App-Specific Snippets, Hotkeys, and Quick Search

Not every snippet belongs everywhere. Your code snippets don’t need to expand in Mail. Your email templates shouldn’t fire in Xcode. TypeSnap lets you control exactly where each snippet works — and gives you fast ways to trigger them.

App-Specific Snippets

Every snippet has an Active In setting with three modes:

All Apps (Default)

The snippet works everywhere. Most snippets should use this.

Only These Apps (Whitelist)

The snippet only works in the apps you specify. Everywhere else, it’s ignored.

Example: You have code snippets that should only expand in your editor.

1. Open the snippet in the editor
2. Under Options, change Active In to Only These Apps
3. Click Add Application…
4. Select your code editor (VS Code, Xcode, etc.)

Now ;func expands a function template in your editor but does nothing in Slack or Safari.

Except These Apps (Blacklist)

The snippet works everywhere except the apps you specify.

Example: You have a ;pass snippet that generates passwords. You don’t want it expanding inside a password manager, where it might overwrite a saved entry.

1. Change Active In to Except These Apps
2. Add your password manager (1Password, Bitwarden, etc.)

The snippet works everywhere else but stays silent in those apps.

How App Matching Works

TypeSnap identifies apps by their bundle ID (like com.apple.mail). When you type an abbreviation, TypeSnap checks which app is currently active and compares it against the snippet’s filter list. If the app doesn’t match the filter, the abbreviation is ignored — no expansion, no side effects.

The Add Application dialog shows both running apps and apps installed in your Applications folder, so you can set up filters even for apps that aren’t currently open.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Any snippet can have a dedicated keyboard shortcut. Press the shortcut from any app, and the snippet expands immediately.

Assigning a Shortcut

1. Open a snippet in the editor
2. Find Keyboard Shortcut under Options
3. Click the recorder field
4. Press your desired key combination

Shortcuts can use any combination of modifier keys (Cmd, Option, Control, Shift) with a letter, number, function key, or special key.

Good Shortcuts

Pick combinations that won’t conflict with system or app shortcuts:

Ctrl+Option combinations are rarely used by macOS or apps, making them safe choices.

When Shortcuts Shine

• Manual-only snippets — Snippets set to Manual trigger mode can’t be typed to expand. A hotkey gives them a fast trigger.
• Long abbreviations — If your abbreviation is long or awkward to type, a shortcut is faster.
• Frequent snippets — Your most-used snippets deserve the fastest access.

Shortcuts work even if the snippet has an app filter. If the current app is excluded, the shortcut does nothing.

Quick Search

Quick Search is a global popup for finding and expanding any snippet by name or abbreviation.

Using Quick Search

1. Press Cmd+Shift+T from any app
2. Start typing to filter snippets
3. Use arrow keys to select
4. Press Enter to expand

The search matches against snippet labels, abbreviations, and content. Recently used snippets appear first.

Customizing the Shortcut

The default shortcut is Cmd+Shift+T. You can change it in Preferences > General > Global Search Shortcut.

When to Use Quick Search

• Discovery — You know you have a snippet but can’t remember the abbreviation
• Manual snippets — Snippets with Manual trigger mode are designed for this
• Infrequent snippets — Templates you use once a week don’t need a memorized abbreviation
• Fill-in snippets — Search for a template, select it, and the fill-in dialog appears

Quick Search vs. Abbreviations vs. Hotkeys

Use all three. Memorize abbreviations for your daily drivers, assign shortcuts to your top handful, and use Quick Search for everything else.

Putting It Together

Here’s how a developer might set things up:

Code snippets (;func, ;class, ;test)

• Active In: Only Xcode and VS Code
• Trigger: After Delimiter
• No shortcut needed — typed frequently enough to memorize

Email templates (;reply, ;followup, ;intro)

• Active In: Only Mail and Spark
• Trigger: Manual Only
• Access via Quick Search (Cmd+Shift+T) to pick the right template

Universal snippets (;sig, ;addr, ;phone)

• Active In: All Apps
• Trigger: After Delimiter
• Shortcut on the signature: Ctrl+Option+S

Password/sensitive snippets (;pass)

• Active In: Except 1Password and Keychain Access
• Trigger: After Delimiter

The combination of app filters, trigger modes, and access methods means every snippet has exactly the right behavior for its context.