Thanks to TextExpander for sponsoring BrettTerpstra.com again this week! Ever wanted to get into scripted snippets but didn’t know where to start? Read on.

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know about the wonders of TextExpander and how it can save you tremendous amounts of time typing. But did you know that TextExpander lets you create Snippets with JavaScript to automatically generate content with a few keystrokes? For instance, you could have a TextExpander Snippet that expands into a random number or company name.

What if you don’t know JavaScript or don’t have the time to code a Snippet? No problem! We’ve recently discovered that ChatGPT can generate these Snippets.

For example, you can tell ChatGPT, “Create a TextExpander Snippet that generates a random number between 1 and 20.”

ChatGPT not only generates the code, but even gives you instructions on how to create the Snippet. Try it with GPT-4 for the best results.

Of course, you need to test the code ChatGPT generates, and you may have to tweak it to get it to work exactly as you want. But still, a pretty cool trick.

You don’t have to get this fancy to boost your efficiency with TextExpander. It’s handy for things like company names, email templates, code Snippets, medical codes, and more. 

Try TextExpander free for 30 days. Check out TextExpander today and get 20% off using the code TERPSTRA.