# [[Text expansion in Obsidian with Espanso]]
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zoeQ5yNoXsY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
## Pre-production
### Thumbnail
### Title
1. text expander for Obsidian (46)
2. text expander (31)
3. supercharged keyboard shortcuts (99)
4.
### Hook
Like many of us, I do a lot of typing in my daily life. I work remotely, which means I *type* to my colleagues more than I talk to them. I've lived in five countries, so I maintain many relationships with friends and family I've left behind primarily through text or chat messages. And as some of you have noticed (==insert screenshots below== ) in some of my videos, I've learned to use a lot of shortcuts to make all that typing a little less tedious.
In this video, I'm going to talk about the open source app I use to go beyond just keyboard shortcuts and expand text I find myself typing frequently, in Obsidian and elsewhere. This app is called Espanso.
![[shortcut-01.png]]
![[shortcuts-02.png]]
![[shortcuts-03.png]]
![[shortcuts-04.png]]
![[shortcuts-05.png]]
![[shortcuts-06.png]]
![[shortcuts-07.png]]
### Structure
- Espanso
- Open source
- Windows, Linux, and macOS
- Configuration is kept as text (YAML) which means they're version-controllable
- Installation
- Download (or `brew tap espanso/espanso` and `brew install espanso`)
- Configuration
- `espanso path` to find out where the config files are kept
- `match.yml`
- What's a match?
- Types
- Basics: Trigger and replace
- Extensions: Date, choices, clipboard, random, script
- Forms
- Regex triggers: `;no.tool(Obsidian)`
- Check out my repo on GitHub for more inspiration on how to use it
- Alternatives in Obsidian:
- I created a script that adds a date in Wikilinks format within an Obsidian comment: https://gist.github.com/nicolevanderhoeven/4e461f4477a4cb2566493fd6b259e3ac
- Why don't I use Obsidian plugins for this?
- Text Snippets
- Text Expander
- Jelly Snippets
- Created by a developer named Federico as a passion project-- donate to him (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FHNLR5DRS267E)!
### Outro
Having canned responses at hand helps me answer questions more thoroughly than I otherwise would have, and in some cases, they help me say no where I might have said "maybe"-- or worse, "yes". Text expansion is an essential part of the way I work because it helps me focus on things that really matter by automating the things that don't. And Espanso, as a free, open-source app with config held in text files, is my current text expansion tool of choice.
The text expansions I use are, for the most part, quick and simple replacements triggered by a handful of keystrokes. But I love automating tedium, and sometimes I need something a little more complex. If you'd like to see how I do that, check out this video (https://youtu.be/LrQVQ37y6IU), where I talk about how I use the QuickAdd plugin to create my own macros in Obsidian.
Thanks for watching! *Agyaman la unay!* (==Eve: this is OK to have as text==)
### Related videos and resources
Espanso: https://espanso.org/
Donate to Federico Terzi for Espanso: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FHNLR5DRS267E
### Pinned comment
```
Espanso: https://espanso.org
OBSIDIAN THEME: AnuPpuccin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-SOwxpZQNI)
OBSIDIAN PLUGINS MENTIONED: Text Snippets, Text Expander, Jelly Snippets
```
### Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:41 What is Espanso?
02:12 Downloading and setting up Espanso
04:09 1. Basic match
05:02 My social links
06:33 Affiliate links
08:04 Obsidian-specific shortcuts
10:22 Canned responses
11:34 2. Extensions
12:51 3. Forms
13:13 4. Regex triggers
16:17 Text expansion in Obsidian
## Post-production
- [x] Create captions using Rev, then edit them.
- [x] Take a thumbnail photo and create one for YouTube (1280 x 720).
- [x] Add description.
- [x] Include the title and any keywords in the first few sentences, but in a natural way.
- [x] Add related videos and resources as links.
- [x] Add end screen.
- [x] Add cards if necessary.
- [x] Add chapters/timestamps for YouTube if longer than 5 minutes.
- [x] Add mid-roll ads/check monetization settings.
- [x] Add pinned comment.
- [ ] Post video preview on Patreon.
- [ ] Schedule on YouTube.
- [ ] Add video to relevant playlist(s), or create a playlist if necessary.
- [ ] Schedule on Twitter.
- [ ] Schedule on Mastodon.
- [ ] Promote on Discord (NVDH).
- [ ] Create a blog post on [site](https://nicolevanderhoeven.com).
- [ ] Add to [video-database](obsidian://open?vault=obsidian-playbook&file=video-database%2FVideo%20database).
- [ ] Add to other notes in my vault as appropriate.