About the “Assets” Folder

The Assets folder (previously called the Includes folder) lets you reuse text, files, and scripts across multiple snippets in Typinator. It is now accessible via the Smart Element button.

What is the Assets Folder?

The Assets folder contains items that extend the Smart Element > Assets menu. You can store different types of content there and quickly insert them into your snippets as reusable placeholders.

Supported file types include:

• Plain text files (.txt)
• Rich text files (.rtf, .rtfd)
• AppleScript files
• JavaScript files
• Shell scripts

How It Works

When you select an item from the Smart Element > Assets menu Typinator inserts a placeholder into your snippet, for example:

{Text/Lorem Ipsum.txt}

When the snippet expands, Typinator automatically replaces the placeholder with the actual content of the file.

This makes it easy to:

• Maintain text in one central location
• Reuse it across multiple snippets
• Update content once and have changes reflected everywhere

Organizing Your Assets

You can organize your files using subfolders inside the Assets folder.

Example structure:

• Text/Lorem Ipsum.txt
• Signatures/Business Signature.rtf

In the Assets section in the Smart Elements, these subfolders appear as submenus, making it easy to find and insert content.

Using Rich Text vs Plain Text

• When inserting rich text files into formatted snippets, formatting (fonts, styles, images) is preserved.
• When inserting them into plain text snippets, formatting and images are removed.

Preinstalled Scripts 

Typinator includes a set of predefined scripts that let you take advantage of its scripting features. No programming knowledge is required to use them.

To insert a script, simply click the Smart Element button above the expansion field and choose a script from the list. Typinator will automatically insert the appropriate script call into your expansion.

When you later type the assigned abbreviation, Typinator runs the script and replaces the placeholder with the script’s result.

ExternalIP: Inserts your external IP address. The external IP address is your computer's address, as seen by other computers when you communicate with them on the Internet.

FinderPath: Inserts the full path of the folder shown in the frontmost Finder window.

FinderSelection: Inserts the full paths of all items that are selected in the Finder.

IP: Inserts the IP address your computer has in the local network.

SafariURL: Inserts the URL from the active tab in the frontmost safari window.

UnixTimestamp: Returns the seconds since January 1, 1970.

The Assets folder is a powerful way to centralize content and extend Typinator’s functionality—whether you're managing reusable text blocks or adding dynamic content with scripts.