Manual Input Syntax

If you want to get a better understanding of the macro code that is generated by the Manual Input, here's a detailed explanation.

You would not normally need to edit the code manually, as the design form will help you in customizing the Manual Inputs to your needs.

{#input values -[desc][title][display][urlEncode][readOnly][useSelection][item][showTime][ci]
[separator][last][lastNeg][inactive][preview][usePositive][positive][useNegative][negative][naText][prepend][append][columns][columnSeparator][columnLast][displayColumn][multi][3states][group]#}

values:

predefined values: these values are displayed when the macro is executed. Insert one item per line.
If, in the generated phrase, you want to insert a different text from the one which is displayed in the selection list, use the format: [description]real text

This is useful to associate easy-to-remember names to codes or acronyms, for example: [Intensive care unit]ICU
To automatically select an element in a list, add the * character at the beginning of the line. Similarly, to deselect an element by default, type # at the beginning of the line (the # character makes sense only if the selection type is list. This is used to create negative phrases).

[desc]:

description of the field. This will be shown as the label of the textbox.

[title]:

title of the window (if left empty, the description of the phrase is used)

[display]: 

define how the request dialog will be displayed to the user. The options are:

 dropdown (default) - display a textbox or a dropdown list containing the values inserted in values: values can be edited.

 checkeddropdown [PRO] - display a multi-selection checked dropdown containing the values inserted in values: values cannot be edited.

list [PRO] - display the values in a list. If the Multi-selection option [multi] is checked, multiple items can be selected. If the Use Yes/No/NA option [3states] is checked, for each element on the list, 3 states can be assigned (Yes/No/NA). The ability to choose among 3 states instead of 2 is useful when using Negative phrases, where a phrase is associated with the items that are not checked (set to No).

 grid [PRO] - display the values in a grid. Multiple elements can be selected.

calendar - displays a calendar

textarea - displays a multi-line textbox

[urlEncode]:

encodes the typed text so that it can be safely used as a parameter in a URL: this item has to be checked when you are performing web searches, to ensure that the typed parameters are properly interpreted by the browser.

[readOnly]: 

limits the selection of the user to the predefined values. The user will not be able to edit the displayed selection (this option is selectable only when displaying a dropdown or a textarea).

[useSelection]:

if the user has triggered the phrase using a shortcut and has selected a piece of text, PhraseExpander automatically uses the selection instead of displaying the input form. This is very practical for doing web searches. PhraseExpander already comes with a number of sample phrases that take advantage of this feature.

[item]: 

customize the text that is generated for each item, pre-pending or appending additional text to it. The #ITEM# placeholder represents the selection and #N# the item number in the generated text.

[showTime]: 

used by the calendar. Tells if the time selection should be shown.

[ci]:

used by the calendar. Tells a specific locale (culture info) to use to display the date/time.

Advanced Options [PRO] (available in PhraseExpander Professional only)

[separator]:

separator text that is inserted when multiple items are selected.

[last]:

specify a different separator for the last item.

[lastNeg]:

specify a different separator for the last item in the negative phrase.

[prepend]:

this text will be inserted before the selection (the text will be displayed only if the Manual Input generates some text).

[append]:

this text will be inserted after the selection (the text will be displayed only if the Manual Input generates some text).

[inactive]:

if this option is selected, when the Manual Input is displayed inside an input form, it will be shown as inactive (you will need to manually click on a checkbox to activate it). This is useful when the Manual Input is rarely used.

[columns]:

insert items here (one per line): each line will represent a new column that will be displayed in the grid. You need to select the grid display [grid] for columns to work. To automatically select an element in the list, add the * character at the beginning of the line.

[columnSeparator]:

separator text that is inserted between the values of the columns (when the grid display [grid] is active). This is used when the multiple selection option [multi] is active.

[columnLast]:

specify a different separator for the last column.

[displayColumn]:

after (default): displays the selected column text after the selection when creating the final text.

before: displays the selected column text before the selection when creating the final text.

[multi]:

allow multiple selection. This works for [list] and [grid] only.

[3states]:

allow multiple selection with 3 states: Yes, No, N/A (ignore). This works in [list] display only. Using the 3 states option together with the [useNegative] option, you can display a text for the items that are marked as No. The N/A items will be ignored (no text is displayed for the items marked as N/A).

[preview]: 

 0 (default) - do not show a preview box when the macro is executed.

 1 - shows a preview box allowing you to customize the text to be inserted when the macro is executed.

[usePositive]: 

0 (default) - the custom text is not used.

1 - enable the use of custom text.

[positive]: the custom text that is inserted when positive (checked) items are present. You can use the #SEL# placeholder to specify where the selected items will be inserted.

The #COL# placeholder will be used to insert the contents of the grid columns [columns]. The #COL# placeholder works only when the [grid] display is chosen.

[useNegative]: (works only when [list] display is selected)

 0 (default) - the custom negative text is not used.

 1 - enable the use of custom negative text.        

[negative]: this is the custom text that is inserted when unchecked (or negative) items are present. Use the #NEG# placeholder to specify where the negative items will be inserted. The sentence will be inserted if at least one element is present.

[naText]:

displays a text when no item is selected (all items are set to N/A). This option can be used with the list (if the 3state option is enabled) and grid display.

[group]: 

groupname - name of the group that contains the phrases to use as predefined values for the manual input (PhraseExpander will display the phrases contained in the group and all subgroups).

NOTE: if you want to display multiple Manual Inputs together in just one form, you need to add an Input Form macro at the beginning of the phrase.