Hands-On Report--TypeIt4Me 3.0 (Universal), Really Cool Mac Software

Riccardo Ettore's TypeIt4Me has been an indispensable utility for us since version 1.x. But when we got our Intel-based MacBook Pro we were disappointed to find out that TypeIt4Me, then at v2.3, did not work with Intel-based Macs under Rosetta. Now, we can use it on our MacBook Pro because v3.0 is a Universal Application, working on both Intel-based and PowerPC-based Macs. In addition, it has a new user interface written in Cocoa.

TypeIt4Me has come a long way since its initial 1.x release. The just-released v3.0 is not just a universal binary but a much better application with a load of new features. We started using TypeIt4Me just to insert repetitive phrases, sentences and paragraphs but it does so much more now. Here is the list of major new features added since the last PowerPC version 2.3:

1. Clippings can now contain styled ("rich") text and/or pictures;
2. Expansion can now occur WITHOUT requiring a delimiter/trigger;
   
3. Any single abbreviation can now be associated to expand only within a specific application (this is in addition to the 2.3 feature of associating entire abbreviation files to specific applications);
   
4. You can now embed or nest clippings within clippings;
   
5. View/Print Clippings allows you to print a nicely formatted list of all your clippings:;
   
6. Open File... can now import "snippets" from TextExpander files and "abbreviations" from Typinator files, allowing you to upgrade to TypeIt4Me without having to re-enter your abbreviations; registered users can request a VBA script allowing them to convert their MSWord Autocorrect entries to TypeIt4Me format;
   
7. Improved Add a Clipping with a resizeable window that handles RTF, RTFD and various picture formats from the Clipboard;
   
8. You can define your own hot keys for Add a Clipping, Edit Clippings and Pause/Resume;
   
9. You can specify where the cursor should be placed in the expanded text;
   
10. You can have the contents of the Clipboard inserted as part of the expanded text;
    
11. You are no longer limited to 2,700 abbreviation/clippings per file.

TypeIt4Me 3.0 is a whole new application so to install it, one has to delete or disable version 2.x. They can not be run simultaneously. We first disabled v2.2 by removing the TypeIt4Me.component file from the components folder found at /Library/Components (or in some cases User/username/Library/Components). Do not delete the TypeIt4Me prefs file or data file--version 3.0 will use both, converting the old data file to the new 3.0 format.

One might be able to write Apple Scripts or Activator Actions that accomplish part of what TypeIt4Me does. However, we have found that TypeIt4Me does more than is easily scripted by an average Mac user. It is also a turnkey application, requiring little thought and no maintenance by the user. Best of all, in the true Mac tradition "it just works."

The installation and conversion went smoothly for us. One no longer has to enable TyeIt4Me via the International preference pane menu. It has its own preference pane and runs as a background application, placing a menu item in the menu bar.

We have 18 TypeIt4Me abbreviations of phrases, sentences or paragraphs that can be automatically inserted by typing the abbreviation or by selecting them from the list in the TypeIt4Me menu. All worked perfectly after the conversion and the insertion of the text works much more quickly than in version 2.3 or earlier. Version 3.0 enables using Rich Text Format so we tried out adding images and special formatting and that worked well, too.

One can easily use TypeIt4Me with every application that allows text entry. We tried it on Mail, Word 2004, PowerPoint 2004, Excel 2004, TextEdit, Pages, Keynote, Address Book, and Adobe GoLive CS2. No problems were encountered.

TypeIt4Me is simpler to install and set up, simpler to use, works faster than version 2.x and has handy new features. On top of that, Riccardo's extensive beta testing program, with 31 Beta and one FC releases over many months, has produced a flawless version 3.0 as far as we can determine. You can usually find Riccardo Ettore at Macworld demoing TypeIt4Me. He has an excellent record of producing free updates if a bug is found or if a Mac OS X release has caused an issue.

TypeIt4Me v3.0 is $27 shareware for new users, $9 for currently registered users and free to those who registered a new 2.x version or paid for an upgrade after July 1, 2005. Needless for us to say, we think it is a bargain and recommend TypeIt4Me as one of the most useful Mac OS X utilities available. [Bill Fox]