SwiftKey is an automatic typing program designed to make it easy to insert phrases or blocks of text quickly nearly anywhere you can type.
SwiftKey is not a “keyboard macro” program. Keyboard macro programs are designed to automate complex sequences of tasks such as launching programs, selecting menu options, changing system settings, etc. with one or two keystrokes.
They are typically very flexible but often somewhat difficult to set up. If you think you want such a program, Chris Mallett’s AutoHotkey is an excellent choice. Like SwiftKey, AutoHotkey is released under the GNU General Public License, which means it is free to download and use and the author makes the source code available for other programmers to study and use under the same terms.
SwiftKey concentrates on text, making it practical to choose from a list of stored phrases and text blocks with only a few keystrokes. Additionally, SwiftKey enables advanced users to re-package the program along with preset texts for use by a group of people who share the same needs — for example, a group of co-workers who frequently insert the same “canned text” into e-mail messages — while still allowing end users to choose which keystrokes call up the presets and to add phrases and text blocks for their own use.
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