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What BlackBerry AutoTexts do you use the most?

by Ronen Halevy on May 25th, 2009 at 12:18 pm EST
14 Comments »
 

autotexts[1] One of my favorite features on my BlackBerry is the AutoText (aka SmartCase/SmartWords). This is the feature that RIM uses to automatically capitalize words or correct them based on set rules. Awhile ago RIM gave us access to these AutoTexts and let us create our own. This lets you do things like make “rh” automatically change into Ronen Halevy after you write it. You can set these up by going to your homescreen>Options>AutoText.

I though I would share my most used shortcut with all of you and see if you had any better ones. I actually use AutoText for my signature on outgoing emails. I just type “atb” and my BlackBerry automatically converts it to “All the best, Ronen.” This way I can choose when I want to put a formal signature on the bottom of an email. It is also a great way to automatically fill out your email address, phone number, home address, and more with just a few keystrokes. Its even useful for typing out stuff as simple as “att” to have it automatically converted to AT&T.

So what are your most useful AutoTexts?

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This entry was posted on Monday, May 25th, 2009 and is filed under News.
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14 Comments to “What BlackBerry AutoTexts do you use the most?”

  1. Posted by: Nxorph
    May 25, 2009 at 1:39 pm EST

    is it me or does this not work with blackberry messenger or i’m just doing something really wrong?

  2. Posted by: Ronen Halevy
    May 25, 2009 at 1:56 pm EST

    Its just you :) it works on my bold

  3. Posted by: osman
    May 25, 2009 at 2:31 pm EST

    I use lots:
    bb=BlackBerry
    y=why
    u=you
    r=are
    bbm= BlackBerry Messenger
    tmrw= tomorrow
    Myimei= my phone’s imei lol
    iphone= iPhone
    I use lots

  4. Posted by: Corinne
    May 25, 2009 at 2:45 pm EST

    Myimei= my phone’s imei << Is a good one, I’ll have to program that in.

    The only one’s programmed in right now are my name and my most used usernames. But, I should have more because suretype is annoying (I’m on an 8220).

  5. Posted by: Mark
    May 25, 2009 at 3:30 pm EST

    20 deg turns to 20°. the auto text entry
    is %b° (you can copy the ° symbol here since it isn’t found on the blackberry by default)

  6. Posted by: ShvartzBerry
    May 25, 2009 at 3:58 pm EST

    I use a lot of them that I added like
    f=for
    t=the
    u=you
    y=why
    r=are
    ur=your
    c=see
    These words are used so often that it really saves a lot of time.
    I found it annoying to use the alt key when I wanted to make a ? so I just added a rule that a lone “q” turns into a backspace-then-?
    The only time this can be a pain is when you’re writing an SMS (on a CDMA BB, as previously documented) and you’d rather not expand the shortcuts and risk hitting the 160-character wall.

    Ronen, that’s a great idea for the signature. It’s always bothered me that there isn’t a signature for SMSes but now it can be inserted quite easily.

  7. Posted by: alex
    May 25, 2009 at 6:08 pm EST

    mypin ftw.

  8. Posted by: Parabola
    May 25, 2009 at 11:17 pm EST

    I definitely do some of the SMS-to-real words (c,u,etc)

    Also:
    Wer = we’re
    Il = I’ll
    (S)Hel = (s)he’ll
    Itss = it’s

    I love auto text. Most common contractions are there, a bunch of easy mispellings, the SmartCase feature, and even some other cool built-in ones.

    I’ve only now noticed the following ones:
    ld = long date
    lt = long time
    Mynumber, mypin,myver, usrid (%o, name from Owner info), sig (%O, information from Owner info).

    After this post on my BlackBerry, I’ve just added eq = ‘=’. :D

  9. Posted by: fbrn
    May 26, 2009 at 7:24 am EST

    I use
    smi = :-)
    fro = :-(

    I do a lot of sms so this helps and in blackberry messenger it works good.

    • Posted by: ShvartzBerry
      May 26, 2009 at 9:49 am EST

      In BB Messenger, you can simply hit the SYM button twice and you have a whole keyboard-full of smileys. For example, SYM-SYM-D will give you the big teethy smiley.
      It is important to keep in mind with “shortcuts” how many key presses it’s actually saving you.

  10. Posted by: JerryD
    May 26, 2009 at 7:26 am EST

    OK. Did you know that there are “macros” built into the “Auto Text Language”? For example, if you put %p in an AutoText, it expands to your device’s Phone Number, %P expands into your device’s PIN, %o expands to the name you enter under Options –> Owner, and %O expands into the information under Owner.

    I’ve set up my Owner information to format like a signature with my Name, Comapny, Address, Work and Fax numbers.

    Then I set up the Auto Text “sig” to equal “%o%O” (with a after the o), “sigg” which adds my cell number to the above, and “siggg” which adds my home number to that.

    I have Auto Signature turned off for all email accounts – most people I email have my info, and in the rare instance I do want to include a signature, I can include as much or as little as I want easily.

    Here’s what the entries look like. I use below to make it eaiser to show the replacement:

    sig = %o%O
    sigg = %o%OM: (555) 555-5555
    sigg = %o%OM: (555) 555-5555H: (555) 555-5555

  11. Posted by: Esoth
    May 26, 2009 at 8:33 am EST

    I use auto text all the time! It’s much better than the auto text features on our word processing and billing software, to the point where I have a 3rd party timekeeping and billing app on my BB, and I prefer using that to the actual desktop program:

    tc = telephone conference
    cw = conference with
    rr = receipt and review
    rar = review and revise
    corr = correspondence
    dr = draft
    wrt = with respect to

    It’s also drop-dead great for names, using initials

  12. Posted by: ShvartzBerry
    May 26, 2009 at 12:00 pm EST

    The only bad thing about the autotext is forgetting that I don’t have it on my PC. While you can add it to Outlook and Word, and the like, you don’t have the luxury of adding it system-wide like you can on the BB

  13. Posted by: sugardaddy
    July 7, 2009 at 4:13 pm EST

    The Windows program “Texter” can help you have the same functionality as AutoText.

    http://lifehacker.com/238306/lifehacker-code-texter-windows

    For even more power, check out AutoHotKey, a scripting language that does what AutoText does and so much more. A single line like this is all you need to program in something like an AutoText entry….

    ::ayt::Are you there?