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I used to use Texter as a program to create text macros that can be used in any application, e.g. so you can type "sigg" followed by the space bar and it would replace the word with your signature that you can include at the bottom of letters, etc. I used this for code blocks, long names, etc. Very useful.

However, the latest version causes subtly odd behaviors on Windows 7 which makes it unusable so I uninstalled it.

If no one has a good answer, I'll go back to ac'tivAid, a collection of tools (in German) which does about 100 other things as well but is a bit overkill for just getting the macro functionality.

Does anyone know of another program that enables keyboard macros that can be triggered simply by typing text followed by a SPACE or TAB?

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up vote 6 down vote accepted

I believe AutoHotkey is the answer you want.

From Wikipedia:

AutoHotkey scripts can be used to launch programs, open documents, send keystrokes and send mouse clicks and movements[2]. AutoHotkey scripts can also assign, retrieve, and manipulate variables, run loops and manipulate windows, files, and folders. These commands can be triggered by a hotkey, such as a script that would open an internet browser whenever the user presses Ctrl+Alt+i on the keyboard. Keyboard keys can also be remapped or disabled, such that pressing the letter q, for example, might result in the computer receiving an r, or nothing at all[3]. AutoHotkey also allows for 'hotstrings' that will automatically replace certain text as it typed; the most typical use for hotstrings is expanding abbreviations, such as assigning the string "btw" to send the text "by the way" when typed.

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AutoHotkey! What else? ;-) –  Snark Oct 22 '09 at 20:46
yes, that is yet, where have I been? I remember reading that ac'tivAid required autohotkey to be installed, I guess it was just a layer on top of it, in any case, thanks –  Edward Tanguay Oct 22 '09 at 22:18
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I have been very impressed with PhraseExpress. I use v8.0.134 and I've found the ramp-up time and effort to be very small. It allows the creation of new text insertions using Ctrl-Alt-C and I make new ones regularly.

I'm still looking to get into using AutoHotKey for some of the other features mentioned in a previous answer (e.g. launching programs).

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