HypaType Guide(World English)
HypaType Quick Start Guide
- To start using HypaType, simplystart typing – as you start to type a word, you will see green or yellow hints appear.
- If you press the space-bar when a hint is visible, what you’re typing will be replaced with the hint, exactly as if you typed it in full.
- For example, type a space then the letter ‘d’, then another space to get the word ‘and’, then type ‘n’and a space to get ‘need’. Try it out below.
Click below, then type [space]d[space], then type n[space]
Type [space]d[space], then type n[space] here.
- After you type a word, you may see a blue ‘tip’. This shows an abbreviation that you could have used for the word.
- To prevent a replacement, simply press the escape key (for other options see “Preventing replacements with the tab key”below).
- To turn HypaType off at any time, press the Windows key () and the spacebarat the same time. The same key combination turns it back on.
- HypaType works in any program, if you can type in it - you can HypaType
Try it out now.Try typing a space then“ssisququict;usu”
Type a space then “ssisququic t;usu ”
- A green hint shows a word that you have started typing – a ‘completion’. If this is the correct word, simply hit space, and the rest of the word will appear. If you are typing a different word, continue with more letters and the ‘completion’ will be updated on-the-fly, till the right word appears.
For example, try typing a space, then"accel" then another space, to get the word "acceleration", and then do the same with “accele” to get the word “accelerated”.
Type “ accele ” here.
That's all you need to know to start using HypaType straight away. Continue for more tips.
HypaType Manual
Abbreviations
All common words have short abbreviations. To enter one of these words, simply type the abbreviation and enter a space. For example, just enter ‘th’ and space, and it will automatically be replaced with the word ‘there’. Abbreviations are shown with yellow hints.
HypaType has over a thousand such abbreviations built-in to speed your typing, however there’s no need to memorize them; after any word is typed which has an abbreviation, a blue tip is shown , so you quickly pick them up through repetition.
Using just the first 25 words will speed your typing speed by about 20%; using the first 300 increases your speed by about 45%.
Using all the features of HypaType increases your speed to more than 200%.
Type " look how much less time this takes now." below, then "qq ow qu ti ss tk\ N.".
Type a space then: "look how much less time this takes now."
Spacing
HypaType automatically takes care of spaces after punctuation; a space is automatically added after commas, full-stops, semi-colons, etc. both saving key-strokesandhelping you keep a consistent style.
Sentences are automatically capitalized. The shift key only needs to be used for proper names and abbreviations.
Phrasing
Abbreviations can be put after another without spaces. For example, to type “time is never”, there is no need to enter a space after each word (“tiis nv”), instead enter“tiisnv” followed by a space, and it will be spaced automatically. These are called ‘phrases’, and save a lot of time for more advanced users.
Type"Lost tiisnvv;nn."below.
Type “Lost tiisnvv;nn."
Spelling
Spellingmistakes are shown as red hints, reducing errors. For example: exatly
Type [space]"exatly” or any other misspelled word below.
Type a space then “exatly”.
Any whole dictionary word is not replaced by default. For example, the word 'well' is not replaced with the phrase 'we all', however if another abbreviation is added, so it is no longer a word, it is replaced. e.g. 'wellf' is replaced with 'we all of'.
Type[space]well[space], then [space]wellf[space]
Type [space]well[space], then [space]wellf[space]
Preventing replacements with the tab key
Occasionally you want to enter a word that is not in the HypaType dictionary.
Usually this is not a problem, but if the word is interpreted as a phrase or completion, it could be inadvertently replaced.
To avoid replacing text that is not recognized as a word, and which would otherwise be replaced, use the TAB key. Enter the word, then press TAB, the hint will change to the word.
For example:
flewn shows "of the went need" as the hint, but flewn[TAB] shows "flewn".
Clem[space] will be replaced with 'Clement', but Clem[TAB][space] will type 'Clem'.
Exercise:
Enter the following: " Ygoodn owltizh flewn[TAB]." and "Clem[TAB][space]"
Enter the following: " Ygoodn owltizh flewn[TAB]."
This trick can also be used when a non-dictionary word is both a phrase and a completion, just press TAB until it shows the word unchanged (with a red hint). E.g. to type ‘fas’ enter “fas[TAB][TAB]”.
Enter “ fas[TAB][TAB].”
Words can also be added to the built-in dictionary – see “Add words to the dictionary” below.
Useful tips
Turning off
You can turn HypaType replacements off at any time, by pressing the Windows key and the SPACE bar at the same time. Press them again to turn it on again.
When replacements are off,custom expansions and other shortcuts still work.
Other punctuation
You already know that typing a space replaces the entered text with the current hint;however other characters do too - typing any punctuation such as '.', ',', or '!' will also replace the word.
Enter the following " q=rapi,Hveloc,accele." below (with only a single space at the beginning).
Type a space, then any text to try out HypaType.
More spacing
Sometimes you type a space, and then decide you want to use some punctuation instead, such as a comma. In this case, simply enter the comma,and the space will be deleted.E.g. Enter" wr xn ,or ,othe-punctua !".
HypaType automatically inserts spaces around full-stops, colons, semicolons, etc.
Typing punctuation
Some characters, such as ':', or '@', are also abbreviations. When typed on their own they are replaced with words.
To type these literally, simply enter the character twice e.g. to type "this: ", enter “ss::”. Note there is no need to enter a space, typing “:” twice completes the word and adds a space. This also works for @, <, >, ‘,and “;”.
Type a space, then any text to try out HypaType.
Show shortcuts
If you need a quick reminder of the shortcuts at any time, simply press the CTRL+SPACE+h keys simultaneously, and a help window will appear:
You can also right-click on the icon in the system tray, and click on the “Show Shortcut Help” item.
Press CTRL + SPACE + h again to hide it.
Show tips at the bottom of the screen
The default settings for HypaType are optimized for touch typists, so the tips and hints appear close to the text cursor - where a touchtypist is looking.
However for people who look at the keyboard while typing, it's preferable to show the tooltips closer to their line of sight.
For non-touch typists, HypaType has an option to show the tooltips at the bottom of the screen. To enable this – press the CTRL+SPACE+ ‘o’ keys at the same time – the ‘Options’ dialog will appear.
This can also be shown by clicking on the HypaType icon in the system tray.
Check the 'Showhints at the bottom of the screen' check-box. You may also set the tooltip font size here.
It is not possible to change the colours or fonttype.
Press the CTRL+SPACE+ ‘o’ keys again to dismiss the dialog.
Type a space, then any text to try out HypaType.
Dialects
Different dialects of English have different spellings, so HypaType enables you to set the dialect in use.Changing the dialect changes the completions, spellings, and a few abbreviations.
To set the dialect: open the ‘Options’ dialog with the CTRL+SPACE+‘o’ shortcut, and choose the appropriate radio button.
Alternative completions (SHIFT key)
HypaType shows possible ‘completions’ for words as you enter them; if the word you wish to type is not the one shown, then entering more letters will normally show it.
However, there is another way to show alternative completions for the text you have entered so far. Simply tap the SHIFT key while a completion is showing, and another possibility will be shown.
If the space bar is pressed, the new completion will be used.
The text you have entered is always replaced with the hint currentlyvisible when the space bar is pressed.
The shift key can be repeatedly pressed to show all possible completions for the text.
If the shift key is pressed five times in succession, Windows shows a dialog prompting to turn on "sticky keys" - this can be disabled in the Windows Control Panel.
Exercises:
Try entering “ q[SHIFT]” to get “quarter”.
Enter “write” and then repeatedly press SHIFT.
Enter the following: “ ehtiisgon,ete[SHIFT]beg[SHIFT][SHIFT][SHIFT].”
Type a space, then any text to try out HypaType.
HypaType can show you if a word you typed could have been entered faster by using the shift key – see “Complex completions hints”below.
Custom Expansions
Sometimes there is a common phrase or long word you want to type frequently. For example, an email signature, address, or boilerplate text.
HypaType lets you create keyboard shortcuts that expand into any text, to save you typing it in full.
To add an expansionselect the boilerplate text, and then press CTRL+SPACE+x.
Press CTRL first, then, holding down CTRL, press space, then x, otherwisethe text may be replaced with a space.
A dialog will appear prompting you for a letter; enter this, and click OK.
Then to insert your text, press SHIFT+SPACE and the chosen letter at the same time. The text will then be inserted at the cursor.
You can have up to 26 expansions, one for each letter.
When expanding, a space will be added at the end.
Adding an expansion will over-write any existing one with the same shortcut.
To see or edit all the expansions: right-click on the HypaType system tray icon, then click the "Open Custom Expansions" menu item. This is the only way to delete expansions.
Type a space, then any text to try out HypaType.
Forcing replacements with the tab key
You already know the TAB key is useful when you want to type a word not in the dictionary; simply press TAB till the word is shown in the hint (in red).
It can also be useful if you want to enter a phrase or completion that is also a whole word. Pressing the tab key cycles between all the replacement 'modes' of entered text, i.e. it will change whether it is to be treated as a whole word, an abbreviation or phrase, or a completion.
Exercise: Enter qu to type “much”, qu[TAB] to type "quickly", and qu[TAB][TAB] to type "qu".
Enter “ qu”, “qu[TAB]”, and “qu[TAB][TAB] ”
This can be used if a completion is also a whole word. For example, to type "oxygen", enter “ox[TAB][space]”.
Tip: It's usually quicker to just enter the next character. e.g. “oxy”
Enter a space, then “the”, and then repeatedly press the TAB key.Repeat for the word “writ”.
Type a space, then any text to try out HypaType.
More alternative completions
You already know that to get a completion other than the default, you can press the shift key while the completion is showing. This also works if an abbreviation or whole word is showing. E.g. enter oth[SHIFT] and the hint shows "other's".
Note that this is the second completion for that text: entering “oth[TAB]” completes as 'otherwise', and SHIFT has to be pressed again to get "other's".
Type a space, then any text to try out HypaType.
Short tips and hints.
By default HypaType shows tips and hints as follows
To use shorter ones like below, check the ‘Show short hints’ option on the options form.
Undoing replacements
Occasionally HypaType may replace some text you did not want it to, for example if you have mistyped a word, or entered a word not in the dictionary, and then accidentally pressed space (instead of CTRL +SPACE).
In order to undo the last replacement, simply press CTRL + SPACE + u.
In most text editors, pressing CTRL+Z will also undo the replacement.
Stopping replacements with CONTROL+SPACE
Occasionally you may wish to stop HypaType replacing some text you have just typed. You already know that pressing the escape key cancels the current replacement, another way is to press the CONTROL key and the SPACE bar at the same time - this adds a space without replacing the text.
Exercise: Enter "[SPACE]lwksby J[CONTROL+SPACE]H[CONTROL+SPACE]Sm.”
Typing in caps
In order to type a word or sentence all in capitals, press the caps lock key first, then enter as normal.
Do not be tempted to enter any abbreviations to be capitalized with the shift key, because they are case sensitive,e.g. 'd' is ‘and’ but ‘D’ is ‘had’.
For example to type "THERE’S ALWAYS TIME." Enter “[CAPSLOCK]th\zlti."
Exercise: enter "[SPACE][CAPSLOCK]j\OTh;mmHlMM"
Type a space, then any text to try out HypaType.
Capitalize next word
HypaType recognizes words that normally start with a capital, to type these, simply enter them as normal with an initial capital: e.g. Bir[SPACE]. It will also automatically capitalize words at the start of sentences.
However, sometimes you wish to type other words capitalized, for example in titles.HypaType provides a convenient way of typing these, while still using replacements.
Simply press and release the shift key, and the next word will be capitalized.
For example, to type "by The Order Of the President." enter "by [SHIFT]l orde [SHIFT]flpdn."
Type a space, then any text to try out HypaType.
Phrases and completions
You have seen how abbreviations can be concatenated to make phrases, without having to type a space between; the same trick is possible if a word or completion follows an abbreviation.
Exercise: Enter “[SPACE]tiflie iqa;arrow;;frui flie iqabana.”
It is not possible to have an abbreviation, word or completion after a word or completion without a space.
Type a space, then any text to try out HypaType.
Hyphenated words
The '-' character by default accepts the replacement and expands to have a space either side. e.g. to type "this - not that", enter "ss-Gg"
To type a literal '-' without spaces, enter it twice. This is useful for hyphenated words. E.g. to type“left-handed”, enter “left--h[SPACE]”
This also works if the first word has an abbreviation. E.g. to type "right-hand" enter “rh--h[SPACE]”.
Try entering “left--h[SPACE]“,“rh--h[SPACE]”, and “OO—[SPACE]”.
Type a space, then any text to try out HypaType.
Some hyphenated words have a left-hand part that is also a replacement; for example “e-mails”.
If you enter one of these, then the replacement is undoneif it is followed by a literal ‘-‘.
For example, enter "e-- " - the 'e' first expands into 'end', but reverts to'e' when the second ‘-‘ is entered.
Try entering “e--[SPACE]” to get “e-mails”, or “U--[SPACE]” to get “U-turns”.
To type a hyphenated word with an abbreviated first part in this case, type it out in full, or use SHIFT + SPACE e.g. to type“out-of-hours”, enter "out--[SPACE]" or U[SHIFT+SPACE]-of-ours.
Type a space, then any text to try out HypaType.
Add words to the dictionary
You can use the TAB key, or CTRL+SPACE, to prevent a non-dictionary word from being replaced – but this can be inconvenient if you frequently use such a word. So it is possible to permanently prevent a word from being replaced by adding it to HypaType’s built-in dictionary.
To add a word to the dictionary, select the word, and then press CTRL + SPACE + ‘d’. If the word is not already in the dictionary, it will be added with a message:
Be sure to press CTRL before SPACE, or the word will be replaced with a space.
Once added to the dictionary, the word will also no longer be replaced by default, or identified as aspelling error,and a completion will be available for it.
Typing single quotes and apostrophes
The apostrophe is an abbreviation (for ‘her’), but also occurs in words. HypaType detects words containing apostrophes so there is no ambiguity.
Exercise:Enter “can’[SPACE]“,“you’[SPACE]“then“ivjk’[SPACE]“.
Note that the apostrophe is not treated as an abbreviation in the words, but is in the phrase.
If you wish to type a literal apostrophe when it is not part of a dictionary word, enter the apostrophe twice.