file, copy it to the USB stick and load it from there. Important Note
Upgrade from previous versionsWe recommend to remove any older version before upgrading to the latest version. You may need to manually load the previous phrase file. PhraseExpress will convert the phrase file to a new format that supports the new features. Backup your current phrase file before upgrading! PhraseExpress converts phrase files of previous into a new format. Previous PhraseExpress versions will not be able to read the new phrase file format. If using the PhraseExpress Network Edition, please find upgrade information in the manual of the Network Edition. First Steps with PhraseExpressAfter launching PhraseExpress the program icon appears in the lower right of the Windows system tray:
This tray icon is the main hub for PhraseExpress. You can click it with the left to reach your phrases and the right mouse button to access settings and additional options. If you don't see this icon, make sure to change the task tray icon setting so that the PhraseExpress icon is always shown in the tray as it displays important program status information (video tutorial).
From now on, PhraseExpress will save you from typing the same phrases over and over again:
Store a new phraseThe first few text phrases you may want to create could be your name that can be triggered by your initials, or a shortcut to your email or mailing address, bank account information, telephone number, etc.
How to insert a phrase into a document
You can also insert a phrase with the following methods:
If text is not inserted properly, the trouble-shooting section is there to help. How to edit a phraseClick the PhraseExpress system tray icon with the right(!) mouse button and select . Alternatively, click the PhraseExpress tray icon while holding the SHIFT-key to open the main program window with the most recently inserted phrase highlighted. You can also define a hotkey for this task under Tools » Settings » Hotkeys. You can also open any phrase for editing in the phrase selection popup menu or a floating menu by right-clicking the item and choose . The main program windows opens which allows you to edit and organize your phrases
The left-hand tree view allows you to review and manage your phrases and organize them in folders. You can move items within the tree structure by selecting them and clicking the up/down buttons or with drag & drop. Phrase folders allow you to organize your phrases into categories such as different languages, phrases for certain departments or for different tasks. A thoughtful folder structure design provides easy access to a large number of phrases.
NEW The icons in the first tree hierarchy level indicate phrase files and illustrate the current status:
Click an item in the left tree view to edit it on the right side of the main program window. Multiple objects can be edited simultaneously by pressing and holding CTRL and/or SHIFT while selecting the desired objects. Right-click an item in the phrase tree view to access additional editing options such as duplicate, sort, find & replace, move or delete the selected object. You can import external files such bitmaps, text files or program executables by dragging them to the desired position in the phrase tree structure. Additional options are available in Expert Mode. If settings are grayed out, they are disabled. The status bar of the main program window provides more information In most cases. Phrase SettingsA phrase consists of the following elements:
Folder SettingsSelect the desired folder in the tree view to display the folder options in the right window:
Folder settings become the default for any new phrase you create in that folder. Editing options in the phrase tree context menuPhraseExpress offers additional functions if you right-click any item in the phrase tree view. Different editing commands show up for folders vs. phrases:
Some editing commands are only available in Expert Mode. How to find a phrasePhraseExpress offers two options to locate a certain phrase based on its description, phrase contents, Autotext or Hotkey: QuickSearchOpen the main program window and click the magnifying glass button below the tree view. A query input field will open below the phrase tree and you can choose whether you wish to search for phrase descriptions, phrase contents, Autotexts or hotkeys. After you start typing the first characters of your query, PhraseExpress will show any findings in a flat list.
Press the magnifying glass button again to quit the Search feature. When hovering over a phrase in the list, the full path within the phrase tree is shown. The hotkey STRG-F provides quick access to the search feature. Find & ReplaceIf you would like to find a phrase within a certain folder (including sub-folders) or if you want to replace a string with another, right-click the desired phrase folder from the phrase tree view and select from the context popup menu. Search & Replace only works for unformatted phrases. PhraseExpress will ask you whether to permanently(!) remove the text formatting if any formatted phrase is matching the search term. CTRL-clicking the magnifying glass button or pressing the hotkey CTRL-H opens the Find & Replace window. How to delete a phraseTo delete a phrase, folder or phrase file node, open it in the editing windows first:
Then click the item in the tree view on the left and either hit the Delete-key on your keyboard or click the red-colored trash bin icon below the tree view. If you selected a phrase file node for deletion, PhraseExpress will unload the file but does not delete it from the hard-disk. You can load it again at any time later. You can't delete items in one of the following situations:
PhraseExpress checks whether a phrase you are about to delete is linked from another phrase via the #insert macro function and offers you to review those linking phrases in such case. Phrase selection popup menuPhraseExpress opens a popup menu next to the cursor in one of the following cases:
How to select an item from the popup menuThe popup window allows you to select the desired phrase using any of the following methods:
The selected phrase is then pasted into the target application with the confirmation hotkey TAB. You can change this confirmation hotkey in the settings (see chapter "Settings - Popup - Hotkeys"). NEW Phrases are automatically filtered from the popup menu if they are restricted to certain programs. This means, that you only see phrases in the popup which are relevant to your current task. NEW If you trigger a popup by a hotkey, you can drag around the popup menu by clicking on the separator line. You are then prompted whether you wish to display all future popup menus at the same position. The appearance of the popup menu and the Hotkeys can be customized in PhraseExpress (see chapter "Popup menu settings"). The popup menu can be closed by hitting the ESC key or clicking outside the menu with the mouse. If you pressed the Arrow Up / Arrow Down-key at least one time, you can also trigger the phrase by pressing ENTER instead of the confirmation key. If you click on any phrase item in the popup menu while holding the CTRL-key, the phrase contents is copied to the Windows clipboard instead of being pasted into the target application. NEW If you SHIFT-click the phrase is inserted without text formatting (if any). This comes in handy especially with the Clipboard Cache. NEW If you right-click any element, you get a context menu with useful extra options for that element. NEW If you right-click the separator line (between the "Create new phrase" command and your phrases), you get additional popup display options. NEW The popup menu can be resized by dragging its edges. Place phrase menus on the desktop Pro EditionThe phrase popup menu normally disappears automatically after you have selected an item. For further text insertion, you would need to manually open the popup menu again. However, you can also pin any phrase folder on the Desktop as a 'floating menu'. Floating menus provide quick access to the phrases. You can drag & drop phrases out of the floating menu into the desired target program. You can also drag highlighted text into the floating menu to store this text as a new phrase. The float collapses if you double-click the title bar in order to save desktop space. It expands if you double-click again. You can place multiple phrase folders on the desktop and sub-folders of the floating menu are still accessible. PhraseExpress remembers the location of any floating menu individually for each user even after a computer restart. Floating menu can be removed from the desktop by simply X-ing it out. This action will only remove the popup from the desktop but will not delete the phrases themselves. NEW Floating menus can be restricted to certain programs and dynamically appear/hide depending on the program you are currently working with. Example: A floating menu containing various bank account information could show up only if you open a specific banking website or banking software. It would automatically disappear if you switch to another program. Program restricted floating menus behave like they are attached to those programs and virtually become part of them. To restrict a floating menu to particular programs right-click the title bar or any item in that floating menu, select "" and configure the programs in the following dialog. NEW Floating menus can be resized by dragging them by their edges. Floating menus are also useful for the system-folders Clipboard Cache and Last Used phrases. Using HotkeysA Hotkey (or shortcut key, keyboard shortcut, key combo, etc.) is a set of keys associated with a certain phrase or folder. For example, hold down any of the ALT and/or SHIFT and/or CTRL "modifier" keys and then press and release a single other regular key, and lastly release the CTRL- , ALT-, SHIFT- key(s). This distinction is important because it is easy to miss some of the keys or cause an unwanted auto-repeat when trying to press all the keys simultaneously. In PhraseExpress, you can even use mouse buttons as a Hotkey. PhraseExpress can insert a phrase by pressing its associated Hotkey. E.g., your signature can be pasted if you press the Hotkey CTRL-ALT-S. This is useful but you would quickly run out of Hotkey as you assign more and more phrases to individual Hotkeys. That is, why PhraseExpress allows you to re-use the same Hotkey for multiple phrases. Alternatively, you can assign a Hotkey to a phrase folder that may contain multiple phrases. E.g. you could use the Hotkey CTRL-ALT-B for a phrase folder that contains phrases with information of all your bank accounts. If you enter such Hotkey, a popup-menu opens near the cursor where you can choose the desired phrase using the mouse or the Arrow Up / Arrow Down-keys of your keyboard (also see chapter "Popup menu"). Hotkeys defined in PhraseExpress can conflict with Hotkeys reserved by other programs. Avoid frequently used Hotkeys and rather use combinations with the CTRL- , ALT-, WIN-, SHIFT- key and a letter. Many Hotkeys are firmly reserved by Windows (see list) and cannot be assigned in PhraseExpress. Especially, the WIN-key is almost exclusively reserved by Windows Vista and should not be used without a combination of additional modifier keys. If Hotkeys do not work, please see the chapter "trouble-shooting". How to use AutotextAutotext is a feature similar to MS Office's 'AutoCorrect' feature, but pushed to new limits by PhraseExpress. Autotext automatically replaces text shortcuts (the Autotext) with text phrases defined for the trigger phrase while you type. General Autotext video tutorial Sample applications:
If the Autotext feature does not work as expected, please see the chapter "trouble-shooting". If you experience unwanted text replacements, please read chapter "Unwanted text replacements". If Autotext settings are grayed out, the Autotext feature may be disable in the containing/parent folder or you have no editing permissions. Configure Autotext in Easy ModeAutotexts can be configured in three variations if PhraseExpress is running in Easy Mode:
Configure Autotext in Easy ModeThe Expert Mode offers detailed configuration options for Autotext. Example applications:
The following information is quite technical. You can safely ignore this chapter if above applications are of no interest. Leading and trailing delimitersPhraseExpress continuously monitors what you type and scans words to determine whether your keyboard input matches any Autotext you have defined. Whenever your input matches any Autotext, the program replaces the Autotext with the corresponding text phrase. Technically, a 'separate word' is defined as entered text at the beginning of a sentence or text that follows or is followed by a space, punctuation mark, comma, semicolon, TAB or ENTER. The character which must be entered before an Autotext (leading delimiter) is called . The character which must follow the Autotext (trailing delimiter) in order to trigger an action is called . You can define the prefix and postfix separately for each phrase:
Example uses of custom prefix/postfix settings:
Manual phrase confirmationBy default, phrases are inserted automatically if you trigger the phrase by entering its associated Autotext. However, sometimes you may want to decide whether a phrase shall be executed on a case-by-case basis. If you activate the option for a particular phrase, PhraseExpress will not automatically insert the phrase but opens a popup menu which offers you to insert the phrase:
This option is only visible in Expert Mode (see chapter "Expert Mode"). You can customize the confirmation hotkey by right-clicking on that option in the main program window (also see chapter "Settings - Popup - Hotkeys"). The number of required letters to hide the popup menu can be configured in the Settings under . Remove trailing delimiterIf you do not want to output the trailing delimiter after phrase insertion, please select this option. This option is not available if the Autotext is set to or . This option is only visible in Expert Mode Automatic CAPS detectionIf a phrase content and the Autotext both begin with lower caps, PhraseExpress will automatically adapt the letter case of the phrase depending on the first letter of the entered Autotext.
Examples:
This auto-caps feature is disabled for Autotexts that exist in lower and upper case in your phrase library. Restrict phrases to certain programsPhraseExpress normally works system-wide in any application. However, you can restrict phrases to individual applications. Applications examples:
How to restrict a phrase (folder) to certain programs:
You can add up to 10 program restriction per phrase (folder) by clicking on the +- button. You can delete a program restriction with the -- button. If you wish to exclude an individual phrase from a program you are currently working with, execute that phrase and right-click the PhraseExpress task tray icon. You will then get an option to exclude that phrase from the program which currently has focus. The program restriction feature explained here is valid for individual phrases/phrase folders and those settings are stored in the phrase file. If you use the phrase file with others (e.g. by using the Network Edition, all users share the same program restrictions. NEW You can also restrict PhraseExpress including the text prediction feature to certain programs on a global level. Global program restriction are stored in the configuration file (vs. the phrase file) and take effect on the specific computer only. Global program restrictins do not roam with the phrase file. Restrict access rights to individual usersIf you share phrases with other users, you may want to restrict read and write access rights of iof certain phrase folders to specific users, workgroups or domains. Usage examples:
How to configure access restrictions:
You can configure access rights for multiple folders at a time: Highlight all desired phrase folders in the tree view by clicking on the folders while pressing the SHIFT- and/or CTRL-key. PhraseExpress identify users by their Windows login user name. This means that if you log onto a different PC in the network, you can see your private phrases there as well.
Password protectionHighlight the desired phrase file node in the phrase tree of the main program window and select the command . You will be prompted for the password on PhraseExpress startup before the phrase file is loaded. You can extend the protection by letting PhraseExpress prompt for the password every time, you want to open the main program window. Password-protected phrase files are securely encrpyted with AES and also protected if transmitted over the internet. Wenn Sie Ihre Textbausteindatei zum Beispiel mit Dropbox synchronisiert wird, dann ist Ihre Textbausteindatei selbst dann geschützt, wenn Ihr Dropbox-Konto kompromittiert wäre. Secure PhraseExpress against operating errorsYou can secure PhraseExpress against operating errors by removing settings from the user interface:
Menu items to edit settings/phrases will not only disabled but completely removed from the user interface. The reduced user interface increases ease-of-use and minimizes training and technical support by IT staff. The Text Prediction FeatureThe text prediction feature saves you from repetitive text input and can be enabled at . You don't even need to manually to create and store boilerplate templates. PhraseExpress automatically recognizes repeatedly entered sentences during your normal work. After a short learning period, PhraseExpress will start offering to auto-complete such frequently used phrases. Just make sure to type sentences of a minimal length several times to allow PhraseExpress identifying them as repetitive input. The text prediction feature is caps-sensitive and distinguishes sentences by their punctuation. If you start entering a phrase of a minimum length for the third time, it will start to offer to auto-complete that phrase. The required minimum length is determined by the parameter "Minimum input savings" as described in chapter "Settings » Text Prediction"). Text suggestions automatically disappear if you just continue to type a few letters. You can also train PhraseExpress with your existing Word documents or sent Outlook emails to get instant suggestion based on what you have written earlier. It will be as PhraseExpress known you forever. The Text Prediction feature is integrated into PhraseExpress and internally uses a dictionary which is separate from your phrase files (see chapter "Storage location of your personal data"). Password input is not catched by the text prediction feature unless the password contains a space or punctuation mark. You can exclude PhraseExpress from individual programs if you enter confidential text in those programs. This feature is also available if you right-click a suggestion. Unwanted text suggestions can be deleted from PhraseExpress by right-clicking the unwanted item in the popup menu. The text prediction feature can be temporarily disabled by clicking the PhraseExpress tray icon while pressing the CTRL-key. If you do not get any text suggestions check the trouble-shooting section. The text prediction feature uses sophisticated analyzing algorithms in order to find suitable text suggestions and may cause moderate CPU load. You may want to disable the text prediction feature if working on a battery-powered Laptop to increase battery runtime. The text prediction feature is automatically disabled if using an Asian language. The Clipboard CacheWindows normally overwrites any contents you have copied to the Clipboard. The Clipboard Cache feature now caches previous clipboard contents and provides quick access via a special phrase folder. This feature also allows you to save multiple phrases in a batch if you simply copy multiple strings to the clipboard and organize the snippets in PhraseExpress later. The Clipboard Cache can be disabled by simply deleting the special folder from the phrase tree in the main program window. You can enable the function in If you press the customizable hotkey CTRL-ALT-V, PhraseExpress offers you previous clipboard contents in a popup menu. If you right-click an item, you can decide whether to insert the item with or without text formatting or if you would like to copy the old clipboard contents back into the current clipboard. The Clipboard Cache is configured by highlighting the folder in the phrase tree view of the PhraseExpress main program:
You can create a floating menu of the Clipboard Cache to gain instant access to your clipboard history on your desktop. PRO EDITION NEW The Clipboard Cache can be protected with a password. System folders are automatically populated by the system and cannot be altered. You can only drag & drop items from the system folder into your own folder. How to access the last used phrasesPhraseExpress can copy the last inserted phrases into a special system folder within your existing phrase structure. You can enable the function in This feature is useful if you need to expedite access to a limited set of phrases for repetitive insertion, e.g. when filling a batch of similar forms. We recommend setting a Hotkey or Autotext for this system phrase folder. You can also place this folder as a floating menu if using the Professional Edition. This folder also serves as a data 'bridge' between the text suggestion feature and your phrase library. Any accepted text suggestion is copied to the folder. You can disable this system folder by simply deleting it from within the phrase tree in phrases. The system folder can be re-enabled in the program settings. System folders are automatically populated by the system and cannot be altered. You can only drag & drop items from the system folder into your own folder. Spelling CorrectionThe spelling correction feature is realized with the regular Autotext feature. The PhraseExpress sample phrase file contains spelling correction items that replaces misspelled words with the correct form. Example:A phrase with the contents "word" is triggered by entering the associated Autotext "wrod". This means if you enter "wrod", PhraseExpress will replace this auto-correct the misspelled word with the phrase contents. If you experience unwanted text replacements, you can easily identify and modify/delete unwanted items. Please find more information in chapter "Unwanted text replacements". We offer spelling databases in several languages as free add-ons. TypoLearnPhraseExpress recognizes if you manually correct a spelling mistake. If you correct the same typo several times, a bubble notification in the task tray icon tells you that PhraseExpress created an automatic spelling correction item in the "TypoLearn" system folder. From then on, PhraseExpress offers you to correct this spelling mistake if it occurs again. PhraseExpress can only learn spelling mistakes for single words that are finished with a space, removed by using the backspace key, manually corrected and finished by a space. It is very important not to leave out the space character. The TypoLearn feature can be activated under . To disable the feature, you can simply delete the TypoLearn system folder. You can configure TypoLearn settings by highlighting the system folder in the phrase tree view:
Make sure to move spelling corrections from the TypoLearn system folder to your personal phrases as PhraseExpress may replace them with new spelling corrections if the maximum number of allowed items is reached in that folder. The text prediction feature must be enabled in order to use the TypoLearn feature. System folders are automatically populated by the system and cannot be altered. You can only drag & drop items from the system folder into your own folder. This feature is not included in the Easy Edition. You can upgrade your license at /upgrade.php SmartSearchThe SmartSearch provides a very useful tool to perform queries on your computer:
PhraseExpress will then open the selected web page with the search results. This even works for addresses in Google Maps. This useful function uses various existing PhraseExpress macro functions for this task. You can download this feature as a free add-on from our website. You can change the hotkey to trigger the SmartSearch just like you can do with any other phrase. You can even assign a mouse button to this useful function for quicker access. You can add additional search engines to the SmartSearch as shown in this video. Calc-As-You-TypePhraseExpress can offer to replace any entered calculation such as "10+5=" with the actual result of the equitation once you enter the equal sign. This useful function is actually not an additional feature of PhraseExpress but just uses various existing PhraseExpress macro functions for this task. Download and import the special functions phrase file from http://www.phraseexpress.com/phrases.php to use the Calculate-As-You-Type feature. Sharing phrases with a TeamPhraseExpress (excluding freeware edition) offers several options to share phrase libraries in a team: Sharing a common phrase file NEWMultiple PhraseExpress installations can simultaneously load the same phrase file. The integrated synchronization feature automatically merges changes by multiple users into the common phrase file. You can configure the synchronization in the program settings. PhraseExpress creates a rolling backup of any changes including the user name of the editor. If all users configure the same backup storage location, the backups of individual users are also merged into a common backup pool. Synchronization issues can occur if multiple users edit the phrase file simultaneously. Please use the PhraseExpress Server or a SQL server if you want to prevent write collisions. Sync phrases with Cloud Storage solutionsThe phrase file synchronization also works with cloud storage solutions over the internet. In this example, we are using Dropbox:
Future changes to the phrases will be distributed by Dropbox and synced by PhraseExpress automatically. Changes to the phrase file are recognized on program launch,if you open the main program window and - if you changed the phrases - if you close the main program window. You can set a password to secure your phrase files against hackers. Even compromised cloud services would never reveal your sensitive information as the phrase file is securely AES encrypted. Dropbox takes some time to distribute the phrase file over the internet. Sync issues can occur if multiple users are editing the file quicker than Dropbox can distribute the time. You can avoid such issues by restricting write permissions to only few or one single users. Connecting to a SQL Server NEWPhraseExpress can connect to a FireBird SQL Server to share phrases in large enterprise networks with the command . Special Notes:
Please find more information in the SQL Client Manager manual. ImportantTo connect to a SQL server make sure to have the network function enabled in Settings ».
Using the PhraseExpress Network EditionYou can share phrases with others in the network by installing the separate PhraseExpress Server of the Network Edition. Please learn more about how to install the Network Edition in the manual of the Network Edition. By using the Network Edition, you can configure read/write access rights for each phrase folder (see chapter "Restricting phrase access in the network"). ImportantIf using the Network Edition, make sure to have the network function enabled in Settings ». Automatic Server SearchYou can enable the automatic server search via and select. By default, PhraseExpress continuously searches the PhraseExpress Server in the network (using a UDP broadcast poll via a customizable port 1036). If the PhraseExpress Server recognizes a poll, it welcomes the client by providing the current Server PC's IP address via a customizable UDP port and the client installation will download the phrases from the server. Once the client installation receives the IP address, it will first try to connect to this IP address every time a client restarts. Only if the server cannot be found anymore will the client start sending broadcast polls again. You can disable broadcast polls by manually defining the Server IP address, using a local phrase file or if you disable the network function in the client. Manual Server IP addressIf the Server PC's IP address is permanent, you can enter it manually to allow faster connection and to disable the client's broadcast polls. This also allows you to access the PhraseExpress Server via the internet (whereas polling via UDP would fail). The client will not find the Server again if the IP address changes in the meantime unless you enter the new IP address or switch to automatic server search (see above). Please find more information about using PhraseExpress in a network in the manual of the Network Edition at http://netman.phraseexpress.com. Features described in chapter "Sharing phrases with a Team" are not included in the Freeware Edition. Offline CachingIf PhraseExpress is accessing a phrase file over the network and if the network connection is interrupted (e.g. if you are traveling with your laptop), PhraseExpress uses a cached version of the latest status of the phrase file. You can still use and edit such cached phrase files. PhraseExpress automatically switches back to the network phrase file upon network re-connection and will synchronize any edits made offline. Backups created offline are also synced if the backup storage is located on a network drive. PhraseExpress clients which are licensed via the PhraseExpress Server of Network Edition or a SQL license database, use a temporary cached license while being disconnected from the network. The client must renew their license by reconnecting to the PhraseExpress Server after a while. You can review the license state via . Macro functionsPhraseExpress offers powerful macro functions to add dynamic text to your phrases (e.g. adding the current date, time or counting variables, etc.), to launch applications, documents or to open programs. List of macro functionsClick any macro function name in the below list to get detailed information:
Certain macros are not compatible with HTML/RTF formatted phrases as indicated in the above table. Macro functions are generally not supported by MS Word-formatted phrases. However, you can use Word macros in such phrases. Entering macro functionsMacro functions can be added to phrase text as normal text in the input field Phrase contents or by clicking the button. When you use the phrase later, PhraseExpress will replace the macros with the desired dynamic content. Macro functions are colored to make it easier to identify them within the phrase. You can double-click a highlighted macro function name to edit it. Example of a phrase containing macro functions: Today is {#date}. The time now is {#time}. In this example, the macro functions {#time} and {#date} will be replaced by the actual time and date. Nesting macro functionsYou can also nest macros into each other for powerful and flexible tasks. In most cases, the nested macro functions are processed first (From the inside to the outside). Example of a nested macro: {#rnd {#input Max value?}} Above macro example opens a text input box and outputs a random number between zero and the value you have entered. If a macro function is not executed, please carefully check for typos and syntax. Certain macros can only be used in phrases without text formatting. If required, divide formatted phrases into two separate formatted phrases. Then create a new unformatted phrase, retrieve the first formatted phrase using the #insert macro, add the desired macro function(s) and finally retrieve the second half of the formatted phrase using #insert. Adding the current date to a phrasePhraseExpress includes macro commands to add dynamic contents to your text phrases. Create a phrase and add the macro function {#date}, {#time} or {#datetime} at the desired position: Today is {#date}. The current time is {#time}. Whenever you use this text phrase, the macro commands in {} will be replaced with the current date and/or time: Today is 03/12/2007. The current time is 10:34. The output format of the date and time will be taken from the regional settings as listed in MS Windows. Formatting of the date and timeThe more powerful macro function {#datetime -f format -s shift} allows you to select individual parts of a date or time and to change the order. Example applications:
As the parameter syntax for the macro function {#datetime …} is quite complex, we strongly recommend to use the Add macro button to configure the macro properly. Parameter reference for the date/time formatting:
Overview about the date/time parameters:
Time shiftYou can also shift the current date and time output by using the optional parameter -s shift Replace shift with the positive/negative amount of shift. Directly after the amount, add which date/time unit should be shifted:
Number of days/weeks passed of the current year{#datetime -d} outputs the number of days that have passed within the current year. {#datetime -w} outputs the number of weeks that have passed within the current year. Perform date-based calculations with any given dateYou can provide any custom date via the parameter -value to perform date-/timeshift calculations on the provided date/time This example takes the current date via the parameter -value and performs a shift of +14 workdays: {#datetime -value {#date} -s 14w} Open Calendar PopupThe macro function {#calendar -head window title -f date format -s timeshift -def default value -manual} opens a calendar and pastes the date selected by the user in the defined format as text. Example: Please choose a date: {#calendar -head Select a date!} You can use the same date formatting options as in the macro #datetime. By default, the current date is highlighted in the calendar. You can however either enter a fixed default date or a dynamic date shift relative to the current date. The optional parameter -manual adds a manual input field underneath the calendar. If you require the selected date in various places within a phrase, simply use the identical window title for the calendar macro. In such an event, PhraseExpress opens the calendar only one time and inserts the same selected date in all occurrences of the calendar macro within the phrase. Link a phrase with another phraseA very powerful function is the ability to nest phrases by retrieving phrases out of another phrase. This is useful, for example, to create an email signature which is used by multiple phrases. To do that, place the macro function {#insert Autotext} where you would like to have the other phrase which is defined by its Autotext. Let's assume, you have created this text phrase: Hello, Thank you for your offer. We will reply to you as soon as possible. {#insert footer_jon} At the end of above phrase you can see that it calls another phrase with the Autotext footer_jon and following contents: Kind regards, The above rendered text phrase would look like this when being pasted: Hello, Thank you for your offer. We will reply to you as soon as possible. Kind regards, You can also use an Autotext for a phrase folder. In such a case, the corresponding phrase folder would pop up at the present cursor's location and you can select the desired phrase. When using the optional parameter -random, PhraseExpress will paste a random phrase from within the corresponding folder. Example: {#insert Autotext -random} You can also drag & drop phrases from the phrase tree directly into the phrase contents field of the phrase you are currently editing. PhraseExpress will create the macro command at the position where you drop the phrase. If the inserted phrase does not yet have the required Autotext, then PhraseExpress creates one for you based on the description beginning with '##' plus a random number. Benefits of using nested phrases
We strongly recommend that you try using nested phrases. They are extremely useful and you will really appreciate this feature. Adding a counter variable in a phrasePhraseExpress allows you to create an unlimited number of counter variables with custom start values and an incrementor/decrementor. Creating a variableVariables are handled just like usual phrases. Open the and right-click the location in the tree view where you would like to create the variable and select from the popup menu. Alternatively, create a new standard phrase and enter a number as the . PhraseExpress will then ask you if the phrase should be converted into a variable. In the right window you need to define a , the , optionally an and - most importantly - the (which is also interpreted as the ). If you do not enter a variable name, PhraseExpress will take the description as the variable name. If you set the incrementor to zero, the variable keeps the static value. You can now paste the variable as a value into any application. The practical way to use a variable is inside another phrase using the macro function {#insert …} where it could be used as an order number: Hello, Your order number is {#insert ordernr}. Thank you for your purchase. Kind regards, Each time you use this phrase, the current variable value will be inserted and increased/decreased as specified for this variable. Placing the cursor within a phraseThe macro function {#cursor} places the cursor to the macro position within a phrase after insertion of that phrase. Example: The cursor will be here: {#cursor} and not at the end of the phrase. This macro only works for phrases without text formatting that are pasted using the key-by-key paste method. The cursor position can be affected by {#ASC …} or {#SIMKEY …} macros. Adding a manual text input into a phraseThe macro function {#input -head windowtitle} allows you to enter additional text, which will be inserted into the phrase at the position where this macro is positioned. Example: Dear {#input -head Recipient's name?}! Thank you for your email. We will reply as soon as possible. Best regards, Whenever you retrieve this phrase, PhraseExpress opens the following dialog window with the window title as specified in the macro function ("Recipient's name?" in this example) and allows you to enter additional text before the phrase is actually pasted:
After clicking OK (or hitting CTRL-ENTER), the entered text will replace the macro function in the phrase and the output would look like: Dear Frank Harris! Thank you for your email. We will reply as soon as possible. Best regards, Additional parameters for {#input}
If you need the text input at multiple positions within a phrase, just use the identical window title text for all macro functions and you will only need to enter the input once and it will be used for all instances. Create an input formPhraseExpress can open a custom input form that retrieves multiple text entries before a phrase is inserted. The collected information is then inserted into the phrase at the positions of the corresponding form macro functions. We recommend this procedure to create an online form:
List of form macro functions.Sample application:{#form -text Example form -width 500}{#formtext -text This is form example}{#formseparator}Customer Name: {#formeditbox -text Your name? -def Mike -single -required}. The user is a {#formcheckbox -text Existing Customer? -hint description -vals paying|non-paying -def Yes}. The customer is using {#formcombobox -text Which version? -items version 1|version 2|version 3}. If you trigger above phrase, PhraseExpress will not insert the phrase directly but opens a form first that collects all required data first. After you filled the form and clicked the button, PhraseExpress will replace the form macro functions with the actual input and outputs the phrase into the target application in one go: Customer Name: Michael. The customer is a paying customer. The customer is using version 3. Form macros can be used in any combination and number. The maximum text description length is 256 characters. If text is cut by the form, you may want to increase the form window width with the {#form} macro function. The form height is automatically determined by the number of controls in the form. Normally, macro functions are processed recursively, starting with inner nested macros to outer macros. Form macros are an exception as they are sequentially processed. Only macro functions that are nested within a form macro are processed recursively. If you need any input at multiple positions within a phrase, use the identical label for all related form macros. Only one instance of the objects that have the same label will be shown in the form. The user input will then be inserted at all positions of the form macro (that has the same label) in the phrase. Form macros are only available in the Pro Edition. You can upgrade your license at /upgrade.php Output a message windowThe macro function {#msgbox -head window title -text message text -yes Autotext -no Autotext -cancel Autotext -defaultno} interrupts the phrase output and opens a standard message window with the given message text. The message window may have one of these button combinations:
You can define an Autotext of another phrase for each button, which would be inserted if the user presses that button. This allows you to branch to different phrases by user demand. If the user clicks Cancel, then the phrase insertion will be cancelled at the position of the #msgbox macro function. The optional parameter -defaultno opens the message box with input focus on the No/Cancel button. Adding a Windows environment variable to a phraseThe macro function {#env %variable%} inserts the specified Windows environment variable into the phrase. Example: The operating system is {#env %os%} and the user name is {#env %user name%} The above phrase is rendered at the time of execution as follows: The operating system is Windows_NT and the user name is Jon Donson Adding a ActiveDirectory LDAP variable to a phraseThe macro function {#adldap variable name} inserts the specified LDAP variable into the phrase. This macro is useful e.g. for email signatures which are dynamically filled by the ActiveDirectory variables. Example: Kind regards, {#adldap Name} Phone {#adldap Phone} Above phrase is rendered at the time of its execution as follows: Kind regards, Adding a random value into a phraseThe macro function {#rnd maximum} pastes a random value between 0 and the specified maximum value. Example: This is a random value: {#rnd 100} The output would be: This is a random value: 23 Creating an emailThe macro function {#email -to recipient -cc cc-recipients -bcc bcc-recipients -subject subject text -body body text -attach file path(s)} creates a new Email with your standard email client and fills the fields as specified. Example: {#email -to holly@would.net -subject News for you -body {#insert examplephrase}} The macro will launch your default email client, fill the form of the new email and paste the phrase with the Autotext as the email body: Dear Holly, Please check your post mailbox at home. Sincerely, The composed email would look like this:
When strange characters appear in the mail body, it may be because you are using an email program with UTF-8 character encoding (e.g. Outlook 2007). In such a case, please enable UTF-8 support in the PhraseExpress expert settings You can define multiple files as an attachment by listing the file locations separated by a vertical line. Example: -attach C:\file1.txt|C:\file2.txt If the attachment file names contain space characters, you must enclose the path in "". The #mail macro offers additional features if using Microsoft Outlook, such as definition of a file attachment and unlimited body text length. On the other hand, email sent using the mailto: system command only offers a limited body text length. Reduce the amount of text if an error message occurs. Launch a programThe macro function {#run -file "program name" -params "optional parameters" -workdir "working directory"} launches the specified program. Example: {#run -file "notepad.exe"} If the desired application is not registered in Windows, you need to enter the full path to the program. Open a file folderThe above macro function {#openfolder "c:\path"} opens the specified file folder in Windows Explorer. Example:{#openfolder "C:\Windows"} This example opens the folder c:/Windows. If you add the parameter -select, Windows Explorer opens the above folder and highlights the specified folder. {#openfolder "C:\Windows" -select} Open a file from a phraseThe macro function {#open file} opens the specified file with the application which is associated with the file. Example: {#open d:\data\example.txt} Open a web page from a phraseThe macro function {#url web page} opens the specified web page in your default internet browser. Example: {#url http://www.phraseexpress.com} Adding special keys into a phraseSpecial keys on your keyboard can be added as macro functions to your phrase:
Application example:jondoe{#TAB}password{#ENTER} Above example outputs "jondoe", followed by the TAB-key, the text "password" and the ENTER-key. This is useful to automate the login procedure at web site logins (video tutorial). List of keywords for all supported special keys:CTRL, ALT, SHIFT, SPACE, BKSP, TAB, BREAK, DEL, LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, ENTER, ESC, NUMPAD0, NUMPAD1, NUMPAD2, NUMPAD3, NUMPAD4, NUMPAD5, NUMPAD6, NUMPAD7, NUMPAD8, NUMPAD9, MULTIPLY, ADD, SEPARATOR, SUBTRACT, DECIMAL, DIVIDE, F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F9, F10, F11, F12, F13, F14, F15, F16, INS, HOME, END, PGDN, PGUP, PRTSC, SCROLLLOCK, NUMLOCK, CAPSLOCK, LWIN, RWIN, NONE Notes for certain special keys:
Adding a special character into a phraseThe macro function {#ASC character code} pastes the special character with the three-digit character code just as you would when using the ALT-key while entering the three-digit character code on the extended number block. Example: The copyright-symbol © can be pasted by using the macro {#ASC 169}. The MS Windows utility Charmap offers you an overview of the special characters including their code number. Performing a calculationThe macro function {#CALC formula} calculates a formula and outputs the result as text. Example: {#CALC 4+5} This example would output the result 9. This macro function becomes more interesting by combining it with other macro functions: {#CALC {#INPUT -head Number?}*45} The #input macro of this example will first prompt the user to input a number and then will multiply this input by 45 and output the result. Instead of the fixed number 45, you could even use the #insert macro to point to a value which is stored in the phrase containing the defined Autotext: {#CALC {#INPUT -head Number?}*{#INSERT examplephrase}} If you enter 5 and the phrase with the Autotext 'examplephrase' has the value of 12, then the above example would output 60. The calc macro function also supports hexadecimal values that are identified by a leading $-symbol: {#CALC $AB + $1F} The optional parameter -digits adds a customizable number of leading zeros to the output. The optional parameter -round rounds the output to the given number of digits. NEW Parameter -decimalmark defines the decimal mark character. NEW Parameter -thousands defines the thousands separator character. NEW If you use the value "auto" for -round, -decimalmark or -thousands, PhraseExpress adapts the output format to the input format. PhraseExpress uses Windows system defaults if you don't set specific values for above formatting parameters. Switching the focus to another applicationThe macro function {#FOCUS window title} changes the focus to the specified running Windows application based on its windows title (e.g. "calculator"). If the specified application is not running, the current focus remains on the active application. Example: {#FOCUS Calculator} The above macro changes the focus to the calculator program (if it is running). You can also use a wildcard * for the windows title Adding a delay{#SLEEP nnnn} This function lets PhraseExpress wait for a specified amount of milliseconds. This is useful, if another application involved requires a certain amount of time to be launched or a web site takes time to be loaded. If-Then-Else - Conditional statementThe macro function {#COND …} allows you to output different text depending on the input: {#COND -IF Input = value -THEN Output -ELSE Alternative Output} You can use the logical operators "=", "!=" (for "not"), ">", "<", ">=" and "=<". PhraseExpress can compare text and integer numbers. Floating point numbers are not supported. The parameters can include additional macro functions. Loop Function{#LOOP -count x} repeats anything x-times, that is, the number which follows after 'LOOP'. Example: {#LOOP Example{#ENTER} -count 3} The example used here uses the word 'example' three times: Example Example Example Clipboard{#CLIPBOARD -copy} This macro copies text into the Windows clipboard which is currently highlighted in any application. {#CLIPBOARD -paste} This macro pastes the current Windows clipboard contents at the current cursor location within a phrase. Other clipboard related macro functionsThe macro function {#INSERTCLIPBOARD} pastes the clipboard contents chars-wise (key-by-key) instead of triggering the system clipboard paste (if you strike CTRL-C). This specific macro is useful when you wish to use the current clipboard contents as a default value for a manual text input: {#INPUT -head Input? -def {#INSERTCLIPBOARD}} The macro function {#SETCLIPBOARD contents} fills the clipboard with the given contents. Example:{#SETCLIPBOARD {#INPUT Text?}} In this example, the clipboard is filled with the text you enter in the input dialog (keep in mind that macros are processed beginning from the innermost macro). Insert triggering AutotextInsert the Autotext into the phrase text that triggered the phrase itself. The word {#AUTOTEXT} triggered this phrase. If above phrase has been triggered by the word 'example', the text output would be "The word example triggered this phrase". Create/Alter a phrase{#SETPHRASE -description phrase description -content phrase contents -autotext phrase autotext -folder folder autotext } This powerful macro function can create a new phrase with the given phrase description name and custom contents in any existing folder as defined with the -folder parameter. If you use this macro with an existing phrase Autotext, then the existing phrase's contents will be overwritten with the new provided contents. This macro can be used to create a text variable that can be embedded into other phrases using the {#INSERT …} macro. Please note that the phrase file is stored after each execution of a phrase which contains this macro. If you use the PhraseExpress Network Edition, then all clients are updated in this case. Please use this macro function with care.
Define counter variable and its incrementThe macro function #setvar can change the value and increment of a counter variable which is identified via its Autotext. {#SETVAR -var VariableAutotext -value NewValue -inc NewIncrement} This macro is useful especially if you want to reuse the same variable multiple times without increasing its value after insertion. Just set the increment to zero before pasting the variable and redefine the actual increment at the end of the phrase: {#SETVAR -var Counter -inc 0}The Counter has the value: {#INSERT Counter} The Counter still has the same value: {#INSERT Counter}.{#SETVAR -var Counter -inc 1} Here is the text output of above example: The Counter has the value: 5 The Counter still has the same value: 5 Without use of #setvar , calling the counter would increase its value from 5 to 6: The Counter has the value: 5 The Counter still has the same value: 6 Please note that the phrase file is stored after each execution of a phrase which contains this macro. If you use the PhraseExpress Network Edition, then all clients are updated in this case. Please use this macro function with care. Embed contents of an external file{#INSERTFILE file path} The #insertfile macro function loads the contents of the defined file and inserts the contents into the phrase at the position of the macro function. Supported file types
Microsoft Word files are supported by the Professional Edition only. The {#INSERTFILE} macro function combines and replaces the depraciated macro functions {#IMGFILE} and {#TEXTFILE}. Define the paste method for a specific phrase{#PASTEOPTIONS -pastespeed delay in milliseconds -method kbk or cb} This macro function overrides the automatic selection of the paste method for a particular phrase. You can also define the paste speed here (in milliseconds delay per keystroke). Either use kbk for the 'key-by-key' paste method or cb if you want the phrase to be pasted using the Windows clipboard. This macro must be positioned at the beginning of a phrase. Advanced string operationsSeveral string operations allow advanced text processing. Programming skills are necessary in order to take advantage of these functions.
Sample Application:Dear Mr.{#uppercasefirst{#trim {#input -head Name? -def {#insertclipboard} -single}}} This nested macro is processed from the inside to the outside: At first, #input prompts the user to enter a name. The current clipboard contents is offered as a default to the user by the macro function #insertclipboard. The macro #trim then removes any unwanted spaces before and after the manual input. Finally, #upperfirstcase assures that the first letter of the entered name is in caps. Changing the Keyboard LanguageThe macro function {#SETLAYOUT Language-ID} allows the user to change the Windows keyboard layout to the defined language. Example:{#SETLAYOUT 00000407}This text will be pasted with German keyboard layout settings. {#SETLAYOUT 00000409}This text will be pasted with US-American keyboard layout settings. {#SETLAYOUT 00000407}This text will be pasted with German keyboard layout settings again. This macro changes the Windows keyboard settings permanently. The additional macro {#GETLAYOUT} retrieves the language scheme which is currently set in Windows. This macro together with the macro {#SETPHRASE …} allows you to temporarily override the current settings, change it to any custom keyboard layout and afterwards reset the layout to its original setting: {#SETPHRASE -description Current Layout -content {#GETLAYOUT} -autotext currentkeyboardscheme} This macro saves the keyboard layout into a new phrase 'Current Layout" which is identified by its Autotext "currentkeyboardscheme". After any custom changes of the keyboard layout, you can retrieve the original settings with this macro phrase: {#SETLAYOUT {#INSERT currentkeyboardscheme}}{#SETPHRASE -content -autotext currentkeyboardscheme} The final {#SETPHRASE …} macro with its empty -content parameter deletes the temporarily used phrase. A list of language identifiers is available at Microsoft MSDN web page.
Easy vs. Expert ModeNew users can be easily overwhelmed if there are too many options and features. Advanced users want to tweak features in great detail on the other hand. PhraseExpress meets both demands by offering two user interface options:
You can switch between modes at any time by pressing the Easy/Expert mode button in the main program window. Any setting made in Expert Mode still take effect in Easy Mode. The Expert Mode is not available in the Easy Edition. You can upgrade your license at /upgrade.php. Program SettingsTo change the PhraseExpress program settings, right-click the PhraseExpress system tray icon, select from the popup menu and click . Smart people can also access frequently used settings directly by clicking the PhraseExpress task tray icon while holding a combination of modifier keys:
The menu item may be disabled in following cases:
Settings - FeaturesMost settings here are self-explanatory and we would like to avoid redundant descriptions such as "The Option Activate Autotext activates Autotext". If you feel stuck with the settings, you can always revert the options to default values by clicking the button . Settings - HotkeysYou can access frequently used program functions by pressing Hotkeys or mouse buttons (Open this setting now) Please also see chapter "Settings - Popup Menu - Hotkeys" which describes how you can define additional hotkeys for phrase popup menu related tasks. Settings - DisplayHere you can instantly change the PhraseExpress user interface language and customize the behavior of the main program window. If don't get any tray balloon tips even if you enabled the balloon tips in PhraseExpress, they may have been generally disabled on your computer. In such case, please watch this video to learn how to enable balloon tips on your computer. Settings - SoundsThe phrase selection menu can be overseen easily. That is why you can configure sounds for a few events in PhraseExpress (Open this setting now). PhraseExpress supports .wav and .mp3 sound files. We recommend to use short and unobtrusive sounds. Settings » Phrase FilePhrase File SynchronisationWhen you save a local phrase file, PhraseExpress checks, whether the file has been edited by any other user of the same file. You can configure, whether PhraseExpress shall prompt you for the desired action or whether the program shall automatically merge changes of multiple users into the common phrase file. Warning!If multiple users share the same phrase file and if you deactivate synchronization, any other user#s changes will be overwritten. Data loss can occur! BackupPhraseExpress automatically creates a customizable number of backups each time you modify the phrase file. You can also turn off automatic backups (not recommended!). The backup storage location should be different from the phrase file storage location. Multiple installations can use the same backup storage path. PhraseExpress will then merge all backups into a common backup for all installations. Important Notes
Cache SQL phrasesPhrase contents are loaded from the SQL database in the moment of insertion. PhraseExpress can optionally temporarily cache phrases locally to reduce network traffic and to speed up insertion. Caching increase local memory consumption and the client updates phrase content changes only on program launch. Settings - NetworkIf you are using the PhraseExpress Network Edition you must enable the . Otherwise, PhraseExpress cannot connect to the PhraseExpress Server. The communications ports should only be changed if they are used by another program on your individual network. Please find additional information in the PhraseExpress Network Edition manual at http://netman.phraseexpress.com Settings - Network - ProxyIf your computer is connected to the network through a proxy server you can enter the corresponding settings here (Open this setting now). These Proxy settings are also used for the software update check. By default, PhraseExpress uses the proxy server settings as configured in the Internet Explorer. Settings - Network - Software Update CheckPhraseExpress can check whether you are using the latest version and install an update if it becomes available (Open this setting now).
The settings is backward-compatible. This means that you will also informed about important updates, even if you have selected the setting . The chapter "Keep PhraseExpress up-to-date" provides additional information about updates. Settings - Popup menusThis settings section allows you to customize the number, contents and appearance of items in the popup menu. Settings - Popup menu - PositionPhrase popup menus open next to the input caret by default. You can fine-tune the positioning as follows (Open this setting now):
Fall-back in case of false cursor coordinatesSome programs such as Mozilla Firefox or Thunderbird send false cursor coordinates to the operating system. The developer team is well aware for ages about this ugly design flaw but decided to ignore this shortcoming so far. Please help us to wake them up! PhraseExpress automatically recognizes invalid coordinates and defaults the popup menu to your choice of following alternative positions:
The Microsoft Active Accessibility function can provide a more precise cursor location. However, it may be incompatible with certain programs which may crash. If you experience such incompatibility, disable this option. Settings - Popup menu - ColorsText and background colors of the phrase description, its associated Hotkey and Autotext and quick keys in the popup menu can be configured separately. NEW To edit the color of a popup menu element, click it in the preview window and select the desired color from the color picker. We recommend that you choose a slightly different color for text suggestions. This will allow you to distinguish the text suggestion coming from the text prediction feature from the phrases of your phrase library. NEW You can now also customize the text size and font type of the phrase popup menu. Please note, that the preview window reverts to default size if you configure a very large font size because of limited space in the preview window. If you activate the scheme, a few colors cannot be customized as they are defined by the Vista design. Make sure to choose colors with high contrast between text and background to ensure good readability. Right-click a color to apply the color setting to all items of the row. Settings - Popup menu - Key CombinationsConfirmation HotkeyThe confirms the phrase insertion that is currently highlighted in a phrase popup menu. You may want to select a hotkey that can be easily reached during your normal typing flow. However, you should make sure that it will not be pressed accidentally, to avoid triggering unwanted phrases. We recommend that you either use the TAB, ;, ', / or \-key as these are located around the ENTER-key for easy access. Quick Keysallow you to choose any item in the phrase popup menu directly without the need to highlight it first. You can choose one of the following sets of keys as 'Quick Keys':
Hotkeys for the Text Prediction FeatureYou can insert just the next word of the suggested sentence by pressing a customizable hotkey, such as CTRL- Arrow Right (Open this setting now). Settings - Text PredictionAs you have probably learned from your smart phone, text prediction features fluctuate between increasing productivity and distraction. PhraseExpress cannot beat this general challenge but allows you to adjust its behaviour (Open this setting now). The default settings are conservative and generate only occasional but highly accurate/likely text suggestions. Precision
We recommend enabling the option: PhraseExpress will automatically increase the precision step-by-step if you ignore too many suggestions and lower the parameter if no suggestions are made anymore. If you are satisfied with the results after using PhraseExpress for a while, you can disable the automatic precision determination to make the setting permanent. Single words vs. full sentencesYou can configure PhraseExpress to suggest single words and/or full sentences. Example: The word 'prediction' in the above example is a single word suggestion which appears when typing 'The text pre'(.). Please note that enabling the text prediction of single words will cause a large number of suggestions, which may be distracting. Minimum input savingsThe parameter means the difference between what you have already entered and the total length of a text suggestion. Consequently, this parameter defines how many keystrokes you would save if you accept a text suggestion. Example:You have typed "thank yo" and the suggestion would be "thank you for your email.":
Accepting the suggestion at this time would save you entering the remaining "u for your email." which equals 17 keystrokes. We recommend that you change this setting value to at least 15-20 for sentences as there is little benefit of saving 3-5 characters. The time to evaluate the text suggestions would exceed the time required to finish the last 3-5 characters of the sentence. For single word predictions, we recommend something like 5.10 characters. Just keep in mind that the higher the Minimum input savings parameter, the longer the sentences that are suggested. This parameter works against the precision parameter: If you set a high precision value, then PhraseExpress waits with suggestions until you have entered a few words. Therefore if you also define a high Minimum input savings parameter then the sentence must be really long in order to be suggested. Settings - Text Prediction - AdvancedLearn functionThe Text Prediction feature is fully automatic and the phrase suggestions become more and more accurate by just using PhraseExpress. You can, however, drastically shorten the learning curve by letting PhraseExpress look into the past: The can read your sent Outlook emails, your stored phrases, plain text or MS Word documents to get accustomed to your writing style. Open the and follow the directions. Word expirationThe text suggestion feature is based on an encrypted dictionary file (word.pal) which continuously stores any word you enter while PhraseExpress is running. This file cannot be edited. New words are learned as you simply type them. Typos or unwanted words are automatically removed if you do not type them anymore within a customizable expiration term. If you set a short expiration term of just a few days, the dictionary becomes smaller and unused words disappear quickly. The downside is, that PhraseExpress will not offer rarely used text snippets that may otherwise have been useful. You can freeze a certain state of the text prediction dictionary by setting the dictionary file (/My Documents/PhraseExpress/words.pal) access rights to read-only. The command-line parameter "-dictionary=filepath" allows you to launch PhraseExpress with a certain dictionary at start-up (See here). This provides quick access to dictionaries for different tasks or languages. Exit PhraseExpress first before loading a new dictionary. Expert OptionsThe following expert options are only available in Expert Mode. Important NotesThe Expert options are reserved for advanced users who need to adapt PhraseExpress to special use scenarios. In most cases, we will provide instructions upon request. We do not provide technical support in the event that you change the expert options. Before contacting support, please revert the expert options to defaults.
DelaysThe configures a short delay between each key that is pressed. You should keep this setting on maximal speed unless you want to slow down the text insertion, e.g. for presentation purposes. An additional can simulate text input at uneven speeds as if entered by a human. If an Autotext is entered in any program, PhraseExpress generally needs to change the program focus away from the target program, process the input and switch back to the target program to insert the text phrase. PhraseExpress has a short delay to allow older computers to switch focus. If you encounter problems with text insertions, experiment with the :
Paste MethodPhraseExpress uses two different methods to paste contents into the target application (Open this setting now):
We recommend to benefit from the best of two worlds by enabling the option PhraseExpress will then use the key-by-key method for short phrases and the clipboard paste method for long phrases. PhraseExpress can after use by the program. Please note that this causes an extra delay, as the original clipboard contents need to be cached and restored. NEW The paste method can be configured separately for specific target program. Some programs work better with VK_Packet and others may be fine with SendKey. We cannot make recommendation about which paste method works best with which target program. Please experiment with the settings if you experience difficulties. The macro function {#pasteoptions …} allows the user to override any other paste method setting for individual phrases. Miscellaneous
Program StatesPhraseExpress has different states which are indicated by its task tray icon color:
Hotkeys used in PhraseExpressPhraseExpress temporarily uses a few Hotkeys when the program window is open:
PhraseExpress Hotkeys are temporarily disabled when the cursor is placed in the Hotkey input field to allow you to enter/use above Hotkeys for your phrases/folders. Temporarily disable PhraseExpressYou do not need to exit PhraseExpress in order to disable it. Simply click the PhraseExpress task tray icon while holding the CTRL-key to temporarily disable PhraseExpress. This is indicated by a gray exclamation mark in the PhraseExpress icon. Simply click the task tray icon again with the CTRL-key to re-activate PhraseExpress. You can also define Hotkeys under for this action. Register PhraseExpressIf you are using PhraseExpress in a professional environment, you must purchase a license and register your PhraseExpress installation which is a one-time procedure. Register a Stand-Alone installationProcedure to register a single local installation or an USB stick installation:
The license key registration requires an internet connection to store the association between your hardware and the license key association in our license database. No personal information will be transmitted. An offline license registration option is available on request. After successful registration, the program title changes to either "PhraseExpress Easy", "PhraseExpress Standard" or "PhraseExpress Pro" depending on your purchased license. Important notes if running PhraseExpress from a USB stick
Register with the PhraseExpress ServerMultiple installations in a network can get their license from the PhraseExpress Server of the Network Edition (Download). The PhraseExpress Server can also be used as a license-only server if the clients don't load a phrase file.
Zentrale Freischaltung mittels SQL ServerIf you load phrases from a SQL server, we recommend to license the client installations with the SQL Client Manager (Download):
Benefits of licensing with the PhraseExpress- or SQL server:
If you use the PhraseExpress Network Edition, no license key input is required on the workstation installation. The PhraseExpress Server handles all license keys centrally. Please find more information in the manual of the Network Edition. Remove license from PhraseExpressA license key can only be used for one installation. If you wish to use your license key for another installation, please unbind the license association from the current installation first: Open the PhraseExpress main program window and select . This operation requires an internet connection in order to delete the license key association in our online database. You must not continue to use a PhraseExpress installation for professional activities after license removal. If you forgot to remove a license from an installation, you can remove the license after re-installing PhraseExpress. PhraseExpress Automatic StartDuring installation you will be asked if PhraseExpress should be automatically started every time the computer starts. If so, a link will be inserted in the Windows Startup file. You can configure this setting at any time in the settings under . General HintsOf course, we have used PhraseExpress since its first version in 2002 and collected a few hints to help you to get the maximum benefits out of PhraseExpress:
"Undocumented" HacksPhraseExpress includes some hidden pearls and useful tricks for motivated users:
Time savings calculationWith the first launch of PhraseExpress, the program will measure your individual typing speed at different times and calculates an average. Your personal typing speed is then used to accurately calculate the time savings as PhraseExpress now knows how many characters it pastes for your and how long you would need to have them entered. Example:Given an average typing speed of 60 characters a minute, you would need approx. 2 minutes to enter a text containing 120 letters. When using PhraseExpress you would only require approximately 5 seconds to select the phrase or to trigger the Autotext. Thus, your time savings is 115 seconds for each phrase. Given an hourly rate of $20, PhraseExpress saved you 64 cent ($20 per hour * (120 seconds - 5 seconds) / (60 seconds * 60 minutes) = $.64). To access these statistics, open the main program window and select . You will quickly realize that PhraseExpress pays off after a few hours of using it. The program even tells you the money you have saved by using it if you optionally enter your hour rate. Of course, no such information is transmitted to us. PhraseExpress uses the currency as defined in the Windows regional settings. Important noteGathering information about the computer user performance may violate employee privacy protection laws in your country. Make sure that it is legal to use this function. If not, disable it under Settings » Statistics. If using the PhraseExpress Network Edition, you can disable the statistics function on all workstation installations by removing the statistic columns 'time saved' and 'money saved' from the monitor of the Client Manager. Working with phrase filesPhraseExpress can load phrase files and databases from multiple locations simultaneously. NEW All phrase files are combined and merged into the single tree structure of the main program window. The very first phrase file has certain priority as new phrases created with the hotkey CTRL-ALT-Care stored in the first phrase file of the tree structure. You can re-arrange the order of phrase file by dragging them with the mouse. Most commands under the menu time File refer to the currently hightlighted phrase file node. Review the storage locationTo review the storage location, open the main program window and highlight the phrase file node in the tree view. PhraseExpress will show the storage location in the status bar. The command shows detailed information about the selected phrase file. Phrase File TypesNEU PhraseExpress supports a variety of different storage types for your phrases:
Create a new phrase file
Create a new file node
PhraseExpress will then add a new file node to the tree structure. If you entered an unknown file name, PhraseExpress will create a new phrase file. If you selected an existing phrase file, its contents will be loaded into the new file node.
Remove phrase file nodeHighlight the phrase file node in the tree for you wish to delete and press the Delete-key oder press the red trashbin button below the phrase tree. The phrase file will not be deleted from the hard-disk but just removed from the phrase tree. Save phrase file to a new location
Open a phrase file
If you define a phrase file that does not exist yet, PhraseExpress will create a new and empty phrase file at this position after confirmation.
If the phrase file has read-only access rights, PhraseExpress removes all menu options to create or edit phrases. Phrase files provided by us may internally be configured for import only. The phrase contents, Autotexts and descriptions are ZIP compressed and AES encrypted. Default Storage location of PhraseExpress relevant files:
Phrase file structurePhraseExpress uses an UTF-8 encoded XML file with the file extension .pxp, which is then AES encrypted and ZIP compressed. The resulting ZIP file also has the file extension .pxp. The ZIP file may also contain any bitmaps stored within the phrase file. PhraseExpress can also load XML files directly and you can use your own XML files, e.g. created from your database application and rendered as XML in the following format:
If your XML file contains characters that are also part of the XML syntax, you need to 'escape' these characters as follows:
Separator lines are created with the code <separator><description>-</description></separator> Importing External FilesExternal files can be imported for use with PhraseExpress in various ways:
Now, it depends which file type you are about to import: Importing a PhraseExpress phrase fileIf you import a .pxp phrase file, its contents will be added to your existing phrase library. PhraseExpress will import the phrase file into the root path and additionally offer to filter out duplicate entries and to organize your phrases. If you rather wish to replace your current phrases with another phrase file, please look here instead. Importing an External Bitmap or Text FilePhraseExpress asks you how you would like to import the external file(s) if multiple options are possible:
Text data from other applications can also be dynamically embedded into a phrase using a variety of macro functions, such as {#env}, {#adldap} or {#insertfile}. Importing Microsoft Word AutoCorrect/Autotext entriesYou can also import your existing MS Office AutoCorrect and Autotext entries into PhraseExpress. Doubles of misspelled entries in the current phrase file will be removed from the imported items. PhraseExpress also offers to disable the AutoCorrect function in MS Word. This is strongly recommended to avoid double triggering. If you use the Network Edition, the imported folder will be set to private, as the user's AutoCorrect files are most likely used solely by the user and not to be shared with all users. Export of Autotext and AutoCorrect is limited to 255 characters per item. This seems to be a limitation introduced by Microsoft. Importing TextExpander phrasesPhraseExpress can import your SmileOnMyMac TextExpander snippets in three easy steps:
PhraseExpress will convert the proprietary TextExpander file and import the snippets into the PhraseExpress phrase library. PhraseExpress currently supports unformatted text and most of TextExpander own macro functions (except Apple Scripting as this is not available on Windows platforms). Exporting PhrasesTo export any phrase file folder just drag the phrase folder out of the phrase tree onto the Windows desktop to export the folder. The exported .pxp file can be re-imported or opened in PhraseExpress as an autonomous (stand-alone) phrase file. Data BackupPhraseExpress automatically creates up to 99 backup copies each time you modify local phrase files. You can recover an earlier version of your phrase with following procedure:
PhraseExpress will then replace the currently loaded phrase file with the selected archived version. You can undo this action with the same procedure. The backup feature can be configured in the backup settings. The PhraseExpress Network Edition uses a separate backup system. Important Notes
Keep PhraseExpress up-to-dateWe continuously improve PhraseExpress and we strongly recommend keeping the program up-to-date with the conveniently provided built-in internet update check. To check manually for updates, connect your computer to the internet and click the PhraseExpress system tray icon Here you can also disable or configure the update check to only notify you about critical, minor or experimental updates. The online update is deactivated while PhraseExpress is connected to the PhraseExpress Server of the Network Edition. In this case, you can use the Client Manager to check for updates. PhraseExpress can only run the update function if the user is logged in with administrative privileges. Command line parameters for the PhraseExpress program filePhraseExpress can be launched with command-line parameter in order to activate additional functions. This information has no use for normal, everyday users and can be safely disregarded.
Additional command-line parameters for the installation file can be found in the PhraseExpress Network Edition manual. These are useful for remote installations when using the PhraseExpress Network Edition. Command line parameters for the PhraseExpress installation fileFollowing command-line parameter can be used with the standard PhraseExpress installation file (not the MSI installer):
Uninstalling PhraseExpressPhraseExpress can be uninstalled via Before removing PhraseExpress from your computer, make sure to unbind your license key from the installation which allows you reusing the license key for another installation. If the Uninstaller informs the user that PhraseExpress is still running while there is no PhraseExpress tray icon, then strike CTRL-SHIFT-ESC to open the task manager, switch to the tab Processes, highlight the process 'phraseexpress.exe' and end the process. PhraseExpress TroubleshootingPlease check these basic steps first if PhraseExpress does not seem to work at all:
If above suggestions do not help to resolve the issue, please check one of the following hints covering common issues: Undo unwanted Autotext replacementsIf you do not wish to have a certain Autotext replaced by its associated phrase, simply undo the replaced string by deleting it with Backspaces and PhraseExpress will ignore the reverted Autotext the next time you enter it. If you do this multiple times, PhraseExpress assumes that the text replacement is generally unwanted and will offer to edit/delete the Autotext. Alternatively, you can click the PhraseExpress task tray icon while holding the SHIFT-key. This will open the unwanted text replacement in PhraseExpress to allow you to edit or delete the item. You can additionally define a custom Hotkey to open the last executed phrase in the PhraseExpress settings at . Does a certain Autotext/Hotkey not work?Trouble-shooting video tutorial
Does a certain Autotext/Hotkey not work in a particular program?
Is text incorrectly or incompletely inserted?Please check the following if text is text inserted incompletely or with wrong characters::
Are you not getting any text suggestions?
Is Editing of phrases disabled?There are a few situations where PhraseExpress disables editing of phrases:
Technical SupportIf you have any technical problem that cannot be solved by above tips, please visit: /support.htm |
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and select 
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is visible in the lower right of the Windows system tray. If not, click the Windows Start button in the lower left of your task tray » Programs » PhraseExpress » PhraseExpress.