SmileOnMyMac has released an update for the Internet Productivity
snippet group in TextExpander, its customizable typing shortcut tool
for Mac OS X. With TextExpander, users can define abbreviations for
frequently-used text strings and images, also known as snippets.
When an abbreviation is typed, it expands automatically to the full
snippet. The Internet Productivity snippet group offers predefined
snippets that work with the URL shortening services via AppleScript
to automatically shorten URLs copied to the Clipbard. A snippet for
the shortening service is.gd has been added in this update, joining
TinyURL, tr.im, and bit.ly snippets.
Each of the Internet Productivity snippets, which use AppleScript,
has its own assigned abbreviation, e.g. /tinyurl, /bitly. The user
copies the long URL to the Clipboard, and then types the
corresponding abbreviation for the desired URL shortener. The
shortened link is automatically inserted.
All the Internet Productivity snippets have been updated to support
URL parameters. Complex links, such as those generated by Google
Maps, can now be shortened using TextExpander.
A 30-day fully-functioning demo of TextExpander can be downloaded
from the SmileOnMyMac web site
(http://www.smileonmymac.com/textexpander/download.html). The price
is US$29.95. A Family Pack license is available for $44.95, which
covers up to five computers in one household. Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
is required. The snippet group update is available at no charge to
users of TextExpander.