Breevy Help/Documentation


Help Topics:
    - Creating a New Text Abbreviation
    - Creating a Program, File, or Folder Launcher
    - Creating a New Website Launcher
    - Match Modes
    - Replacement Modes
    - Tips
    - TextExpander Compatibility (Import, Export, and Sync)
    * Special Key Presses (Ctrl, Alt, ...) Using the %(Key), %(KeyDown), and %(KeyUp) Macros
    - Launching with the LaunchPad
    - Synchronizing your Abbreviations Across Multiple Computers with Dropbox
    - Using Breevy on a Portable Device (USB Flash Drive, etc)
    - Importing and Exporting your Abbreviations
    - Importing the Included Abbreviation Sets
    - Importing Your Microsoft Word AutoCorrections
    - Disabling Folders
    - Using Insertion Macros
    - Backups
  Other:
    - The Mac / TextExpander User's Quick and Easy Guide to Breevy
    - Acknowledgements


Special Key Presses Using the %(Key), %(KeyDown), and %(KeyUp) macros.

The %(Key), %(KeyDown), and %(KeyUp) macros allow you to instruct Breevy to simulate the pressing of "special" keys such as Control, Alt, Shift, Backspace, etc.

The %(Key) macro simulates a single/combination key press. For example, %(Key Escape) tells Breevy to press the Escape key, and %(Key Shift+Tab) tells Breevy to press both Shift and Tab at the same time. Note the + character separating multiple keys (use Plus or Add instead of + if you want Breevy to press the + key).

The %(KeyDown) and %(KeyUp) macros simulate a key press down or a key press up, respectively.

For example, %(KeyDown Escape) tells Breevy to press the Escape key down and hold it down until a %(KeyUp Escape) is found. Similarly, %(KeyDown Ctrl+Tab) tells Breevy to press both the Control and Tab keys down and hold them down until a %(KeyUp Ctrl+Tab) is found.

You can optionally specify the number of times you'd like Breevy to repeat the key press(es). For example, %(Key Space 10) tells Breevy to press the Space key 10 times, resulting in an output of 10 spaces total.


Supported Key Names

While most of the key names supported by Breevy are almost always the name of the corresponding key on your keyboard -- Ctrl for the Ctrl key, Delete for the Delete key, etc -- for reference a full list of the key names supported Breevy is provided below.

Note: If the key you wish to have Breevy simulate with the %(Key), %(KeyDown), or %(KeyUp) macro normally requires a modifier key be pressed in order for it to show up on screen, you must manually tell Breevy to press that modifier key. For example, if you need to press Shift+1 on your keyboard in order for an exclamation point (!) to be pressed, you should pass %(Key Shift+1) to Breevy, not %(Key !). Of course, you can always just pass ! to Breevy normally -- in the replacement text, outside of a macro -- and it will be outputted correctly as !.

Keyboard Key %(Key ...) / %(KeyDown ...) / %(KeyUp ...) Argument Notes
Ctrl Ctrl or Control Use LCtrl for left Ctrl key, RCtrl for right Ctrl key
Alt Alt Use LAlt for left Alt key, RAlt for right Alt key
Shift Shift Use LShift for left Shift key, RShift for right Shift key
Windows Key Win (simulates left Windows key press) Use LWin for left Windows key, RWin for right Windows key
Menu / Application Key Menu, App, or Application This is the key that's usually found between the right Alt/Ctrl keys, and next to the Windows key.
Enter / Return Enter or Return
Backspace Backspace or BkSp
Insert Insert or Ins
Delete Delete or Del
Space Space
Tab Tab
Page Up PageUp or PgUp
Page Down PageDown or PgDown
End End
Home Home
\, =, [, ], ;, ', /, ` \, =, [, ], ;, ', /, `
|, +, {, }, :, ", ?, ~, > <

Shift+\, Shift+=, Shift+[, Shift+], Shift+;,

Shift+', Shift+`, Shift+., Shift+, (US Keyboard)

!, @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, )

Shift+1, Shift+2, Shift+3, Shift+4, Shift+5, Shift+6,

Shift+7, Shift+8, Shift+9, Shift+0 (US Keyboard)

Left Arrow Left
Right Arrow Right
Up Arrow Up
Down Arrow Down
Escape / Esc Escape or Esc
Print Screen / Print Scrn PrintScreen
Clear Clear
Pause Pause
Caps Lock CapsLock
Num Lock NumLock
Scroll Lock ScrollLock
F1 through F24 F1, F2, F3...
A through Z A, B, C...
0 through 9 0, 1, 2...
+ Plus or Add
, , or Comma
- - or Minus
. . or Period
0 through 9 on Num Pad Numpad0, Numpad1, Numpad2...
/ on Numpad NumpadDivide
* on Numpad NumpadMultiply
. on Numpad NumpadDecimal or NumpadPeriod
+ on Numpad NumpadAdd or NumpadPlus

Did we miss a key? Tell us about it!


We're here to help.

Having some trouble, or have a suggestion/comment? Send us an e-mail or contact us through the Ask Us a Question feature of the program (under the Help menu). We'll get back to you as soon as we can.



Copyright (c) 2009-2012 16 Software. All Rights Reserved.