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Phrases and folders

A phrase is reusable content Astramar can copy or deliver. Folders (including nested folders) organize related phrases into a library you browse from the main window or the floating palette.

Library window basics

Section titled “Library window basics”

Open the main library from the menu bar or Dock. The left-aligned Basic / Advanced control changes feature depth in the same shell:

  • Basic — browse folders, search, edit title and body, and mark favorites.
  • Advanced — the same library plus the full inspector (templates, triggers, output targets, and related tools).

Choose layout under Settings → General → Layout:

  • Three-Pane (default) — sidebar, phrase list, and inspector side by side.
  • Master-Detail — folders and phrases stacked on the left; a full-height editor on the right.

Create and edit

Section titled “Create and edit”
  1. Create a folder from the sidebar or folder details.
  2. Select the folder and create a phrase.
  3. Edit the title and body in the Phrase section of the inspector.
  4. Optionally mark the phrase as a Favorite.
  5. Optionally set a Folder Color from the folder context menu or folder details (No Color clears it).

New installs include an Astramar Starter Guide folder with short examples. Duplicate useful samples, then delete the starter folder when you no longer need it.

Phrase actions (Free Beta)

Section titled “Phrase actions (Free Beta)”

Each phrase has one primary action (segmented control at the top of Phrase):

Action What it does
Insert Text Paste or copy resolved text (the common Free Beta path)
Open URL Resolve and open a URL natively
Run in Terminal Launch a visible terminal script (inspect before you run)

Existing phrases default to Insert Text. Switching action types may discard incompatible fields — confirm before converting.

For Insert Text, an Output Target can send resolved text to the current app, a specific app, the clipboard only, or a file. Defaults keep text going to the app that was active when you invoked the phrase.

Section titled “Favorites, Recent, and search”
  • Favorites — phrases you mark for fast recall.
  • Recent — phrases you used lately.
  • Open the floating palette and type part of a title, body, folder path, or tag.

Library sidebar search uses the same ranking ideas as the palette. Useful prefixes include title:, text:, folder:, plus fav: and recent: filters. Press Esc to clear search.

When application-aware palette ranking is enabled in Settings, the frontmost app can influence relevance. Explicit folder–app associations can show an App Match cue.

Jump without inserting

Section titled “Jump without inserting”

With the main library window active:

  • ⌘P (Go to Anything) — jump to a phrase, folder, or Settings page. Selection opens the target for editing; it does not insert into another app.
  • ⌘⇧P (Command Palette) — run app actions such as opening Settings, creating a phrase or folder, or browsing themes and skins.

These are separate from the floating Phrase Palette, which delivers content into other apps. See Keyboard shortcuts.

Personal Insights

Section titled “Personal Insights”

Settings → General → Personal Insights shows local counts for expansions, palette opens, and phrases created. Counts stay on this Mac. Details: Personal Insights and Product Analytics.

Section titled “Recommended organization”
  • Use folders for durable work areas or roles.
  • Prefer concise titles that scan well in the palette.
  • Keep phrase bodies focused on the reusable result.
  • Prefer Favorites for high-frequency phrases instead of duplicating the same text in many folders.
Section titled “Related”