Paste faster
Snippets: reusable text with keyword triggers
Keyword in, finished text out, with the date and the fill-in fields already resolved.
Pro⌘⇧V then keyword
What it does
A snippet is text you keep on purpose, reachable by a keyword rather than by scrolling. Because snippets resolve placeholders when you call them, one snippet covers a whole family of near identical messages.
Placeholders worth learning
{date}and{time}for anything dated, such as a standup note or a log entry.{clipboard}to fold whatever you just copied into the template.{cursor}to decide where your text cursor lands afterwards.{uuid}for a fresh identifier.{Your field}for a value you fill in each time, with an optional default.
Modifiers chain with a pipe: {clipboard | uppercase | trim}.
Organizing them
Group snippets by the job they do rather than by app. A Support group, a Code group and a Personal group stay findable at fifty snippets in a way that one flat list does not.
Tips
- Keep keywords short and typeable with one hand.
- If a snippet needs three fill-in fields every time, consider splitting it. Two smaller snippets are usually faster than one interrogation.
Create a snippet with a keyword and placeholders
- 1 Save the text
Create a snippet from text you send often, for example a reply template, a code block or an address. Snippets can be organized into groups.
- 2 Give it a keyword
Pick a short trigger you will remember, such as sig or addr.
- 3 Add placeholders
Insert dynamic values: date, time, clipboard, cursor position, a UUID, or a fill-in field written as {Your field} with an optional default. Modifiers chain with a pipe, for example {clipboard | uppercase | trim}.
- 4 Use it
Press ⌘⇧V, type the keyword and press Enter. ClipBuddy resolves the placeholders, asks you to complete any fill-in fields, and puts the result on the clipboard for ⌘V.
Frequently asked questions
Does ClipBuddy expand snippets as I type in other apps?
No. You call a snippet from the picker by its keyword, and the resolved text lands on your clipboard. That keeps ClipBuddy out of the business of watching your keystrokes.
What can a placeholder hold?
Date, time, the current clipboard, the cursor position, a generated UUID, and fill-in fields you complete each time, with modifiers such as uppercase and trim.
Will ClipBuddy suggest snippets?
Yes. Copy the same text a few times and ClipBuddy offers to turn it into a snippet.
