Tylex is a simple, fast text expansion utility that allows you to create shortcuts for frequently used text snippets. It is designed to improve productivity by reducing the time spent typing repetitive text.
- **Features**:
- Create and manage text snippets
- Quick access via keyboard shortcuts
- Lightweight and efficient
- Open-source and customizable
For more information, visit the [Tylex GitHub repository](
Tylex is a simple, fast text expansion utility designed to improve productivity by allowing users to create shortcuts for frequently used text snippets. This tool streamlines the process of typing repetitive text, saving time and effort in daily workflows.
Key Features:
Create and Manage Snippets: Easily define abbreviations that expand into longer phrases or blocks of text.
Keyboard Shortcuts: Access your expansions quickly with customizable hotkeys for seamless integration into your workflow.
Lightweight and Efficient: Built with PowerShell and AutoHotkey, Tylex operates without heavy dependencies, ensuring minimal system resource usage.
Open-Source and Customizable: Modify or extend the functionality to suit your needs, as the entire codebase is transparent and accessible.
Usage-Aware Sorting: Frequently used expansions are prioritized, making them easier to find and access over time.
Audience & Benefit:
Ideal for writers, developers, office workers, and anyone who frequently types repetitive text, Tylex helps users save time and reduce errors by automating common phrases and snippets. Its lightweight design ensures it runs smoothly in the background without disrupting productivity.
Tylex can be installed via winget, making it easy to integrate into your system.
README
Tylex for Windows
A simple text expansion utility for Windows.
Tylex lets you create short abbreviations (e.g., em) that expand into longer phrases or snippets of text (e.g., youremail@example.com). It's built with PowerShell and AutoHotkey, making it lightweight, transparent, and easy to customize.
Features
Fast & Lightweight: No heavy dependencies or background processes. Just simple, efficient scripts.
Simple UI: Uses a built-in, filterable grid view that's quick and effective.
Usage-Aware: Automatically sorts your most frequently used expansions to the top.
Customizable Hotkeys: Easily change the hotkeys by editing the simple TylexLauncher.ahk script.
Open & Transparent: The entire codebase is made of readable PowerShell and AutoHotkey scripts.
Easy to Package: Comes with a powerful build script to compile, install, and even generate winget packages.
Installation
You can install Tylex using one of the following methods. For most users, winget is the recommended choice.
Method 1: Windows Package Manager (winget)
This is the easiest way to install Tylex. Open a Command Prompt or PowerShell terminal and run:
winget install RAOEUS.Tylex
Method 2: Build from Source
If you want to modify the scripts or contribute to development, you can build the project directly from the source code. See the Building from Source section below for detailed instructions.
Opens a prompt asking for the new abbreviation (the "key").
Opens a second prompt asking for the full text it should expand to (the "value").
Your expansions are saved in a simple expansions.json file located in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Tylex.
Building from Source
The Build.ps1 script is the all-in-one tool for managing the project. It allows you to set up your environment, compile executables, install the application locally, and even package it for distribution.
Step 1: Set Up the Build Environment
Before you can build the project, you need the necessary tools: AutoHotkey and the PowerShell module PS2EXE. The setup target automates this for you.
Open an Administrator PowerShell terminal in the project's root directory and run:
.\Build.ps1 -Target setup
This command will use winget to install AutoHotkey and Install-Module to add PS2EXE, getting your environment ready in one step.
Step 2: Use the Build Targets
Once your environment is set up, you can use the following targets with the Build.ps1 script.
build
Builds the PowerShell and AutoHotkey scripts into .exe files. The compiled executables are placed in a build folder.
.\Build.ps1 -Target build
install
Compiles the application and installs it on your system. This copies the files to C:\Program Files\Tylex and adds a shortcut to your Startup folder so it runs automatically on login. (Requires Administrator)
.\Build.ps1 -Target install
uninstall
Removes the application from your system by deleting the installation directory and the startup shortcut. (Requires Administrator)
.\Build.ps1 -Target uninstall
winget
Generates the necessary YAML manifest files for submitting the application to the Windows Package Manager repository. This target first builds the project, zips the release files, calculates the SHA256 hash, and then creates the manifest files in a winget-manifest folder.
This target requires two additional parameters:
-ReleaseUrl: The direct public URL to your .zip release package (e.g., from a GitHub Release).
-PackageVersion: The version number for the release (e.g., "1.0.1").