A powerful browser extension that automatically replaces trigger text with custom content as you type, featuring dynamic variables, theme support, and site-specific control.
- Features
- Installation
- Quick Start
- Usage
- Advanced Features
- Supported Browsers
- Development
- Contributing
- Privacy
- License
- Support
- Real-time Text Replacement: Automatically replaces trigger text (e.g.,
/mail) with your custom content as you type - Dynamic Variables: Use built-in variables like
{date},{time},{datetime}for dynamic content - Smart Trigger Detection: Works across all input fields, textareas, and contenteditable elements
- Case Sensitivity: Optional case-sensitive matching for triggers
- Modern UI: Clean, intuitive interface with Material Design icons
- Dark/Light Theme: System-aware theme with manual override options
- Search Functionality: Quickly find shortcuts by trigger or content
- Import/Export: Backup and share your shortcuts as JSON
- Site-Specific Control: Enable shortcuts on all sites, whitelist specific sites, or blacklist certain domains
- Enable/Disable Toggle: Quickly turn the extension on/off
- Debounced Input: Optimized performance with minimal impact on typing
- 100% Local: All data stored locally in your browser
- No Data Collection: No analytics, no tracking, no external servers
- Lightweight: Minimal memory footprint and CPU usage
- Secure: No external dependencies or network requests
-
Clone this repository:
git clone https://github.com/8harath/text-replace-ext.git cd text-replace-ext -
Load the extension in your browser:
Chrome/Edge/Brave:
- Navigate to
chrome://extensions/ - Enable "Developer mode" (top right toggle)
- Click "Load unpacked"
- Select the
text-replace-extfolder
Firefox:
- Navigate to
about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox - Click "Load Temporary Add-on"
- Select any file in the
text-replace-extfolder
- Navigate to
-
The extension icon should appear in your browser toolbar
- Click the extension icon in your browser toolbar
- Add your first shortcut:
- Click the "+" button
- Enter a trigger (e.g.,
/email) - Enter your replacement text (e.g.,
john.doe@example.com) - Click "Save"
- Try it out:
- Open any text field on any website
- Type
/emailfollowed by space or enter - Watch it automatically expand to your email address!
- Click the TextShortcuts icon in your toolbar
- Click the + button to add a new shortcut
- Enter your trigger (e.g.,
/sig,/addr,/phone) - Enter your replacement text
- Click Save
Tips:
- Triggers typically start with
/for easy recognition - Keep triggers short and memorable
- Use descriptive triggers that relate to the content
TextShortcuts supports dynamic variables that are replaced with current values:
| Variable | Description | Example Output |
|---|---|---|
{date} |
Current date | 11/18/2025 |
{time} |
Current time | 2:30:45 PM |
{datetime} |
Date and time | 11/18/2025, 2:30:45 PM |
{year} |
Current year | 2025 |
{month} |
Current month (01-12) | 11 |
{day} |
Current day (01-31) | 18 |
{hour} |
Current hour (00-23) | 14 |
{minute} |
Current minute (00-59) | 30 |
{second} |
Current second (00-59) | 45 |
{timestamp} |
Unix timestamp | 1700318445000 |
Example Shortcuts:
Trigger: /date
Content: {date}
Trigger: /timestamp
Content: Meeting on {date} at {time}
Trigger: /log
Content: [{datetime}] Log entry:
Click the settings icon (⚙️) to access:
- Enable Extension: Master on/off switch
- Theme: Choose Light, Dark, or System (Auto)
- Import/Export: Backup or restore your shortcuts
- All websites: Shortcuts work everywhere (default)
- Only on selected websites: Whitelist specific domains
- Except on selected websites: Blacklist specific domains
Add domains in the format: example.com or mail.google.com
- Extension information
- Privacy policy
- Developer contact
Whitelist Mode (shortcuts only work on listed sites):
- Go to Settings → Scope tab
- Select "Only on selected websites"
- Add domains (e.g.,
gmail.com,docs.google.com) - Save settings
Blacklist Mode (shortcuts don't work on listed sites):
- Go to Settings → Scope tab
- Select "Except on selected websites"
- Add domains to exclude
- Save settings
Export:
- Settings → General → Export
- Copy the JSON to clipboard
- Save to a file for backup
Import:
- Settings → General → Import
- Paste your JSON data
- Click "Import" (will overwrite existing shortcuts)
Use the search bar in the main popup to quickly find shortcuts:
- Search by trigger text
- Search by replacement content
- Results update in real-time
- ✅ Google Chrome (latest)
- ✅ Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based)
- ✅ Brave Browser
- ✅ Opera
- ✅ Vivaldi
- ✅ Mozilla Firefox (with minor adaptations)
- ✅ Any Chromium-based browser
Minimum Versions:
- Chrome/Edge/Brave: Version 88+
- Firefox: Version 109+ (for Manifest V3 support)
text-replace-ext/
├── manifest.json # Extension manifest (Manifest V3)
├── popup.html # Popup UI structure
├── popup.js # Popup logic
├── popup.css # Popup styling
├── content.js # Content script (text replacement)
├── background.js # Background service worker
├── icons/ # Extension icons
│ ├── icon16.png
│ ├── icon48.png
│ └── icon128.png
└── README.md # This file
content.js (content.js:1)
- Handles text replacement in web pages
- Monitors input events and detects triggers
- Processes variables and performs replacements
background.js (background.js:1)
- Service worker for extension lifecycle
- Manages storage operations
- Handles message passing
popup.js (popup.js:1)
- Popup UI logic
- Shortcut management
- Settings control
- Manifest V3: Latest Chrome extension standard
- Chrome Storage API: Local data persistence
- Vanilla JavaScript: No external dependencies
- CSS Variables: Theme support
- Material Symbols: Icon library
No build process required! The extension runs directly from source:
git clone https://github.com/8harath/text-replace-ext.git
cd text-replace-ext
# Load in browser as described in Installation section- Enable Debug Logging: Uncomment the debug logs in
content.js:514 - Hot Reload: Use an extension like "Extension Reloader" for faster development
- Test Across Sites: Test on various websites (Gmail, Google Docs, Reddit, etc.)
- Check Console: Open DevTools → Console for error messages
Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch:
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature - Make your changes
- Test thoroughly
- Commit with clear messages:
git commit -m 'Add amazing feature' - Push to your fork:
git push origin feature/amazing-feature - Open a Pull Request
Found a bug? Have a feature request?
- Check existing Issues
- Create a new issue with:
- Clear description
- Steps to reproduce (for bugs)
- Expected vs actual behavior
- Browser version and OS
TextShortcuts is committed to your privacy:
- ✅ No data collection: We don't collect any user data
- ✅ No analytics: No tracking or usage statistics
- ✅ No external servers: All processing happens locally
- ✅ No network requests: Extension works 100% offline
- ✅ Local storage only: Data never leaves your device
Permissions Explained:
storage: Store shortcuts and settings locallyactiveTab: Access current tab for text replacement
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
MIT License
Copyright (c) 2025 Bharath K
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
...
- Documentation: Check this README and USER_GUIDE.md
- Issues: GitHub Issues
- Email: 8harath.k@gmail.com
Q: Why isn't my shortcut working?
- Check if the extension is enabled (Settings → General)
- Verify the trigger text is correct (case-sensitive if enabled)
- Check if the site is in your blacklist
Q: Can I sync shortcuts across devices?
- Currently, shortcuts are stored locally only
- Use Import/Export to manually transfer shortcuts
- Chrome Sync integration is planned for future versions
Q: Does this work in password fields?
- No, for security reasons, shortcuts don't work in password fields
Q: Can I use regex patterns?
- Not currently, but this feature is planned for future releases
Q: How many shortcuts can I create?
- Limited only by browser storage (typically several thousand)
- Chrome Sync support for cross-device shortcuts
- Regular expression support for advanced matching
- Keyboard shortcuts for quick shortcut insertion
- Shortcut categories and tags
- Usage statistics and analytics (local only)
- Multi-language support
- Cloud backup options (optional)
- Snippet templates library
- Icons: Material Symbols
- Inspiration: TextExpander, AutoHotkey, and similar tools
- Community: Thanks to all contributors and users
Bharath K
- Email: 8harath.k@gmail.com
- GitHub: @8harath
Made with ❤️ for productivity enthusiasts
⭐ Star this repo if you find it useful!
Version: 2.0.0 Last Updated: November 18, 2025 License: MIT Status: Active Development