TextExpander 5.0 and TextExpander 3.5 add support for JavaScript snippets. JavaScript includes a very nice math library, so in addition to having snippets which run on both OS X and iOS, there are a number of snippets which are easier to write. Here are some examples of snippets you can make by setting the Content: menu of a new snippet to JavaScript, and pasting the following into the editor:

Calculate Body Mass Index (BMI)

// Body Mass Index (BMI) from height and weight
var height = Number(%filltext:name=m:default=1.64:width=5%);// meters
var weight = Number(%filltext:name=kg:default=57.5:width=5%);// kilograms
"Body mass index for subject " + height.toFixed(2) + "m tall weighing " +
	weight.toFixed(2) + "kg is: " + Number(weight / (height * height)).toFixed(2);

Compute Hourly Rate Total

// Compute a charge by multiplying hours * hourly rate
var hours = Number(%filltext:name=Hours:default=1.5:width=5%);
var hourlyrate = Number(%filltext:name=Rate:default=30:width=5%);
"Billing for " + hours + " hours at $" + hourlyrate + " for a total of $"
	+ (hours * hourlyrate);

JavaScript snippets can include fill-ins. Here's a quick calculator which can evaluate any valid JavaScript expression:

Quick Calculator

// Quick Calculator -- enter a valid JavaScript expression
%filltext:name=equation:default=2 + 3%;

Here is a more elaborate fill-in example used to tally a survey:

Assess Depression on PHQ-9 Depression Scale

// Depression scale
TextExpander.appendOutput("PHQ-9 Depression scale\n" +
"In last 2 weeks, how often have you experienced:\n\n" +
"  (Score for each answer: 0-'not at all'  1-'several days' " +
"   2-'more than half the days'  3-'nearly every day')\n" +
"1- little interest or pleasure in activities? %fillpopup:name=1:default=0:1:2:3%\n" +
"2- feeling down, depressed, or hopeless? %fillpopup:name=2:default=0:1:2:3%\n" +
"3- trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or sleeping too much? %fillpopup:name=3:default=0:1:2:3%\n" +
"4- feeling tired or having little energy? %fillpopup:name=4:default=0:1:2:3%\n" +
"5- poor appetite or overeating? %fillpopup:name=5:default=0:1:2:3%\n" +
"6- feeling bad about self, feeling failure, or let self or others down? %fillpopup:name=6:default=0:1:2:3%\n" +
"7- trouble concentrating, reading newspaper, or TV? %fillpopup:name=7:default=0:1:2:3%\n" +
"8- moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed? Or the opposite, being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual? %fillpopup:name=8:default=0:1:2:3%\n" +
"9- thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way? %fillpopup:name=9:default=0:1:2:3%\n\n");

var count = 0;
var sum = 0;
for (count = 1; count <= 9; count++) {
    var fieldVal = Number(TextExpander.filledValues["" + count]);
    if (fieldVal != NaN) {
        sum += fieldVal;
    }
    else break;
}

TextExpander.appendOutput("Total: " + sum + "\n" +
	"   Greater than 10 => major depression\n" +
	"   Greater than 20 => severe depression\n");

Have a favorite JavaScript? Send it in and include permission so we can share it.

TextExpander 5 and TextExpander touch 3.5 now include support for standard JavaScript snippets, and TextExpander 5 also includes support for JavaScript for Automation on OS X.

1.
As a basic example, a scientist with a frequent need for an approximation of Pi to eight digits of precision could set up a JavaScript snippet with abbreviation zpi and content:

Math.PI.toFixed(8)

Any time the user types zpi, it will expand to: 3.14159265.

2.
Here is a more complex example. It's a TextExpander fill-in snippet which tells the user their zodiac sign:

zodiacSigns = ['monkey', 'rooster', 'dog', 'pig', 'rat', 'ox',
                'tiger', 'rabbit', 'dragon', 'snake', 'horse', 'goat'];
var index = %filltext:name=Enter your birth year:default=1984% % 12;
"Your Zodiac sign is the " + zodiacSigns[index] + ".\n";
// %filltop%

When expanded, the user is prompted for their birth date, and the snippet returns their zodiac sign. For example, if the user enters 1972, the snippet expands to “Your Zodiac sign is the rat.”

Note:
Did you notice %filltop%? That tells TextExpander to duplicate any single line and popup fields at the top of the fill-in window and hide the script. You'll find that via the insert menu under Fill-ins > Show at top.

Content Object

TextExpander includes a JavaScript context object, which exposes the following items you might find useful. Precede these with TextExpander, for example, TextExpander.appendOutput(“Hello, world!”). triggeringAbbreviation – the abbreviation which triggered the expansion [boolean, read/write] ignoreOutput – do not use the final statement as the expansion [boolean, read/write] appendOutput(text) – add text to the expansion [function] baseDate – date and time at which the snippet is expanded [date, read only] adjustedDate – date and time used to expand the snippet [date, read/write] pasteboardText – clipboard contents [string, read/write] expansionContext – bundle ID within which snippet is being expanded [string, read only; can be nil] filledValues – fill-in field values [associative array of strings, read/write]

JavaScript for iOS and OS X

You can take advantage of JavaScript support on both OS X and iOS to create snippets which run on both platforms — something you can't do with AppleScripts and Shell Scripts. You can write a snippet to make the clipboard content lowercase in JavaScript like this:

TextExpander.pasteboardText.toLowerCase();

JavaScript for Automation

On OS X, you can use JavaScript for Automation (JSA) as an alternative to AppleScript. This form of JavaScript will not function in iOS. TextExpander should automatically detect JSA, or you can force JavaScript to be treated as JSA by starting it with a comment: //JSA Here is a JSA script to create a new message, set its subject, and set its content:

Mail = Application('Mail');
message = Mail.OutgoingMessage().make()
message.subject = "New Message";
message.content = "This is a new message created via JavaScript."

You might enjoy this article from MacStories on Getting Started with JavaScript for Automation. If you have a favorite JavaScript, please send it in, and let us know if we can share it with the world.