Regex Snippets: Expand Patterns, Not Just Words

Normal snippets match exact text. Regex snippets match patterns. Type a phone number in one format, get it back in another. Type a raw URL, get a Markdown link. Type a date one way, reformat it another.

Setting Up a Regex Snippet

Create a new snippet (Cmd+N)
Switch Match Type from Exact to Regex
Enter a regular expression pattern in the Pattern field
Use $1, $2, etc. in the content to reference captured groups

The editor validates your pattern in real time — you’ll see a green checkmark if it’s valid, or a red error message explaining what’s wrong. It also tells you how many capture groups your pattern contains.

Capture Groups

Parentheses in your pattern create capture groups. Each group gets a number:

$0 — The entire matched text
$1 — First group
$2 — Second group
And so on…

Example: Reformat Phone Numbers

Pattern: tel:(\d{3})-(\d{3})-(\d{4}) Content: ($1) $2-$3

You type:  tel:555-867-5309
You get:   (555) 867-5309

The pattern matches tel: followed by three groups of digits. The content rearranges them into a different format.

Example: Markdown Link from URL

Pattern: mdlink:(https?://\S+) Content: [$1]($1)

You type:  mdlink:https://example.com
You get:   [https://example.com](https://example.com)

Example: HTML Tag Wrapper

Pattern: wrap:(\w+):(.+) Content: <$1>$2</$1>

You type:  wrap:strong:important text
You get:   <strong>important text</strong>

Two capture groups: the tag name and the content.

Practical Recipes

Quick Email Addresses

Pattern: @(\w+) Content: [email protected]

You type:  @aaron
You get:   [email protected]

Date Reformatting

Pattern: date:(\d{1,2})/(\d{1,2})/(\d{4}) Content: $3-$2-$1

You type:  date:15/01/2026
You get:   2026-01-15

Converts DD/MM/YYYY to ISO format.

CSS Color Shorthand

Pattern: rgb:(\d{1,3}),(\d{1,3}),(\d{1,3}) Content: rgb($1, $2, $3)

You type:  rgb:232,93,4
You get:   rgb(232, 93, 4)

Jira-Style Ticket Links

Pattern: (PROJ-\d+) Content: [$0](https://jira.company.com/browse/$0)

You type:  PROJ-1234
You get:   [PROJ-1234](https://jira.company.com/browse/PROJ-1234)

Since $0 is the full match, you don’t even need explicit groups for simple patterns.

Timestamp from Shorthand

Pattern: t:(\d{1,2}):(\d{2})(a|p) Content: $1:$2 $3m

You type:  t:2:30p
You get:   2:30 pm

Tips for Writing Patterns

Start simple. Get a basic pattern working before adding complexity.

Use \d for digits, \w for word characters. These are safer than . which matches anything.

Escape special characters. If you need to match a literal . or (, prefix with \: \. or \(.

Test in the editor. The validation indicator tells you immediately if your pattern is valid and shows the capture group count.

Use non-capturing groups when needed. (?:...) groups without capturing, so it won’t shift your $1, $2 numbering.

Trigger Mode Matters

Regex snippets respect the same trigger modes as exact snippets:

After Delimiter — The pattern must be followed by a space, punctuation, etc.
Immediate — Matches and expands as soon as the pattern completes. Be careful with broad patterns — they might match more than you expect.
Manual Only — Only expands via Quick Search or hotkey.

For regex snippets, After Delimiter is especially important. It prevents partial matches from firing while you’re still typing.

Combining with Macros

Regex content supports all standard macros. You can mix capture groups with dynamic values:

Pattern: log:(\w+):(.+) Content: [{{date:yyyy-MM-dd}} {{time:HH:mm:ss}}] [$1] $2

You type:  log:ERROR:Connection timed out
You get:   [2026-01-15 14:30:45] [ERROR] Connection timed out

The pattern captures the level and message; the macros add the timestamp.

Regex snippets are the most powerful feature in TypeSnap. They turn typing into transformation — not just expansion, but reformatting on the fly.