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Text Fill

By @StarCoder

  • 3 Devlogs
  • 9 Total hours

I am building a Python tool where users can define shortcuts which will automatically fill in to text. The main QoL improvements are - Making repetitive tasks shorter and more efficient - A settings panel where users can easily modify their preferences depending on their usual tasks - An automatic save/load system that makes sure users never lose their shortcuts. Also, many tools out there are apps with windows, that might bother some people. I have a version only on the mac menu bar, which is perfect for those who don't like too many windows open.

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@StarCoder on Text Fill

I made a project called TextFill. TextFill is a tool created in Python where users can create shortcuts that will automatically fill in with replacement text.

For example, if a user creates a shortcut /email, and sets the replacement text to [email protected], then whenever they type /email, it will automatically fill in as long as the app is running and replacing.

There are two versions of the app. One is the UI version, that supports both Windows and Mac. The second is a menu bar version that only supports Mac.

The UI version contains the base functionality of adding, removing, and clearing shortcuts, while also including modifying shortcuts and a settings page.
The menubar version contains only the base functionality, as well as a button to show all shortcuts.
The menu bar version is basically a streamlined version, for users who are on Mac, and don’t care too much about the settings. The menubar version is recommended for ease of use, as it lives on the Mac menubar, and won’t interfere with any work. You can also easily toggle the replacer on and off.

This tool is best for people who type certain things repeatedly. For example, if a person has to fill in a sheet with either Accepted or Declined, then that person can easily create shortcuts like /a and /d, so it makes their job much easier.

The main QoL improvements are

  • Making repetitive tasks shorter and more efficient
  • A settings panel where users can easily modify their preferences depending on their usual tasks
  • An automatic save/load system that makes sure users never lose their shortcuts

There were many challenges I faced while creating this project. I was still pretty new to Python when I started this project, and only knew basic things, like conditions or statements. Luckily, I’ve been coding in Unity (C#) for a long time, so it set a base that allowed me to learn the simple things like functions pretty easily. Many challenges I faced were with the UI, as in Unity, it is fairly easy to create basic UI without any code, but in Python, I had to use Tkinter for everything. It became even more difficult with making the menubar version, though I was able to figure them all out.

I’m personally proud of the menu bar version, because I think it’s perfect for people who just want the main functionality, and don’t want to be bothered by a seperate window.

To test my project, you can go to my GitHub release page which contains downloads for both versions. My README contains detailed instructions on how to download and run the app.

(Below is a screenshot of my menu bar version)
Thank you.

Try project → See source code →
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@StarCoder on Text Fill

3h 8m 39s logged

Text Fill

Devlog 3

(Made in Python)

 
It’s been more than a week since my last devlog. This is mostly because of me working on other projects, and also that there really wasn’t much to show. It was mostly just figuring out the syntax and bug fixing, so I decided to wait until I finished.

This should be my last devlog before my ship, and I have added something which I think is a great improvement.
 

Project Recap

For those who don’t know my project, it’s called Text Fill, and it is a tool that I am making in Python, where you can define shortcuts and phrases, so when you type in the shortcut, it automatically replaces it with the phrase.
For example, if you have set a shortcut to /email, and the phrase to [email protected], when you type in /email anywhere with the program running in the background, it will automatically replace it with the phrase
This is useful if you have to type a specific phrase very often.

My Big Change

(I use a mac)
I had shown my project to my brother, and he liked the idea, but just randomly mentioned that it would be cool if it would show up on the menu bar, where things like the time and wifi are. I thought it would be cool and did some research, and realized that it was possible. I chose to use a package called Rumps, which allowed me to do this, and I basically made a completely new version of my app. Luckily, the old functionality code could be kept, I just had to change the UI. I also made this version much more simpler and streamlined you could say, mainly because I wasn’t able to add half of the functionality using Rumps(It’s probably possible, I just wasn’t able to), and it just didn’t feel right having something piled with unnecessary features in the menu bar.

Two Versions

So now, I have two versions of the app. One supports Windows + Mac, and has it’s own separate window. The second version is on the menu bar, and it’s much more streamlined, but also only for Mac. So I made both available on my Github page as a Github Release which you can try out using the demo link.

Permissions

Unfortunately, my project requires a lot of permissions that have to be manually enabled by the user, which makes the Quick Start, not very ‘Quick’. I tried to make the process simple, but I couldn’t really do anything since devices don’t just trust random apps. So it takes a few more minutes then it would have without permissions, but I made sure to include a detailed README so no one gets stuck.

I’m going to ship my project probably by the end of the day, and hopefully it’ll get accepted.

Thanks for reading until here!

Belows a screenshot of how it looks in the menu bar!

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@StarCoder on Text Fill

2h 57m 41s logged

Text Fill

Devlog 2

(Made in Python)

 
So it’s been a week since my last devlog since I was focusing on my main project, but I have made some good progress.
 
For those who don’t know my project, it’s called Text Fill, and it is a tool that I am making in Python, where you can define shortcuts and phrases, so when you type in the shortcut, it automatically replaces it with the phrase.
For example, if you have set a shortcut to /num, and the phrase to 123456789, when you type in /num anywhere with the program running in the background, it will automatically replace it with 123456789.
 
This is useful if you have to type a specific phrase all the time like your email, so you can set a shortcut to /e or /email or anything else you want, to make it fill in the phrase.
 

What I’ve added

So since the last devlog, this is what I have added:

  • UI for everything using Tkinter.
  • Settings menu
     
    Now though this isn’t much, it took me a long time as I had to learn Python in the process. The UI is still quite basic and uses default colors, and I might make it look better later.
     
    The settings menu contains the following options:
  • Backspace Delay
  • Type Delay
  • Delete Speed
  • Type Speed

More will be added in the future
 
I decided not to make a website, as I felt like an app felt better. A demo will probably be coming in a week or two, and I would appreciate any suggestions or feedback.
Below, there is a short video showing me using my tool.
 
(It works everywhere, not only in a code editor, I just did it in the vscode since it was open)

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@StarCoder on Text Fill

2h 35m 17s logged

Text Fill

Made using Python

I am making a text shortcut fill tool where users can set shortcuts which will automatically fill in when typed. This is for the Frictionless mission.

Ex: user sets shortcut ‘/email’ with the value ‘[email protected]’. With this set, while the code is running in the background, if they type ‘/email’, then it will automatically fill in to ‘[email protected]’.

I am using this project as an opportunity to get better at Python, as I am still a beginner, and am wanting to learn more.

I have also made a GitHub repository, where the latest code has been published.

What I already have

  • Menu Manager
    • Add Shortcuts
    • Remove Shortcuts
    • Modify Shortcuts
    • Clear Shortcuts
    • Show Shortcuts
  • Basic save/load system using JSON file stored locally
  • The actual text fill functionality

What I plan to add

  • Settings (A place where users can define certain values like filling speed, fill delay, etc.)
  • UI (I want this to have UI, and I might even try to make a website)

If you have any feedback or suggestions please let me know so I can improve.

Thanks for reading!

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