What Is Espanso?
Espanso is a cross-platform open-source text expander application that allows you to automate common typing tasks. It is a free tool written in Rust programming language that can be downloaded for Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Espanso works by analyzing your words as you type against a record in its configuration file, which is stored in the $CONFIG folder on most systems. Whenever it detects a match, it replaces your original text with its longer equivalent, letting you type faster.
There are various types of matches available, including static and dynamic ones. Static matches are good for situations where values or replacement text are fixed, while dynamic ones are better suited to situations where they change depending on context.
The main difference between static and dynamic matches is that the former is triggered by a trigger, while the latter is triggered by a matching keyword or word in the text. This means that a match could be triggered by the search bar, a keyboard shortcut, or even an external script.
Other than matching keywords, Espanso also supports forms and app-specific configurations. These can be used to handle complex workflows, creating templates that can be reused across your apps.
Moreover, there are many pre-made packages that you can download to extend the functionality of Espanso. Some of these include language snippets, mathematical notations, emojis, and much more.
While there are a lot of text expansion applications out there, Espanso stands out from the crowd due to its simplicity and flexibility. This is especially useful if you’re looking for an easy-to-use, open-source tool that can help you boost your productivity and save you a lot of time.